Jets Free Agent Profile: What to do with RB Ty Montgomery?

Jets Wire takes a look at whether or not New York should bring back cornerback and impending free-agent running back Ty Montgomery?

Before Joe Douglas can focus on who he plans to target in free agency come March, he’ll have a handful of in-house decisions to make.

The Jets have 32 players set to hit the open market this offseason. Some don’t figure to factor into New York’s plans for 2020, while it’s safe to assume the Jets would like to keep others around for a while. Either way, Douglas has a lot of work to do in his first offseason on the job.

Ty Montgomery was somewhat of an enigma for New York in 2019. He impressed throughout the preseason, but was seldom used by Adam Gase in the regular season. Is he worth keeping around for another season considering what transpired in 2019? Let’s evaluate the situation in Jets Wire’s latest free agent profile.

Pros of keeping him

Forget about Montgomery’s role with the Jets in 2019 for a second. He turns 27 in January and still has a lot of good football left ahead of him, not to mention his versatile skillset can still play in Gase’s offense.

Montgomery’s ability to run between the tackles, catch passes and return kicks holds value. He wouldn’t have the biggest role in 2020, but it’s hard to imagine he gets phased out again considering what he brings to the table.

Cons of keeping him

Considering how little he was used in 2019, it’s worth wondering what exactly the point would be in keeping Montgomery around for another season.

If he could barely crack New York’s lineup last season, why would anything change in that regard in 2020? The Jets can find a backup running back Gase actually wants to use at a much cheaper rate. Plus, it’s hard to see Montgomery wanting to come back himself.

The verdict

This is one of the easier calls Douglas has to make this offseason. For whatever reason, Montgomery simply did not do enough to warrant playing time in 2019. It’s hard to see that changing next season.

Montgomery’s skill set could be of value to the Jets from the outside looking in, but clearly, Gase has seen something to justify his lack of playing time. With that being said, expect Montgomery to have a new home in 2020.