Packers’ New-Look Offense Could Feature the NFL’s Best Running Back Duo

Critics who lambasted the Green Bay Packers for their decision to select AJ Dillon in the second round of the 2020 draft may have to retract those comments and acknowledge that the club has the best running back duo by the end of the 2022 season.

Two years ago, Green Bay added Dillon to a solid backfield that included Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams, which caused some confusion considering a glaring need at wide receiver. For perspective, take a look at the betting odds that the Packers would draft a running back at No. 62 overall:

On that night, many Packers fans and analysts scratched their heads. In hindsight, the front office made the right decision for the team's future.

Last offseason, Green Bay signed Jones to a four-year, $48 million extension and allowed Williams to walk in free agency. After a quiet rookie campaign as the No. 3 running back on the depth chart, Dillon took a big leap in 2021.

SBNation's Jason B. Hirschhorn composed a comprehensive column on his Substack that highlighted Dillon's second-year growth in the offense. He mirrored Jones' production in a near-even split for touches:

· Aaron Jones: 223 touches for 1,190 yards and 10 touchdowns

· AJ Dillon: 221 touches for 1,116 yards and seven touchdowns

Dillon's 2021 production topped all four of Williams' individual years in Green Bay. Perhaps he's just scratched the surface of his potential while in line for a bigger role.

In March, the Packers traded wide receiver Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders. He commanded 115-plus targets in each of the past two seasons. Without him, quarterback Aaron Rodgers will have more balls to spread among his pass-catchers, and we could see a heavy tilt toward the ground attack.

Head coach Matt LaFleur served as the Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator under primary play-caller and lead skipper Sean McVay when running back Todd Gurley racked up 2,093 yards and 19 touchdowns from scrimmage for the league's No. 1 scoring offense in 2017.

The following year, LaFleur called plays for the Tennessee Titans, who fielded the sixth-ranked rushing offense with Derrick Henry as the featured back and Dion Lewis in the change-of-pace role.

Last season, LaFleur watched his top two ball-carriers rack up 1,602 yards and nine touchdowns combined on the ground.

Green Bay's offense will undoubtedly operate differently without Adams, but LaFleur can adjust with his backfield personnel. He's been exposed to and guided run-heavy offenses that overshadowed the passing attack. Now, the Packers head coach has two lead-type running backs who can fulfill all the playmaking responsibilities at the position.

In his monthly column on the Packers' official website, team president and CEO Mark Murphy expressed a ton of confidence in the team's top two tailbacks:

"Our game is now a quarterback-driven league and great quarterbacks like Aaron can lift up the play of all their teammates. I also believe we have the best running back duo in the league in Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon, and they will be a big part of our passing game."

We've seen Jones' versatile skill set. He's a dual-threat playmaker who's recorded 183 career receptions for 1,448 yards and 12 touchdowns in addition to 4,163 rushing yards and 41 scores. For two of the last three years, he's ranked second on the team in catches. Averaging 5.1 yards per carry across five seasons, the 2020 Pro Bowler can cover ground in chunks and poses a threat to break away for a big gain.

Dillon isn't a home run threat yet. However, running backs coach Ben Sirmans referenced the ball-carrier's 36-yard run against the Chicago Bears in their 2021 Week 6 matchup. He believes we'll see a more explosive version of the third-year pro in the upcoming campaign (h/t Zach Kruse of Packers Wire):

"He’s got that type of ability. He can make you miss in the open field. You think about the plays like the Chicago run that he had. He’s faster than what most people think. He’s got the ability to put a little juke on you, even for a guy his size. So really it’s just putting all those facets to his game and putting them together. I do think he’ll have more explosive runs this year."

Dillon, whose nickname is Quadzilla, because of his massive quadriceps, isn't going to outrun defenders or turn on the afterburners in a footrace to the end zone. At 6'0", 247 pounds, he's the thunder in Green Bay's backfield duo.

For the 2021 season, Dillon finished 11th in broken tackles (17), though the 10 ball-carriers ahead of him all had at least 202 carries while he logged 187 rush attempts.

This year, without Adams, who had been a touchdown machine, Green Bay could feed Dillon inside the 20-yard line. With great lower-body strength, he moves piles:

Though Dillon carries the label of a bruising ball-carrier, he's more than a one-dimensional short-yardage, between-the-tackles running back. As a collegian, the Boston College product didn't have much of a receiving role, hauling in just 21 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns in three seasons as an Eagle.

However, last year, Dillon logged 34 receptions for 313 yards and two touchdowns. Watch him leak out of the backfield, plant his foot in the ground and catch a pass over the middle for a touchdown:

Rodgers may have lost his top wide receiver, but he can hand off or throw to both of his running backs, who should emerge as key players in a new-look offensive attack.

The Athletic's Brandon Marianne Lee took a snapshot of Jones' pass-catching production without Adams on the field in their time as teammates.

"With Adams on the field, Jones would average 2.49 receptions, 17.83 receiving yards, and .14 receiving touchdowns per game," Lee wrote. "Without Adams, Jones averages 4.5 receptions, 48.5 receiving yards, and .5 receiving touchdowns per game."

The Packers signed Sammy Watkins and selected Christian Watson (second round), Romeo Doubs (fourth round) and Samori Toure (seventh round) in the 2022 draft, but don't be surprised if Jones leads the team in multiple receiving categories. Dillon should see growth in his pass-catching role as well.

Green Bay's running back duo can do it all behind a quality offensive line that will eventually welcome back 2020 Pro Bowl guard Elgton Jenkins. Two-time All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari could be back at 100 percent after he played in just one game while recovering from a torn ACL last season. The five-man unit should help the running backs produce big numbers in 2022.

Kruse believes Jones and Dillon have a shot to become the sixth running back tandem to reach 1,000 rushing yards apiece—the first to accomplish that feat since DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart did it with the Carolina Panthers in 2009.

That Panthers squad ranked second in total rush attempts without a 1,000-yard receiver on the roster. The Packers may have a similar dynamic.

Rodgers has to build a rapport with a young wide receiver corps and develop a stronger connection with wideout Allen Lazard, who doesn't have more than 40 receptions in a single season. Watkins has recently struggled to stay healthy, missing 10 games since 2020. Tight end Robert Tonyan is still recovering from a torn ACL. Now in the latter stages of his career, Randall Cobb's catch and receiving yard totals have been on the decline since 2019. As Green Bay's aerial attack goes through a jelling period, LaFleur can lean on what worked on the ground last year.

In June, Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine ranked the top seven backfields and placed the Packers tandem second behind Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.

Ballentine made a logical case for the Cleveland Browns pair. Chubb has rushed for at least 1,067 yards in three consecutive campaigns. As a rookie, Hunt won the 2017 rushing title with the Kansas City Chiefs, and he’s one of the league's most productive pass-catching backs with 176 career receptions for 1,596 yards and 16 touchdowns.

In the event Green Bay becomes more reliant on its backfield, Jones and Dillon can surpass Chubb and Hunt, especially if they continue to split the bulk of the workload at about 50-50.

In Cleveland, Hunt is clearly the No. 2 running back, and he missed nine games last year. As Kruse suggested, Green Bay may have two 1,000-yard ball-carriers.

Of course, the Packers had no idea they would lose Adams when they drafted Dillon, but we cannot criticize the pick now. Because of that questionable selection, Green Bay could have the NFL’s best running back duo.

Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.