New York Jets interested in drafting a third-down back?
New York Jets kicker Josh Brown (not pictured) helmet shows support for the Sandy Hook elementary school prior to the game against the Tennessee Titans at LP Field. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Jets current third-down back is Bilal Powell, but the guy they wanted as their third-down back was all-purpose guy Mike Goodson, whom they signed in the 2013 offseason. Goodson, however, has been a disaster so far in New York, as he was arrested in May on a serious weapons possession charge but pleaded not guilty at his arraignment today after being indicted in November. If Goodson is convicted, then his time in the league would likely be over, and he also tore his ACL in mid-October. I think the Jets need to cut their losses with Goodson, and it looks like they are prepared to do this.
It seems like the Jets have wanted a shifty, pass-catching running back to be their third-down RB for quite some time, and that’s part of the reason why they tried to sign Danny Woodhead last offseason. They managed to get in a bidding war with the New England Patriots for his services, but the San Diego Chargers swooped in and signed the third-down RB they desperately needed. The talented Woodhead has been a revelation for the Chargers, and he had an excellent 2013 season as Philip River’ss safety valve. The Chargers knew they really needed a back like Woodhead, and great things happened when they were able to secure their guy in free agency.
Can the Jets find a talented third-down RB who can make defenders miss and has excellent hands out of the backfield? It looks like they are on a quest to find that guy, and draft insider Tony Pauline reports that the New York Jets are showing so much interest in potential third-down backs that they have interviewed virtually every third-down-type RB at the Shrine practice today.
The Jets clearly can’t count on Goodson to be back in the future, and Bilal Powell just isn’t talented enough to be that kind of a high-impact, all-purpose back for the Jets on third-downs. He’s decent, but the Jets need a potential game-breaker to add to the mix (Powell led all Jets RBs with 36 receptions last year). The Jets already have a very good feature back in Chris Ivory who is incredibly powerful and has plenty of talent, but it’s time to get a third-down back with Woodhead potential.
One guy to watch out for at the Shrine is Northern Arizona’s Zach Bauman, who is intriguing, underrated, and fits the bill as somebody the New York Jets could go for at RB in the draft. He isn’t a premium player at all, but he’s intriguing, and the Jets should honestly just try to pull that kind of intriguing all-purpose RB in the later rounds to take a solid flier and help fill that need out.