The Green Bay Packers offense is going to look a lot different in 2023 than it has in a long time. For the first time since 2008, there will be someone else under center in the starting lineup with Aaron Rodgers being traded to the New York Jets.
The unfortunate task of attempting to replace Rodgers falls upon Jordan Love, a 2020 first-round draft pick out of Utah State. He has a lot of pressure on his shoulders, which is only heightened by the inexperience surrounding him at the skill positions.
There is a chance that the Packers have only first and second-year players starting at both wide receiver and tight end. That is a tough situation for Love, who is inexperienced himself, to be put in. However, he does have one established group to lean on; his running backs.
Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon are a dynamic duo with diverse skill sets. Jones is the dynamic option, the lightning to the strength and power that Dillons brings to the table. They are a perfect pairing and that is reflected in a recent power ranking done over at CBS.
Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports put together his ranking of the top-10 offensive position groups in the NFL. The duo of Jones and Dillon came in at No. 3 on his list. The only groups ranked ahead of them are the offensive line of the Philadelphia Eagles and the wide receiver group for the Cincinnati Bengals.
“The Packers’ offense will look a lot different without Aaron Rodgers in 2023, but one thing that will remain a constant is their strong backfield attack led by Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon. Either one of these backs could be a featured starter for a team in the NFL, but also work seamlessly together for Green Bay. Jones is coming off a career season where he rushed for a high of 1,121 yards while continuing to contribute as a pass catcher. He caught a career-high 59 passes while turning that into 395 receiving yards and five touchdowns. As for Dillon, the fourth-year back is more of a bruiser and totaled 770 rushing yards and seven touchdowns last season, but he’s also progressed as a receiver as well and caught 28 passes for 206 yards last season. Both of these backs have the capability to take over a game on the ground, which should be a massive help for Jordan Love as he enters this season as the full-time starter.”
The stats that Sullivan shared from last season for Jones and Dillon are actually a step back from what the duo was able to accomplish in 2021, which goes to show why they deserve the ranking that they received. At all times, Love is going to have a player in the backfield with him that could be a featured back on nearly every other team in the NFL.
Looking to compensate for the lack of experience elsewhere on the offense, it would not be surprising to see the Packers’ coaching staff get creative and deploy Jones and Dillon on the field at the same time.
Jones is an elite pass catcher out of the backfield and Dillon garners a lot of attention for his work between the tackles. Having them on the field together could cause mismatches and make life much easier for Love as he transitions to the starting quarterback position.