New York Jets: What should the team expect from Bilal Powell in 2017?
New York Jets running back Bilal Powell is coming off his best NFL season last year. What are the expectations for Powell in 2017?
Running back Bilal Powell was one of the few bright spots for the hapless 5-11 New York Jets last year. In fact, the University of Louisville product enjoyed the finest season of his six-year career with 733 rushing yards (5.5 yards per carry) and three touchdowns. He was tied for second on the team with 58 receptions for 388 yards and a pair of scores.
Powell showed what he can accomplish as a lead back when he rushed for a season-high 145 yards on 29 carries and scored two touchdowns in New York’s 23-17 victory over the 49ers in Week 14 last year. True, San Francisco had one of the worst defenses in the NFL last season, but it was still a stellar effort. Powell also added five receptions for 34 yards in that contest as well.
As Gang Green continues to rebuild their roster, can the 28-year old halfback become their lead back moving forward? It’s very likely. The injury-prone Matt Forte is going to be 32 in December, which is ancient by NFL standards. And Elijah McGuire, although talented, is a rookie and sixth-round draft pick from a small school (Louisiana-Lafayette). The stage seems to be set for Powell to step into the premier role for what promises to be a struggling New York contingent.
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In fact, according to Pro Football Focus, Powell graded out very well when compared to Forte last season. Here is a snippet of their report:
"Powell ranked eighth among 62 qualified running backs last season with a 79.4 overall grade while he was sixth with a 78.3 running grade. Meanwhile, teammate Matt Forte ranked 22nd with an overall grade of 73.0 and 18th with a run grade of 71.7."
As impressive as that makes Powell look, so much of his future success will depend on the performance of New York’s offensive line moving forward. Former All-Pro center Nick Mangold is gone, replaced by Wesley Johnson. He is joined by Kelvin Beachum (LT), James Carpenter (LG), Brian Winters (RG) and Brandon Shell (RT). Aside from Winters, there are question marks up and down that line.
Just how well these players jell as a unit will go a long way in determining how successful Powell and the other Jet running backs will fare in 2017. How strong will their surge be at the point of attack? Even Barry Sanders needed a hole or lane to run through or he never would have made it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Once the regular season starts, expect Powell to get about 60 percent of the carries and Forte around 40. McGuire will likely be used on some passing downs and Powell, as Jets fans know, is one of the top pass-catching backs in the NFL.
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It will be interesting to see how this scenario develops once the regular season kicks off on Sept. 10 in Buffalo. Powell has a golden opportunity in front of him — let’s see if he can take full advantage of it.