Packers 2017 Recap: DL Quinton Dial

The book on Quinton Dial was that he was large, dependable, and versatile. He was all three for the Packers in 2017.

2017 Stats

• Appeared in 13 games with two starts (310 snaps on defense, 100 on special teams)
• 12 solo tackles, 1 pass defensed

Expectations going into the season: Low
Expectations were: Met

Analysis: Dial serves as reliable space eater in 2017

Sometimes it’s interesting to go back and look at a player’s scouting reports to see how they line up with the player he became in the NFL.

In Quinton Dial’s case, everyone was pretty much in lock-step on his professional prospects: he’s big, he can line up a bunch of places, and he’ll be generally adequate at most of them.

In 2017, Quinton Dial did three main things for the Packers: he was big, he lined up a bunch of places, and he was generally adequate at most of them.

When Dial joined the Packers, we touched on his ability to line up anywhere as one of the main selling points for bringing him to Green Bay:

Dial has always been known for his versatility. His college scouting report praised his ability to line up as a nose tackle as well as at the three technique and five technique, and he’s done a little of all three of those things in the pros. Bringing Dial aboard gives the Packers options, and more options are always good.

Indeed, Dial did give the Packers options. Available for 13 games in 2017, Dial was a consistent presence on defense. He never played more than 34 snaps in a game, but also only played fewer than 17 once. He didn’t put up eye-popping stats, but nobody asked him to. He was a superior option to both the departed Letroy Guion and the newly arrived Montravius Adams.

In short, he was exactly the sort of low-budget, dependable stopgap free agent Packers fans had asked for every offseason for about a decade. He may not have been spectacular, but he got the job done, and quite often that’s more than enough.