It won’t be easy for the Green Bay Packers to replace former running back Jamaal Williams. Not just his presence in the locker room or his incredible dance choreography. What this team will miss most about Williams is his ability as a pass blocker.
This past free agency period, the Packers didn’t sign Williams to another contract. Mainly so they could afford Aaron Jones, who has been ahead of Williams on the depth chart for the last three years. That is not so much of a knock against Williams as it that Jones has really come into his own over the last few seasons.
By choosing Jones, Williams was free to sign wherever he wanted, and he chose not to travel far. Williams will remain in the NFC North as a member of the Detroit Lions after signing a two-year contract. Whenever Green Bay tries to send pressure at Jared Goff, or whoever is playing quarterback for the Lions in 2021, it will be more difficult if Williams is helping out in pass protection.
Williams really excelled as a blocker during his four years with the Packers. It was obviously something he took the time to master, as he was noticeably the best blocking running back on the roster. Williams may have been average or above average at a lot of things, but when it came to protecting Aaron Rodgers, he was exceptional.
During his first three seasons, Williams’ pass-blocking grade never fell below 76.0, according to Pro Football Focus. In 2021, Williams received the lowest pass-blocking grade of his career at 61.0. He totaled 59 snaps in pass protection, allowing one sack and four pressures. It was only the third sack Williams allowed through a total of 254 reps as a pass blocker.
While the fans will miss Williams’ dancing and charm, most of all, Green Bay will miss his ability and eagerness to block.
Any running back with hopes to get on the field and play in the Packers’ offense must be able to block in some capacity. If you are unable or reluctant, it could easily lead to your demise.
Luckily, Green Bay may have the answer for replacing Williams already on the roster, and his name is A.J. Dillon. The renowned power back was a second-round draft pick a year ago and played 97 total snaps on offense while sitting behind and learning from Jones and Williams.
However, now that Williams is out of the picture, Dillon can expect his role to grow. One way for Dillon to get more playing time is to undertake Williams’ place as the best pass-blocking running back on the team. Jones will likely remain the starter, but Dillon has a noticeable size and strength advantage he can utilize in pass protection.
Just pop in his tape, and you will see Dillon is a bruiser who would much rather run through you than around you. That type of mindset is well-suited for pass blocking, which Dillon already showed he can do a little bit as a rookie. Dillon played six snaps as a pass blocker in 2020 and received a grade of 63.3, per PFF. Obviously, that is a very small sample size, but Dillon has the body type and frame of mind to do it more and hopefully become pretty good at it.
Next year, Green Bay may try to put Dillon’s 6-0, 247-pound frame to use not only as the thunder to Jones’ lightning but as some much-needed insurance in pass protection with Williams no longer on the roster.
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