Dallas Cowboys: Would Stevan Ridley be right free agent signing?
The Dallas Cowboys need to build some depth behind Darren McFadden at the running back position for the 2016 season, and one free agent who they could possibly obtain at a value is free agent Stevan Ridley.
This past season, Ridley played for the New York Jets after spending the beginning of his career with the New England Patriots, where at times he had some solid numbers, though in ’15 he was still recovering from a torn ACL and MCL suffered while playing with the Patriots.
In ’15, Ridley had just 36 carries for 90 yards for no touchdowns, as it was the first time in his five-year NFL career Ridley didn’t score a touchdown during a season. His best season came in 2012 where on 290 carries, Ridley totaled 1,263 yards and 12 touchdowns.
It is safe to say Ridley’s one season with the Jets was a wash since he missed half the season, plus he wasn’t the main option on the roster for the Jets, playing behind Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell on the depth chart.
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Ridley’s career stats include a 4.2 yards per carry average, and he has just 685 carries to his totals in 60 games played. The past two seasons, Ridley has been held to just 130 carries for 430 yards and two touchdowns.
So there are still plenty of carries left in Ridley, and he should be completely recovered from his injuries come the start of training camp this July and August.
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That said, the Cowboys need to go after another veteran-type running back to go with McFadden, who did rush for over 1,000 yards this past year, but that wasn’t an easy task.
McFadden played in 16 games this past year, which was great, and speaking of great, in the last four games of the ’15 season, he was fantastic, compiling two 100-plus yard games and two games of over 90-plus yards. For the season, he had five games of 100-plus yards, including one game of 152 yards on 29 carries against the New York Giants on Oct. 25.
One problem for McFadden he had just three touchdowns, but the Cowboys had troubles on offense all season, with McFadden being the one of the couple standouts on that struggling offense.
Other running backs on the Cowboys roster are Lance Dunbar, Rod Smith and Robert Turbin, along with Ben Malena on a futures contract. Dunbar could see more playing time in ’16 if he can stay healthy, as he missed 12 games this season due to a season-ending ACL injury. In his four games of playing part-time, Dunbar had just five carries for 67 yards.
In seven games with the Cowboys, Turbin had 32 carries for 139 yards and one touchdown.
Now, for Ridley … where could he fit in with the offense of the Cowboys?
I think he would be a nice fit because he’s not the type of running back who has to carry the entire load, and I believe he would be a great change-of-pace back for McFadden, plus the Cowboys could have the duo of running backs needed to be successful in today’s NFL.
If he can play in the same role he had in New England where he shared time with other backs, he could fit in well with McFadden.
Pro Football Focus graded Ridley at 66.5 during the eight games he played in ’15, including a grade of 67.2 in his running game. The grade that really stands out for Ridley with PFF is his pass blocking grade of 71.7, which could be of use for the Cowboys, because anyone who can help keep pressure off Tony Romo is someone who could be useful on the roster.
How much would it cost to possibly sign Ridley, and would it be worth it?
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He won’t cost as much as DeMarco Murray cost the Philadelphia Eagles last offseason (five years, $40 million), and RotoWorld stated it could cost the Tampa Bay Buccaneers $25 million to keep Doug Martin, who is also a free agent.
Ridley shouldn’t break the bank for the team that signs him this offseason, so if the price is right, and if he can fit into the offense of the Cowboys, maybe a deal could be made, and the team could really start building some depth at the position.