The New York Jets have an extremely tough schedule this season, and need their skill players performing at a high level. Is the running back corps a group fans should be concerned about?
What a tense couple weeks for the New York Jets and their fan base! With training camp approaching, they had arguably their best player, quarterback and first round pick all in contract disputes. Fortunately, general manager and master negotiator Mike Maccagnan was able to sign defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and linebacker Darron Lee all in time for the first day of practice at training camp. While most Jets fans are smiling, some are still concerned about the rest of the roster. Let’s take a look to see if the running back corps is one that should be worrisome.
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Trading for the 30 year old veteran Matt Forte was a great move. He has been the best receiving running back in the league since his rookie season of 2008. Chan Gailey’s spread offense is a perfect fit for him. Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker garner enough attention on the outside to create holes in the defense that a veteran like Forte will salivate over.
Running back Chris Ivory benefited from Marshall & Decker’s presence last year with 30 receptions. To put that in prospective, Ivory only had 5 receptions from 2010-13. Forte will thrive in this offense if they don’t overuse him.
A big reason why they don’t have to overuse Forte is teammate Bilal Powell. He has always been a solid change of pace back, but proved last year he can be a dual threat running back in this league. With a solid 4.5 YPC average, Powell earned the trust of Todd Bowles and the coaching staff. Gailey loves dual threat running backs, and he’s got two good ones to work with now.
Jets beat writer Brian Costello of the New York Post stated, “The Jets let Powell know how they felt about him by signing him to a three-year, $11.25 million contract in free agency. Powell is one of the few holdovers left from the Mike Tannenbaum era. Powell’s ability to stick with the Jets through three general managers and four offensive coordinators shows how valued he is.” He continued, “You can count on Powell getting major touches this season, though. Gailey will figure out a way.”
New York also acquired a more traditional bruiser type of running back with Khiry Robinson. On paper he seems to be a perfect fit to come in short yardage and goal line situations. However, his health is a major unknown right now. Reports were that he would be ready for training camp, but that is not the case. He will start off on the active/PUP list while still recovering from a broken leg suffered last season. He didn’t play well for much of 2015, but in 2014 Robinson had an impressive 4.8 YPC. The Jets hope he can come in and play like Ivory in a smaller capacity.
While Robinson should be ready for start of the season, it is important to have depth in the event he isn’t. The Jets just cut Zac Stacy who failed his physical due to his fractured ankle from last season. Quickly, they signed free agent Bernard Pierce. Pierce was very good during his rookie season, and even had a 100 yard rushing game during the Ravens playoff run to a Super Bowl. However, since then Pierce has been nothing but a bust on and off the field. He is most likely just a camp body, but does have the talent to at least garner some consideration to make the roster.
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If healthy, fans should not worry about this running back group. Forte will be a great addition, but they must be careful with his workload at this point of his career. Powell can spot start if needed, but is best suited as part of a running back by committee approach. Robinson should also fit in well once he is ready. Fitzpatrick will have many tools in his backfield to play with.