5 Running backs for New York Jets to target in 2019 NFL free agency

Heading into free agency next month, the New York Jets find themselves in need of a running back. The good news is, there are many quality options.

Last offseason, the New York Jets added running backs Isaiah Crowell and Thomas Rawls to a room already consisting of Bilal Powell and Elijah McGuire. One year later, and that crowded room is looking really thin. Rawls was cut prior to the season beginning, and the other three all missed time in 2018 with injuries.

While the Jets ran for a total of 1,600 yards and 11 touchdowns on the legs of Powell, Crowell, and McGuire, entering the 2019 offseason, Powell is set to hit the open market coming off of a career-threatening neck injury. It has also been reported, per Pro Football Talk, that the Jets are set to move on from Crowell after just one season, leaving McGuire as the only returning contributor from a year ago.

This is worrisome, and the gang green should not feel safe or comfortable heading into the 2019 season with McGuire as their lead back, a two-year pro who is averaging only three yards per carry in his career. The good news is that the Jets currently sit with $105 million in cap space and there are quite a few big named running backs set to hit the market.

Here are five that New York should consider.

Spencer Ware

Hitting the market at only 27 years old and lightly used, Spencer Ware could become a star in his next city if given the right opportunity and if he maintains his health. A back who is known as a fantastic fantasy handcuff now has a chance to explore his options as a starter elsewhere.

While it would make sense for him to re-sign in Kansas City and complement Damien Williams, the Chiefs are limited on cap space and Ware could find a better deal on the open market. The Jets could give the versatile and hard runner a chance on a similar deal that they gave Crowell just a year ago, which was at $4 million annually.

The opportunity in New York is one of the few places for backs looking for a larger opportunity than the one’s they were given in their previous settings. Over his four-year career, Ware has averaged over four yards per carry and 13 touchdowns in limited opportunities with the Chiefs.

Given the right circumstances, Ware could blossom into a bellcow. The Jets should consider giving Ware that opportunity and bring him in on a base salary around $4-5 million annually with heavy performance based incentives.