{"id":819869,"date":"2026-03-18T21:22:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T21:22:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/819869\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T21:22:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T21:22:20","slug":"aj-dillon-to-sign-one-year-deal-with-carolina-panthers-for-2026-nfl-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/819869\/","title":{"rendered":"AJ Dillon to sign one-year deal with Carolina Panthers for 2026 NFL season"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Carolina Panthers<\/a> have agreed to terms with running back AJ Dillon, adding a powerful veteran presence to their ground game ahead of the 2026 NFL<\/a> season. The one-year contract brings the 6-foot, 247-pound bruiser, nicknamed \u201cQuadzilla,” to Charlotte, where he will compete for carries alongside established starters and emerging talents.<\/p>\n

This move addresses the Panthers\u2019 need for experienced depth after Rico Dowdle departed in free agency for the Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a>. Dillon\u2019s physical style should provide a complementary force in short-yardage and red-zone situations.<\/p>\n

AJ Dillon\u2019s path to the Carolina Panthers<\/p>\n

AJ Dillon spent his first five NFL<\/a> seasons with the Green Bay Packers<\/a>, the team that selected him in the second round of the 2020 draft. During that stretch, he amassed 597 carries for 2,428 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns, posting a solid 4.1 yards per carry average. He also proved reliable as a receiver out of the backfield.<\/p>\n

A serious neck injury forced AJ Dillon to miss the entire 2024 campaign, derailing what had been steady production in Green Bay. He returned to action in 2025 after signing with the Philadelphia Eagles<\/a>, but saw his role shrink significantly. Dillon appeared in just seven regular-season games for Philly, totalling only 12 carries. His playing time dropped further after the Eagles acquired Tank Bigsby mid-season.<\/p>\n

Memorable lowlights included a Week 6 fumble on a kickoff return against the New York Giants<\/a> that rolled out of bounds inside the Eagles\u2019 five-yard line, followed by another lost fumble on the ensuing drive. AJ Dillon was limited to two offensive snaps in the Week 18 finale against the Washington Commanders and sat out Philadelphia\u2019s playoff game entirely.<\/p>\n

Fit in the Carolina Panthers\u2019 backfield<\/p>\n

The Carolina Panthers’ running back group already features Chuba Hubbard as the lead back, with promising youngsters Jonathon Brooks and Trevor Etienne adding speed and explosiveness. AJ Dillon\u2019s arrival brings a different dimension of power and durability that can wear down defenses late in games.<\/p>\n

The Carolina Panthers targeted a veteran complement after losing Dowdle, and Dillon fits the bill perfectly. His size and experience should help in goal-line packages and help stabilize the room as Brooks continues his development following earlier injury setbacks.<\/p>\n

At 27 years old, Dillon remains in his prime and eager for a fresh opportunity to showcase the form that made him a key contributor in Green Bay.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead to 2026<\/p>\n

This low-risk signing gives the Panthers<\/a> valuable insurance and competition without long-term commitment. For AJ Dillon, it represents a chance to rebuild momentum after two challenging seasons marked by injury and reduced roles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Carolina Panthers have agreed to terms with running back AJ Dillon, adding a powerful veteran presence to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":819870,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2075],"tags":[21056,113855,113851,113862,113854,113850,113852,113858,113849,235,260,113859,113853,113861,2567,7,6,31227,236,113860,113857,113863,113856],"class_list":["post-819869","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-carolina-panthers","tag-aj-dillon","tag-aj-dillon-2026-nfl","tag-aj-dillon-carolina-panthers","tag-aj-dillon-joins-panthers","tag-aj-dillon-one-year-deal","tag-aj-dillon-panthers","tag-aj-dillon-signs-with-panthers","tag-aj-dillon-stats","tag-aj-dillon-trade","tag-carolina","tag-carolina-panthers","tag-carolina-panthers-rb-depth","tag-carolina-panthers-running-back","tag-carolina-panthers-running-back-signing","tag-carolinapanthers","tag-football","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-running-back-news","tag-panthers","tag-panthers-agree-to-terms-aj-dillon","tag-panthers-free-agency-signing","tag-panthers-rb-depth-2026","tag-quadzilla-panthers"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/819869","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=819869"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/819869\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/819870"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=819869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=819869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=819869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}