One thing about Ryan Poles when it comes to free agency is he loves to search out bargains that make sense. He’s been surprisingly good at finding them over the past two years. He got Justin Jones in 2022 for $6 million per year across two seasons. Last year was even better as he nabbed T.J. Edwards, DeMarcus Walker, D’Onta Foreman, and Andrew Billings on affordable short-term deals. All became major contributors this past season, helping the Chicago Bears improve from 3-14 to 7-10. It stands to reason Poles will continue this approach.
Former Pro Bowler Maurice Jones-Drew evaluated the upcoming 2024 class of free agent running backs, determining liking landing spots for the biggest names. Derrick Henry could end up in Baltimore, while Saquon Barkley may commit the ultimate betrayal by joining the Dallas Cowboys. It seems the Bears may get in on the action, too. Jones-Drew believes they will look to snag former 2nd round pick A.J. Dillon, who has spent the past four seasons with the Green Bay Packers.
If he’s healthy, he would immediately benefit a young quarterback.
“DILLON HAS MISSED GREEN BAY’S LAST TWO GAMES DUE TO NECK AND THUMB INJURIES, AND PRIOR TO THAT, HE AVERAGED A CAREER-LOW 3.4 YARDS PER CARRY IN 2023. STILL, WHEN DILLON’S HEALTHY, I THINK HE CAN PROVIDE A TEAM WITH A HARD-NOSED, PHYSICAL RUNNING BACK TO WEAR DOWN OPPOSING DEFENSES LATE IN THE SEASON. THAT’S WHY I’VE PAIRED HIM WITH CHICAGO, WHERE HE COULD JOIN KHALIL HERBERT IN THE BACKFIELD AND PRODUCE IN COLD-WEATHER GAMES. WITH JUSTIN FIELDS POTENTIALLY PLAYING ELSEWHERE IN 2024 — OPENING THE DOOR FOR A ROOKIE AT QUARTERBACK — A VETERAN RB DUO WOULD BE TASKED WITH CARRYING A LOT OF THE OFFENSIVE LOAD.”
Dillon would be a Ryan Poles type of signing.
There are a few reasons why. Start with the age. He’s only 25, which is still good for a running back. He had at least 900 yards from scrimmage in both 2021 and 2022. Unfortunately, groin and thumb injuries nagged him most of last year. There is also the fact he’s played in the wide-zone offense under Matt Lafleur, the same scheme new Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron also comes from. Last but not least, Dillon will be cheap. Projections have him making around $4 million per year at most in his next contract. If the Bears aren’t interested in bringing back Foreman, this would be a logical move.
Dillon has tons of power, patience, and vision. He’s an old school back that can grind a defense down until they reach a breaking point. The Bears should know. He did it to them on more than one occasion, allowing Aaron Jones to deliver the killing blows. Pairing him with a natural slasher like Khalil Herbert makes plenty of sense, not to mention another hard-nosed banger like Roschon Johnson. The Bears would be a ground game teams don’t like to play. That is probably what Ryan Poles is hoping for.
