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Jacksonville Jaguars: Does Bernard Pierce make sense?

By Robert Brewer

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The Jacksonville Jaguars claimed ex-Baltimore Ravens running back Bernard Pierce off of waivers just days after his DUI arrest. Baltimore wasted little time severing ties with Pierce as he was released only a few hours after news broke of his situation. The question now becomes what kind of impact can Pierce have to help Jacksonville Jaguars’ 21st ranked rushing offense?

Pierce will begin his first season on his new team in street clothes as a league mandated suspension following his DUI arrest is likely on the horizon. A combination of injuries and ineffectiveness led to a squandered opportunity to become the lead rusher in Baltimore last year. While Pierce has shown flashes of what made him such a dominant open field runner at Temple University, he has lacked the consistency needed at the NFL level thus far.

Sep 7, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Bernard Pierce (30) runs with the ball during the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

After serving as the understudy to Ray Rice for his first three NFL seasons, 2014 was supposed to be a breakout season for Pierce. Rather than stepping up to assume the role of starting running back for the Ravens, Pierce fell behind journeyman Justin Forsett on the depth chart. In 13 games last year, Pierce recorded career lows in carries (93), rushing yards (366), receptions (2), and receiving yards (13). In my opinion, the Ravens were already looking to move on from Pierce because of this dismal production, his recent arrest just made their decision even that much easier.

With an obvious need at running back, I question why the Jacksonville Jaguars did not make a stronger push for Trent Richardson who was recently on the market. While both Pierce and Richardson each have their own share of baggage, at least Richardson has proven to be a workhorse back at some point in his career.

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The same cannot be said for Pierce who has been nothing more than a change of pace back in the NFL. In addition, both players are roughly the same age as they were drafted in 2012 as early entry candidates and the asking price for Richardson was likely going to be low after he was released from Indianapolis.

Nonetheless, Pierce joins a motley crew of runners in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ backfield that include Toby Gerhart, Denard Robinson, and Storm Johnson. Following the politics of how NFL depth charts are constructed, I believe Johnson will be destined for the practice squad as he was a seventh round draft pick last year that showed very little.

As for Gerhart, I think he is the odd man out in this equation and the Jags will try to phase him out of their plans as soon as possible. Not only is Gerhart the oldest, but he also is the highest paid player of the bunch. Not fully sold on either Robinson or Pierce as the lead back, I predict that Jacksonville will still select a running back in the first few rounds of the upcoming draft.

Of all the running backs currently on the Jaguars’ roster, Pierce is the most talented player in my opinion. However, that alone will not stop Jacksonville from searching the draft for an every down back to bring into camp in my view. From Jacksonville’s perspective, they are merely taking a flyer on Pierce. If Pierce becomes a solid backup option for the Jacksonville Jaguars, then the move was worth the trouble. If Pierce becomes anything more than that, it would just be icing on the cake.

In the meantime, the Jacksonville Jaguars will exhaust all other options when it comes to finding a starting running back. While I don’t necessarily mind this move to scoop up Pierce, I think Jacksonville would have been better off taking that flyer on the aforementioned Trent Richardson.

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