After missing the entirety of the 2024 season due to a neck injury, running back AJ Dillon has found a new home with the Philadelphia Eagles and is ready to make an impact in his return to the field.
"We met with specialists from the East Coast, West Coast, everywhere. We're good to go. Got the green light," Dillon said this week. "So I'm excited to get here, play ball and continue to be a part of what's been some dominance in Philly."
Dillon signed a one-year contract to join the Eagles after spending five years in Green Bay, the last of which saw him watch his team from the sidelines after a neck stinger took him out before the season even began.
Now with a clean bill of health, Dillon will be joining last season's No. 2 rushing offense, looking to retain the RB2 role he had with the Packers.
Dillon averaged 15 games played per campaign in his time in Green Bay -- excluding the missed 2024 season -- but only started a total of 11. Operating in that second-string position, Dillon nevertheless made his presence felt with a bruising approach, recording 2,186 rushing yards between 2021-2023. The last of those years ended prematurely due to a cervical neck stinger, however, the same injury that also popped up in 2024.
With recurring neck injuries, there's always a worry that it could force a player out of football, a possibility that Dillon said he considered seriously during his year of recovery. But in the end, Dillon got the go-ahead to return to play and doesn't anticipate it being a problem going forward.
"Originally, when you get that kind of news, you always want to be cautious, make sure you're ticking all your boxes, doing all the proper checks and balances," he said. "But I got all the green lights, so I'm feeling good.
"I don't feel any residual or anything like that. So one of those things that you just kind of work through, get back and here I am and I'm in Philly, I'm gonna make the most of it."
Trading one green jersey for another with his signing in Philadelphia, the man known as Quadzilla will hope to provide a complement for reigning NFL rushing champion Saquon Barkley, another running back known for his impressive leg strength.
Barkley obviously accounted for the vast majority of the Eagles' production on the ground in 2024, hitting the 2,000-yard rushing mark in the regular season and tacking on 499 more yards and five touchdowns during Philly's journey to a Super Bowl LIX win.
Kenneth Gainwell operated as the primary backup when Barkley sat a snap, accumulating 290 yards on 75 totes. With him moving on to the Steelers in free agency and the other three backs currently on the roster combining for 89 yards last season, the opportunity is there for Dillon to slot into that open position.
"As far as my role and how I can help, really the way I approach the game, the way I play football, I'm just excited to go out there every time and make the most of every opportunity," Dillon said. "What that looks like, how it is done, as long as I'm in the right place, doing the right things, being accountable, I'm good. I'm having a great time. So I'll let my game, I'll let all that stuff speak for itself.
"But I'm excited to get started."
