AARON JONES----WHERE IS HE IN THE RB TIERS ? ?

[Bretsky]

I try to think of RB's in the NFL that are as dynamic or more dynamic than Aaron Jones. Who is clearly better ? From what I can see he can do things as a receiver that no other running backs can do other than Mccaffrey and Kumara. Am I overestimating Aaron Jones ?

As a RB I would add Dalvin Cook, maybe Sequan Barkley, Ezekial Eliott, as explosive guys that are as good or better runners.

But as an all around package.............who is really better than Aaron Jones ?

Mccaffrey and Kumara can do it all and probably better than AJO
D Cook and Barkley and Eliott are maybe better runners but AJO might be a better receiver

SO WHOLE PACKAGE.............WHO IS REALLY BETTER ?

It seems to me that Rodgers, Adams, and AJO are our version of Aikman, Irvin,and Emitt....of course.....we lack the defense that Dallas has. But those are three dynamic weapons.

What say you rats ?

Am I grossly overestimating Aaron Jones, or is he one of the top 5, maybe 6-8 RB's in the NFL and a PRIME TIME PLAYMAKER ????

[Joemailman]

I think he's in the 6-10 range. I'd probably put McCaffrey, Kamara, Cook, Henry, Elliott and Barkley ahead of him.

[call_me_ishmael]

My opinion is generally aligned with Joe's here. That boy in Minnesota is really special though.

[texaspackerbacker]

The only one I would maybe take ahead of Jones is Dalvin Cook, and that is only if you disregard injury history and attitude. Overestimating him, Bretsky, try underestimating.

[RashanGary]

I think he's in the 6-10 range. I'd probably put McCaffrey, Kamara, Cook, Henry, Elliott and Barkley ahead of him.

Jacobs, Chubb for sure, I like Ronald Jones in Tampa better, and Mixon too. So top 10 for me.


Not a great pass protector. Awful in short yardage. Otherwise would be closer to the top.

[RashanGary]

I think my favorite (for this Rodgers lead team) would be McCaffrey. He's a full fledged 100 catch type WR, he runs every type of running play well. He blocks. He's a QB's best friend like Nelson with his adjustments. Deguara at full potential and McCaffrey and our offense would be the best offense in the history of football right now.

[Bretsky]

Jacobs, Chubb for sure, I like Ronald Jones in Tampa better, and Mixon too. So top 10 for me.


Not a great pass protector. Awful in short yardage. Otherwise would be closer to the top.



OK, I'm waving my arms like Cris Carter and yelling "COME ON MAN" You'd REALLY take those guys over Jones or are you just getting ready to justify his leaving (I'm not convinced that's going to happen)

Ronald Jones is not better; he's a marginal starter with speed. They feature Fornette more in some games. Look at his stats the last season or two. For a while some labeled him a bust He's got some talent but he flashes and then disappears. If not for last week he wouldn't be on anybody's radar and he'd not the receiver Jones is

Mixon's has been a disappointment for the Bengals. He's not explosive can't stay on the field. His college pedigree is better but not his pro one up to this point.

Jacobs might be a better rusher; but he's junk as a receiver and not remotely the dual threat Jones is. I really like Jacobs; I might take him ahead of Jones in a normal offense but he doesn't offer the dual thread Jones does. But as a player he might rate higher than Jones and you could justify that, or maybe will be able to soon. He's a stud

I need to see more of Chubb; I love him as a rusher. Again, in our offense Jones offers a dual threat that can sometimes carry a team. I'm unsure if Chubb is near the receiver Jones is

[Bretsky]

I think my favorite (for this Rodgers lead team) would be McCaffrey. He's a full fledged 100 catch type WR, he runs every type of running play well. He blocks. He's a QB's best friend like Nelson with his adjustments. Deguara at full potential and McCaffrey and our offense would be the best offense in the history of football right now.


I'm not sure if I'd like Mccaffrey more or Kumara; both would be fantastic in our offense. Barkley would as well but he's been hurt too much

Injuries aside, in our offense Jones might be 4

[Bretsky]

I think my favorite (for this Rodgers lead team) would be McCaffrey. He's a full fledged 100 catch type WR, he runs every type of running play well. He blocks. He's a QB's best friend like Nelson with his adjustments. Deguara at full potential and McCaffrey and our offense would be the best offense in the history of football right now.

Deguara hasn't earned anything yet; hell most don't even know how to spell his name :)

[RashanGary]

Deguara hasn't earned anything yet; hell most don't even know how to spell his name :)

Defenses have a hard time covering the whole field. You hear defensive players and coordinators talking all the time about the strength of a call and the weakness of a defensive call. Typically coordinators take away the big play first and then try to take out whatever a team does best after that. Deguara and any player like Lazard, Tonyan, Jones, Williams, even Mercedes and Erv in different ways.... When you have a guy like 12 and guys who can contribute to the run and pass equally well, a defense cant be right. 12 will attack the weakness every time assuming he has the players who can execute both run and pass plays.

We're kind of on an all time great offensive season for Packer football. It's been run/pass proficiency combined with 12 making sure we’re in the right play to exploit each defense. As 12 ages, the versatility to attack in different ways vs just scrambling and passing really is making him better and allowing him to lean on his mental edge more than his legs as his career winds down

Deguara (FB skill set AND te receiving skillset) is kind of a dream weapon for such an offense. So is McCaffrey.

[RashanGary]

12 is playing chess when everyone else is playing checkers. But he needs versatile pieces like a queen so he has multiple ways to attack depending on what the defense is trying to do. The days of just line up and pass and then scramble around when it breaks down are over. Running the ball is so much better for an aging QB than him doing the running

[Upnorth]

Was Sunday a chess day? Sure didn't feel like chess.

[RashanGary]

Was Sunday a chess day? Sure didn't feel like chess.

It was a cold and gusty wind day that took away from the passing game. 12 prides himself on being able to throw in any condition. Maybe he and Lalfleur were over confident in the pass game that day. I thought Rodgers threw with good accuracy and catchable balls down field, but the shorter ones, the ones with less heat on them were seemed harder to aim or adjust wind factor to.

Surprises me to see one game make such an impact on someone's viewpoint. I tent to look at the whole picture, not snapshots.

[run pMc]

He's squarely in the top 6- 10. McCaffrey, Kamara, Cook, Barkley, Miles Sanders, Elliott, Aaron Jones, maybe Kareem Hunt, Clyde E-H, Joe Mixon might squeeze in there. DeAndre Swift probably makes this list by end of year.
Melvin Gordon? Mostert? SF and Denver use backs by committee, but you could maybe put them in that list.
I like Josh Jacobs but he's not polished as a receiver yet.
Leveon Bell, Frank Gore, David Johnson, and Adrian Peterson are past their primes.
I like Chubb but IDK if he's top 10. You can talk about injuries but Jones missed a lot of games his first few years.

[texaspackerbacker]

Sheeeesh! A lot of negativist crap being spewed in this thread. We need to retain Jones - period.

[bobblehead]

I think he's in the 6-10 range. I'd probably put McCaffrey, Kamara, Cook, Henry, Elliott and Barkley ahead of him.

Chubb and Hunt both on same team are both better. Mixon is better. Josh Jacobs right there with him. Rookies Swift and Gibson not there yet, but may be soon.

Yea, around 10 is right. Maybe as good as 7, as bad as 12. But top 10 sounds good.

[HarveyWallbangers]

The only ones that I'd clearly take over Jones are McCaffrey, Kamara, Cook, Barkley, Elliott, Chubb, and Henry. Maybe Hunt, but probably not because of off the field issues. Jones is probably the guy on the team I worry least about off the field issues. High character guy and teammate.

[texaspackerbacker]

There's an article that the Cowboys are actually thinking about cutting Elliot - he's been that mediocre. McCaffrey is an injury waiting to happen. Ditto that for Barkley. Kamara is good at a lot of things, but I don't think he has the burst or pure speed or even the power of Jones. Cook is right there with Jones - except more injuries and a history of trouble, at least while in college. Henry is the best big power back; I don't like hitching your success to a big power back. Jones is a unique RB, ideally suited to be the kind of change of pace a team with the GOAT passer needs.

[Harlan Huckleby]

Williams & one more good (not great) WR > Jones

[Tony Oday]

Jones is good but not $10 million+ a year good.

[Upnorth]

Williams & one more good (not great) WR > Jones

This is exactly what I think.

[Bretsky]

Williams & one more good (not great) WR > Jones



Jones and one more good WR is about 5x better than your option :))

[Bretsky]

Jones is good but not $10 million+ a year good.


I struggle with this; but I feel the Packers offense takes a step backwards without him

A week ago.......would you choose Backtiara for 22.5 Million a year, or Jones for 10 ?

[Bretsky]

The only ones that I'd clearly take over Jones are McCaffrey, Kamara, Cook, Barkley, Elliott, Chubb, and Henry. Maybe Hunt, but probably not because of off the field issues. Jones is probably the guy on the team I worry least about off the field issues. High character guy and teammate.


This is a fair assessment; I consider Jones like Kumara...just not as good. When Devante was out jones killed it as both a receiver and runner. Im not sure some of the above RB's could do the same

[texaspackerbacker]

Hard to believe there is so much negativity in here about Aaron Jones. Hopefully the decision makers on the Packers see it otherwise. They did a damn good job of keeping the cap number down on Bakhtiari. They ought to be able to do the same with Jones. Despite what some in here are saying, it is absolutely essential to keep him. Linsley also would be good to keep. I'm thinking we could use the franchise tag on him - the average pay of the top 3 or 5 or whatever centers shouldn't be too horrible.

[Bretsky]

Hard to believe there is so much negativity in here about Aaron Jones. Hopefully the decision makers on the Packers see it otherwise. They did a damn good job of keeping the cap number down on Bakhtiari. They ought to be able to do the same with Jones. .


agree on your sentiments on Jones

Did they really keep the cap number down on Back though ?

[texaspackerbacker]

Somebody said $11 million - not too bad on a contract averaging over $20 million.

[Joemailman]

agree on your sentiments on Jones

Did they really keep the cap number down on Back though ?

According to Spotrac, his cap hit will range from 16.25M this year to 27.5M in 2024. https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/green-bay-packers/david-bakhtiari-12390/Packers could get out of contract after 2022 season.

[Bretsky]

I agree with RG that Mccaffrey is the dream guy for this offense
I think the next best would be Alvin

Jones might be the 3rd best fit

[call_me_ishmael]

AJO is a really solid receiver but doesn't he have limitations with the outside stretch or whatever and as a result they can't fully run the bread-and-butter of Shanny offense?

I agree with your assessment Bretsky that he is basically the 3rd best receiving back. He's a special player. I just think guys like him are far more available today than they were like 5 years ago. Maybe not though since he's 3rd best at it.

[Harlan Huckleby]

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[Harlan Huckleby]

Hard to believe there is so much negativity in here about Aaron Jones.

I think it is obvious to all that JOnes is a special player. I'm not sure the RB position is so critical unless we're talking a top 5 back in one of their prime years.

Williams is also very versatile. Jones adds a threat to get 30 yards. But when Rodgers is hot he gets 30 yard plays far more often than Jones can run for 30. It's a passing league. Williams is good enough to give team the necessary running balance. The packers big need is at WR. They have decent depth at RB.

[texaspackerbacker]

Ordinarily I'd agree about investing in RBs. Aaron Jones, though, is IMO the best we've had since Ahman Green, and he is a speed back - something a lot more valuable IMO than a power back like Henry. Jamal Williams is of course, good in his own way, but he is not that kind of breakaway threat. As for those "grass is greener somewhere else" guys mentioned, I wouldn't take Kamara straight up for Jones. Jones is faster - game speed anyway in case somebody is gonna produce some 40 time saying Kamara or McCaffrey are faster. Jones also has been more durable. He has been every bit as versatile as a receiver, etc. And he has shown enough power and short yardage ability to squeeze through holes - only failing when there is no blocking at all and a wall of D like that play in the J-ville game. I doubt even Henry would have gained anything in that circumstance.

And we do NOT have a "big need" at WR. We have one of the 2 or 3 best in the league, and we have a more than decent #2 when Lazard is back, and MVS has a helluva lot more ability than most teams' #3. And beyond that, we have a couple other decent alternatives too.

As for it being a passing league and the Packers being a pass first team, yeah, you're preaching to the choir on that. We do, however, need a change of pace - a breakaway threat at RB.

[Harlan Huckleby]

Some personal news: I don't give a fuck about all the schemes to upgrade the Packer roster by cutting players and seeking greener grass. I want packers to keep Jones and pretty much all their players, with a few exceptions. I've given up on most of the D-line.

The NFL has become the NFFL (national fantasy football league). There is too much turnover of interchangeable parts. Every time I watch an NFL game there are ex-packers who are no better or worse than their replacement in Green Bay.

I realize all the hard core fans on this website disagree with me. That's because most of the posters here are scoundrels and losers. Buncha sociopaths playing Madden in their mom's basement who don't give a fuck about the human element. Why in the days of real football...

[Spaulding]

If this is purely a discussion on Jones talent as compared to the rest of the starting RB's in the league then I'd agree with most in that he's in the 6-10 range given his receiving prowess but his injuries (he's only played one complete season during the time we've had him), short yardage weakness and being subbed normally on 3rd down takes him down a notch. Not a complete surprise, Williams is reported to have been our most successful 3rd down back this year (although I wonder if this is skewed due to Jones missing a few games):

- https://247sports.com/nfl/green-bay-packers/Article/Green-Bay-Packers-3rd-down-improvements-154921494/

As for his value in the league, that obviously remains to be seen and set by the FA market but I'll be surprised the Packers retain him given the amount of money just promised to Clark and now Bak.

From a value standpoint, just picking the years that Aaron has been with the Packers suggests that our leading rusher's yardage varies greatly and thus having a bell cow has been a blessing but not a must for success. Jones YPC stand out though and would be interesting to compare against the other backs listed in the discussion.

Year Leading Rusher Carries Yardage YPC TD's
2020 Aaron Jones 103 493 4.8 5
2019 Aaron Jones 236 1,084 4.6 16
2018 Aaron Jones 133 728 5.5 8
2017 Jamaal Williams 153 556 3.6 4
2016 Ty Montgomery 77 457 5.9 3
2015 Eddie Lacy 187 758 4.1 3
2014 Eddie Lacy 246 1,139 4.6 9
2013 Eddie Lacy 284 1,178 4.1 11
2012 Alex Green 135 464 3.4 0
2011 James Starks 133 578 4.3 1
2010 Brandon Jackson 190 703 3.7 3
2009 Ryan Grant 282 1,253 4.4 11
2008 Ryan Grant 312 1,203 3.9 4
2007 Ryan Grant 188 956 5.1 8
2006 Ahman Green 266 1,059 4.0 5
2005 Samkon Gado 143 582 4.1 6

Granted we've changed coaches and systems in the last two years and LaFleur likes balance but was used to a different type of RB and I think Dillon was clearly drafted as Jones replacement within nothing changing since then.

Would be ideal to keep Jones as he's a talented weapon and one of the better backs in the league but more a luxury that the Packers likely can't afford next year and will roll on without.

[Harlan Huckleby]

THat's a lot of mediocre featured back right there. I want Jones kept for entertainment purposes only.

[Upnorth]

I miss Ryan grant. Vastly underrated. Also we had a few discussions about him back in the day.

[Zool]

Ahh Fat Eddie. Why couldn’t he stop eating?

[call_me_ishmael]

That first year or two of Eddie Lacy was so damn good. Then the China Food got to him. Tale as old as time. China Food done me wrong too.

[Smidgeon]

If this is purely a discussion on Jones talent as compared to the rest of the starting RB's in the league then I'd agree with most in that he's in the 6-10 range given his receiving prowess but his injuries (he's only played one complete season during the time we've had him), short yardage weakness and being subbed normally on 3rd down takes him down a notch. Not a complete surprise, Williams is reported to have been our most successful 3rd down back this year (although I wonder if this is skewed due to Jones missing a few games):

- https://247sports.com/nfl/green-bay-packers/Article/Green-Bay-Packers-3rd-down-improvements-154921494/

As for his value in the league, that obviously remains to be seen and set by the FA market but I'll be surprised the Packers retain him given the amount of money just promised to Clark and now Bak.

From a value standpoint, just picking the years that Aaron has been with the Packers suggests that our leading rusher's yardage varies greatly and thus having a bell cow has been a blessing but not a must for success. Jones YPC stand out though and would be interesting to compare against the other backs listed in the discussion.


Year Leading Rusher Carries Yardage YPC TDs
2020 Aaron Jones 103 493 4.8 5
2019 Aaron Jones 236 1084 4.6 16
2018 Aaron Jones 133 728 5.5 8
2017 Jamaal Williams 153 556 3.6 4
2016 Ty Montgomery 77 457 5.9 3
2015 Eddie Lacy 187 758 4.1 3
2014 Eddie Lacy 246 1139 4.6 9
2013 Eddie Lacy 284 1178 4.1 11
2012 Alex Green 135 464 3.4 0
2011 James Starks 133 578 4.3 1
2010 Brandon Jackson 190 703 3.7 3
2009 Ryan Grant 282 1253 4.4 11
2008 Ryan Grant 312 1203 3.9 4
2007 Ryan Grant 188 956 5.1 8
2006 Ahman Green 266 1059 4.0 5
2005 Samkon Gado 143 582 4.1 6

Granted we've changed coaches and systems in the last two years and LaFleur likes balance but was used to a different type of RB and I think Dillon was clearly drafted as Jones replacement within nothing changing since then.

Would be ideal to keep Jones as he's a talented weapon and one of the better backs in the league but more a luxury that the Packers likely can't afford next year and will roll on without.

Fixed

[Spaulding]

Fixed

Posted and saw the formatting turn to shit and thought WTF now? Thanks for fixing that.

[Smidgeon]

Posted and saw the formatting turn to shit and thought WTF now? Thanks for fixing that.

Putting it in [code] [/code brackets saves the formatting.