The Green Bay Packers just addressed the most important pressing matter on their roster for the 2024 NFL preseason. That was agreeing to a new extension with franchise quarterback Jordan Love, who inked a four-year $220 million deal a few days ago. But there is more that needs to be done.
The Packers have to fill out their roster and will do so by choosing the players who shine brightest during the NFL preseason. Two players on the roster bubble who need big performances during the preseason to make the Packers' 53-man roster include AJ Dillon and Anders Carlson.
Will AJ Dillon make the team?
AJ Dillon's NFL career hasn't exactly gone to plan so far. He was drafted with plenty of expectations as the 62nd overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He has had some big games that showed the promise Green Bay was buying into when they selected him that high. One example came during his rookie season, when he ran for 124 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries against the Tennessee Titans.
However, he hasn't been able to sustain anything close to that level of production. That remains Dillon's lone game of his career with at least 100 rushing yards. On top of that, his efficiency has plummeted since his rookie season. He went from averaging 5.3 yards per carry that year to 4.3 to 4.1 to 3.4 last season.
That's not the direction a player should want to trend. To make matters worse, Green Bay added competition for him during the offseason. The move to replace Aaron Jones with Josh Jacobs garnered the majority of the headlines, but they didn't stop there. The Packers also drafted USC's MarShawn Lloyd in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Green Bay also has Emmanuel Wilson in their backfield. He really shined in preseason last year and used that to make the Packers' 53-man roster for the 2023 NFL season. It isn't inconceivable to think that he can jump Dillon on the depth chart this year with another solid showing during training camp.
Dillon needs a big training camp and preseason to make the Packers' 53-man roster. If he doesn't, Green Bay can easily move on if they don't like what they see. Dillon only signed a one-year deal during the offseason for about $2.7 million. Dillon's play will be worth keeping an eye on.
Can Anders Carlson survive the kicking competition?
Another player who needs a big performance during training camp and the NFL preseason to make the Packers' 53-man roster is kicker Anders Carlson. Carlson had an up-and-down rookie campaign. There were definitely some high points. The biggest was his game-winning kick against the Carolina Panthers in Week 16.
However, Carlson's low points were especially costly. He missed an extra point earlier on in that game against the Panthers. Carlson also missed a field goal in the Packers' losses to the Denver Broncos and New York Giants. They lost both of those games by two points.
But the biggest of his blunders came in the playoffs. His miss late against the San Francisco 49ers kept the difference in that game four points instead of extending Green Bay's lead to seven. San Francisco promptly scored a touchdown to take the lead and eventually won by three points.
Carlson is now in a kicking competition with Greg Joseph. As of Tuesday, July 30th, Joseph appears to be the one performing best in camp by a smidge. But it's too soon to call a winner as of now. If it's close, Carlson will probably get the nod. But a strong showing during NFL preseason games could ice it for Carlson. He's an important Packers player to monitor during preseason action.
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