New York Jets: Early top 5 free agency targets for 2019
4. Le’Veon Bell, RB
The reason the Jets shouldn’t have traded for Le’Veon Bell was that they couldn’t re-sign him in-season and he could hit the free agent market come the 2019 offseason anyway. They can sign him as a free agent, though, and give Darnold the best weapon possible.
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Bell won’t hit Steelers camp until as late as he possibly can, which will mean not only is he fresh for 2018, but he will be fresh for 2019 and beyond too. He won’t have the wear and tear, and he’ll only be 27 years old at the beginning of the 2019 season.
While the typical age of diminishing return for running backs is 30, that gives the Jets three years for Bell to be the (for lack of a better word) bell-cow for the offense.
Bell is a quality pass blocker, a great, patient, and explosive running back, and a great pass catcher out of the backfield. Bell is a three-down back who can also be a red zone weapon too. That would help the Jets score touchdowns rather than settling for field goals.
The addition of Bell would also help further the development of tight end Chris Herndon. No one else in this free agency class can do what Bell would do for the Jets offense. He’s the perfect fit for what they need.