AJ Dillon describes it as one of the toughest years of his life. The love of his life was taken away.
The new Eagles backup running back missed all of last season with the Green Bay Packers due to a neck injury, but now he says he’s ready to attack as he feels as good as ever.
He’s been medically cleared to play with a fresh start in Philadelphia.
“Last year was tough,” Dillon said about last year. “It was the first time since I was about eight years old I’ve had a year off of football. It’s tough when you have the game that you love taken away from you.”
As hard as it was, Dillon says he remains focused and determined, leaning on his family, and he’s been attacking his training in Florida.
Training may be putting it lightly as he says he can squat 615 pounds and that’s not even the max weight that he believes he can lift.
The 26-year-old who loves the nickname ‘quadzilla’ for his massive quads says he cannot wait to put the pads back on and run behind the Eagles' offensive line.
“If you’re a football fan, you know about the Eagles' offensive line,” Dillon said.
The former second-round pick of the Packers in 2020 says he’s never felt as good as he does right now and is trying to look at the year off as a way to rejuvenate himself and his body after taking punishing hits in his first four seasons in the NFL.
Dillon is excited for the opportunity to play for the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and back up Saquon Barkley in arguably the most passionate sports city in America.
“Philly fans are awesome,” Dillon says with a smile. “Excited for the full experience”.
The Eagles had reached out to his agent early in the free agent process to express interest and both sides hope it’s a match made in heaven.
Dillon can already feel the brotherly love from Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and Eagles GM Howie Roseman less than 24 hours from landing in Philadelphia.
“The culture is great, excited to get started,” Dillon said about joining the Eagles.
The 247-pound running back says he is not worried about getting hurt after visiting specialists across the country on the East Coast and West Coast. He’s been given the green light and is good to go.
The addition of Dillon is believed to be an upgrade over Kenny Gainwell, who left in free agency and is joining the Pittsburgh Steelers.
His massive size and hands could be a nightmare one-two punch with Barkley in the backfield.
Dillon has a career 597 carries for 2,428 yards (4.1 yards per attempt) and 16 touchdowns over 60 regular-season games with the Packers and looks to add to those numbers with the Eagles.