Frank Gore is the newest member of the New York Jets and, though he takes away carries, that’s good news for running back Le’Veon Bell.
Prior to the start of last season, the New York Jets made a significant investment in running back Le’Veon Bell on the free-agent market. Of course, his first year with Gang Green went less than swimmingly for all involved — and it almost certainly wasn’t due to Bell missing the entire 2018 season in Pittsburgh due to a contract dispute.
In his first campaign with the Jets, Bell rushed for just 789 yards and three touchdowns on 245 carries (3.2 ypc) and caught 66 passes for 461 yards and a score. But with a neglected offensive line, inconsistency at quarterback given Sam Darnold‘s issue and no protection in the backfield, Bell was left out on an island.
The Jets have been working this offseason to improve the situation around Bell. They made several signings along the offensive line in free agency before selecting Mekhi Becton in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Meanwhile, they added veteran Breshad Perriman and rookie Denzel Mims to the offensive cast of weapons.
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Now New York has made another key addition to the offense. On Tuesday, they agreed to add veteran Frank Gore to a one-year deal. The 36-year-old (soon to be 37) Gore rejoins Jets head coach Adam Gase after the two paired together in Miami for the 2018 season before the running back spent last year in Buffalo.
Gore has largely defied the odds to this point in terms of longevity. Despite his age, he played in 16 games for the Bills last year and led the team in carries with 166, gaining 599 with two touchdowns. He’s surely not as effective as he once was but is still a powerful and sturdy runner.
Perhaps the most important factor in the Jets adding Gore, however, is what it does for Bell. While the former Steeler had over 300 touches last season, no other running back had more than 66. It was painfully obvious that he was their only option out of the backfield and, frankly, close to their only consistent option on offense.
While Gore isn’t going to be a game-changer at his age, he can help shoulder some of that load and, thus, keep Bell fresher when he does get his touchest. That will, hopefully, make the high-priced ball-carrier a far more effective player when he gets his touches in the 2020 season.
Jets general manager Joe Douglas has clearly worked to put his young quarterback, Darnold, in the best position to succeed with his offseason moves. In doing so, he’s also put Bell in a position to do the same. Though it remains to be seen what kind of success New York as a team will have, Bell and the offense should show tremendous progress after adding Gore and the other moves the franchise has made leading up to Gase’s second year at the helm.
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