On Wednesday, the Cincinnati Bengals released veteran running back Giovani Bernard, who had played all eight seasons of his career with the team. Originally drafted in the second round out of North Carolina in 2013, Bernard’s best years in the league came in his first three seasons when the Bengals made three consecutive playoff appearances.
The capstone season was 2015, when he had career-highs in both rushing yards (730) and yards per carry (4.7 average). His two touchdowns did fall short of the mark he set in his first two seasons (five in each), which he hasn’t replicated since.
But his production started to drop off after that, reaching a low in 2019 when he had just 170 yards on 53 carries despite playing in all 16 games. However, his carries more than double this season to 121, and he reached 400 yards rushing for the first time since the 2017 season. Though he’s now 29-years-old, his bounce-back this season makes the move to release him a bit interesting. According to a report from NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Bernard requested to be released.
After eight years, it seemed the running back wanted a change of scenery. Could that scenery change lead him from southwest Ohio to the First Coast?
Jacksonville seems to have a solid answer at running back in James Robinson, but he was overused in 2020. The Jags need to find more depth at the position, and though it added Carlos Hyde in free agency, they may not be done.
Bernard will be 30 before the conclusion of the 2021 season, and if Jacksonville wanted to acquire him, it could likely do so for relatively cheap. He was set to make $4.1 million this year in Cincinnati (from an extension signed in 2019), and the Jaguars could probably get him for a bit less than that now.
Though he’s probably well beyond his starting days, Bernard would be a good receiving threat in the backfield to add with what the Jags already have at running back. With 2,867 career receiving yards and 11 receiving touchdowns, he could be a solid pass-catching specialist at the position for a coach in Urban Meyer who will want as many weapons on the field as possible.
What do you think? Should the team pursue signing Bernard? Or should it stick with Hyde and look to acquire a running back like Chuba Hubbard in the draft? Let us know in the poll below.
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