Let’s not mince words: Le’Veon Bell had a terrible season in 2019.
He suffered career lows in almost every statistical category in his first season with the Jets after he took a year off of football and rarely looked like the superstar running back he was in his five seasons with the Steelers. Part of his abysmal season can be blamed on the Jets’ horrendous roster – particularly its porous offensive line – as well as Adam Gase’s utilization of the multi-faceted back.
Bell should have been the featured player of the Jets offense after signing a lucrative four-year, $52.5 million contract last offseason with $27 million in guaranteed money. Instead, he saw a decrease in touches, yards and touchdowns. The Jets will have a big decision this offseason on what to do with Bell given his age (he’ll turn 28 in February), contract and obvious dip in production two years after he touched the ball 406 times and scored 11 touchdowns for the Steelers. General manager Joe Douglas didn’t sign Bell, Gase reportedly never wanted him, and the offense performed similarly when he missed one game this season. All signs point to Bell sticking around for at least another season, but his stats are worrisome for a player who was at one point the most dynamic player in the league.
Here are six stats that show how much Bell struggled in first season in New York.