The Philadelphia Eagles made it a priority this offseason to address the RB depth chart behind Saquon Barkley. While Barkley is coming off of a season of historically high usage, that's all the more reason to scale back his touches in 2025. It's an act of preservation.
That led to the signing of former Green Bay Packers running back AJ Dillon, who missed the entire 2024 campaign with a stinger. Dillon inked a one-year, $1.2 million contract in hopes of winning RB2 duties in training camp. Unfortunately, we aren't even to training camp yet and it feels like Dillon is losing his grip on a roster spot.
PhillyVoice's Jimmy Kempski expects Will Shipley to be elevated to RB2 following Kenneth Gainwell's departure for the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency. Shipley only rushed 30 times for 82 yards as a rookie, but flashed his potential in small doses and on special teams.
Kempski also projects 26-year-old Avery Williams, a former two-way player, to win RB3 duties. The 26-year-old last appeared in an NFL game all the way back in 2022, when he played all 17 games (including three starts) for the Atlanta Falcons. He also expects two-year vet Ben VanSumeren to grab the fourth and final RB slot as a fullback.
That puts Dillon on the outside of the Eagles' 53-man roster looking in... for now.
AJ Dillon looks like a waste of money in Eagles free agency
It's hard to get too worked up about a $1.2 million salary, especially when less than $200,000 was actually guaranteed at signing. The Eagles took an extremely low-risk gamble on a veteran returning from a serious neck injury, in hopes that he might stand out in OTAs and training camp. The latter has yet to unfold, but it's clear Dillon has not made the strongest impression on Eagles officials or reporters.
This is not some grand misstep from Howie Roseman. It's mostly a simple swing and miss, which all the best GMs do. This is a fringe roster decision that should have very little impact on Philadelphia's success (or lack thereof) in 2025. It is hardly shocking to see Philadelphia bet on youth and diversity of skills. Dillon is a proven third-down weapon, comfortable running routes and racking up targets. But he's on the decline and only the Eagles truly know how he looks coming back from the injury. This is not the best sign.
That said...
Eagles cannot discount AJ Dillon entirely, though
Look, there's still a lot of summer left. Training camp has the potential to flip this competition on its head, as Dillon could vastly outperform the likes of Avery Williams or undrafted free agent ShunDerrick Powell when it counts. The 27-year-old brings valuable experience to an Eagles backfield that lacks much of it beyond Barkley.
Shipley, a fourth-round pick last summer, spent most of last season returning kicks or watching from the sidelines, only sneaking into the offense on specialized play-calls. He could very well prove to be an excellent RB2, but there's a measure of risk there. He's a quick, shifty runner, but may lack the physicality and durability of others in a similar role. Especially if he's expected to spell Barkley more than Gainwell did last season, as there's almost no way Philadelphia force-feeds another 400-plus touches to the reigning third-place finisher in MVP voting.
Dillon is on the outs for now, but there's still a world in which Philly brass cools on Shipley and decides to keep Dillon around for a measure of veteran certainty with the second or third-stringers.