The New York Jets will be looking for a feature back in the coming weeks of free agency and arguably the most coveted of all the soon-to-be free agents, is that of former Chicago Bears running back, Matt Forte.
Matt Forte is on the wrong side of 30. Shut it down, time to retire.
Not so fast.
The 30 year old running back has entered his 30’s yes, but that does not mean he has nothing left in the tank. Forte will be a featured asset and a welcomed one on any team in which he does sign, and for the Jets, one they should prioritize for.
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Signing Forte is absolutely crucial for the running game and the Jets offense to be effective. They are (most likely) losing both running backs from last season’s tandem of Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell to free agency (unless of course they re-sign one of them, Powell being more likely).
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Last season, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick thrived due to a successful play-action pass which helped give receivers Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker highly successful seasons, both achieving over 1,000 yards receiving – making them two of the most dangerous duos in the NFL.
The signing of Forte would provide the Jets with an even stronger and quicker backfield than what they had when they signed LaDainian Tomlinson back in 2010. Forte can serve as the younger version of the future Hall of Famer – who during his tenure with the Jets, although brief, provided a veteran presence and an excellent target out of the backfield.
Forte is a high character individual and a great locker room presence, something the Jets have been building on since the start of last season when they signed Brandon Marshall (yes, Marshall is great locker room presence), Ryan Fitzpatrick, Darrelle Revis, and Antonio Cromartie (Cromartie has since been released) all last season.
Forte is still an elite and elusive, all while maintaining his status as a top running back in this league. However, some analysts are hell-bent on the magic number of 30 being an automatic decline for running backs, while others disagree.
I agree with the latter.
If the Jets can sign an additional running back – which is seemingly a must – to compliment Forte, or the easier option – to re-sign an up-and-coming back such as Bilal Powell, the combination would make a formidable one-two punch – and an extremely fast one at that.
Basically the Jets offense would become must-see TV every Sunday (that hasn’t been said in a long time).
Forte just concluded his eighth season as a professional and in that time has been one of the best running backs in football (when healthy).
In his career, Forte has rushed for 8,602 yards on 2,035 attempts. Forte has also been an extremely effective impact receiver out of the back field throughout his career (and was Chicago’s best weapon). Forte in his career has 487 receptions for 4,116 yards, averaging 8.5 yards per reception. In 2014, Forte had 808 yards receiving on 102 receptions…That’s better than some actual wide receivers.
Forte’s stats dipped a tad this past season due to only playing in 13 games because of injury. He finished with 218 carries for 898 yards and 44 receptions for 389 yards, still vastly better than most running backs this league has to offer.
Forte’s elusiveness and running ability make him attractive for any team, and should specifically for Gang Green.
If you like a running back who posted 1,000 yards rushing in five of eight seasons, and in those seasons, has been elected to the Pro Bowl twice – then you like Matt Forte.
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Even though Forte is 30 years old, a change of pace for Forte could add a little more juice to his game, just as it did LaDainian Tomlinson when he tattooed the Jets logo on his calf for giving him a shot and believing in him despite his age.
That worked out quite well for both parties.
Maybe the bright lights add a couple of years onto the seasoned running backs legs, who knows. But one thing is for certain: the Jets need an established back and there are none better that are available than Matt Forte.
Sign Forte (and of course, Ryan Fitz-Magic) and under year two of the Maccagnan-Bowles administration, between the now explosive offense, and already established defense, we could be in for something special.