Tag: Bilal Powell

Jets work out OLB Paul Worrilow, Bilal Powell works out for Chargers

The Jets hosted Paul Worrilow for a workout on Tuesday, while former running back Bilal Powell worked out for the Chargers.

On Tuesday, the Jets worked out one familiar face, while another worked out with one of New York’s AFC foes.

Veteran linebacker Paul Worrilow visited with New York as it looks to shore up its depth at the position with Blake Cashman, Patrick Onwuasor and Avery Williamson all injured. The 30-year-old signed with the Jets last November after crossing paths with Joe Douglas in Philadelphia, appearing in four games with New York at the end of the season without recording a single tackle.

Worrilow entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Delaware with the Falcons in 2013 and remained with Atlanta until 2016 before signing with the Lions in 2017. Worrilow spent 2018 with the Eagles, but did not play in a game after tearing his ACL on the first day of OTAs before suiting up for the Ravens and Jets last year.

In seven seasons, Worrilow has registered 391 tackles and four sacks. He recorded over 100 tackles in consecutive years with the Falcons in 2013 and 2014.

While Worrilow spent his day in Florham Park, former Jets running back Bilal Powell worked out for the Chargers. He had previously stated he was open to a reunion with New York, but with Kalen Ballage signing on to fill in for Le’Veon Bell, one seems unlikely at this point in time.

Powell posted 229 rushing yards and seven receptions for 33 yards playing in a complementary role behind Le’Veon Bell in 2019. The Jets elected not to bring the veteran back this offseason and went in a different direction, drafting La’Mical Perine and signing Frank Gore.

New York drafted Powell out of Louisville in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. In nine seasons with New York, he has recorded 3,675 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns to go along with 211 receptions for 1,600 yards and five touchdowns. Powell’s best season came in 2015, rushing for 772 yards and five scores.

Adam Gase glad Josh Adams is back and taking reps from Jets’ older backs

The Jets don’t have a lot of healthy running backs behind Le’Veon Bell and Frank Gore, so Gase wants to give more reps to backups.

Add running back to the list of depleted positions for the Jets.

After rookie La’Mical Perine left practice with an ankle injury this week, the Jets suddenly found themselves without any depth in the backfield besides veterans Le’Veon Bell and Frank Gore. While this looked like a good thing for Bell and Gore – they’d see more practice reps as a result – Adam Gase said he was happy to give Perine’s reps to Josh Adams instead.

Adams had been out with an injury but returned to practice Tuesday.

“[Bell and Gore’s] attitude was ‘great, more reps for us,’” Gase said after practice Tuesday. “And I’m going like, ‘No. Not great,’ because we’re 28 and 37 [years old]. We’ve got to be smart here.”

Bell and Gore are locked in as the top rushing threats for the Jets. Even if Bell wants more reps in practice, Gase needs to make sure he doesn’t overwork his starters before the season starts. He’d much rather let younger players practice more in the hopes of learning new information about them as potential depth players behind Bell and Gore.

Adams is a serviceable backup for the Jets if Perine misses a lot of time with his ankle injury. Though Adams only played in three games with the Jets in 2019 and totaled 12 yards on eight rushes, he played admirably in 14 games and five starts for the Eagles in 2018. That year, he rushed 120 times for 511 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie. Adams is a big, bruising back at 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds.

New York also re-signed UDFA Pete Guerriero to bring its healthy running back group up to four, and veteran Bilal Powell is also still available. 

The Jets have a lot of glaring holes on their roster as injuries pile up. Running back is not one they can afford to cripple further, especially given the importance of Bell and Gore. Adams may not be the future of the Jets backfield once Perine returns, but he’s good enough to hold down the fort as a reserve player to keep Bell and Gore from further injury.

Bilal Powell wants Jets to know he’s ‘fully healthy and ready for a call’

Jets running back Bilal Powell wants the team that drafted him to know he is ready to play in 2020.

With the Jets extra thin at running back, Bilal Powell wants New York to know he is ready to give it another go donning the green and white.

Powell posted 229 rushing yards and seven receptions for 33 yards playing in a complementary role behind Le’Veon Bell in 2019. The Jets elected not to bring the veteran back this offseason and went in a different direction, drafting La’Mical Perine and signing Frank Gore. Despite those moves, New York’s running back depth chart is in peril following an injury to Perine and a failed trade for Kalen Ballage that was nixed by an injury-induced failed physical.

With their running back room now down to Bell, Gore and Josh Adams, could the Jets be back in the market for a tailback? According to SNY’s Jonas Schwartz, Powell told him he is “fully healthy and ready for a call” to return to the only organization he has ever known.

The Jets drafted Powell out of Louisville in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. In nine seasons with New York, he has recorded 3,675 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns to go along with 211 receptions for 1,600 yards and five touchdowns. Powell’s best season came in 2015, rushing for 772 yards and five scores.

If  Joe Douglas wants to address New York’s running back depth before the beginning of the regular season, Powell should be one of his first phone calls. Not only is Powell a veteran leader who already has the respect of the locker room at One Jets Drive, but he is also well-versed in Adam Gase’s offense and would not have to endure any sort of adjustment schematically.

Powell is not a gamechanger at this point in his career, but he is an unselfish player who has done nothing but produce for the Jets in whatever role asked of him. That should be enough to warrant consideration for a return to the Big Apple.

Adam Gase hopes to lessen the load for Le’Veon Bell in 2020

Adam Gase wants to ease the workload of Le’Veon Bell with a running back by committee. He also wants to utilize other options on offense.

Adam Gase wants to change the way the Jets utilize their running game in 2020.

Gase was on ESPN’s Rich Cimini’s “Flight Deck” podcast and explained how he wants to take some of the pressure off Le’Veon Bell’s shoulders. Instead of trying to maximize Bell’s usage, Gase prefers using a committee of running backs to ease the workload of the 28-year-old. It’s all part of Gase’s “less is more” style of running.

“I do think we have some guys that can help maybe lessen the load on [Bell] to where it’s not all on him,” Gase said. “Hopefully, we can get some of the younger backs to where we can make a good one-two punch to where we can really excel instead of feeling like it’s just all on him all the time.”

Despite what many think, Gase used Bell a lot last season. Between rushing attempts and receptions, Bell had 311 touches. It wasn’t nearly the amount he got in Pittsburgh, but keep in mind it was Bell’s first season back after taking a year off in 2018. Gase couldn’t just throw him into the fire and expect 400 touches out of him. The Jets would’ve run him into the ground had they done that.

While Gase says they want to have a committee of running backs, there isn’t much depth after Bell. Fourth-round pick La’Mical Perine figures to be second on the depth chart, but after that, it’s a collection of unproven rushers in Kenneth Dixon, Josh Adams and Trenton Cannon.

What should help Bell next season is an improved offensive line and more playmakers in the offense. The Jets might have five new starters on the offensive line next season. Meanwhile, they added some weapons in Breshad Perriman and Denzel Mims. They’ll also get Chris Herndon and Ryan Griffin back.

Those players should help open up the offense more. Last season, Bell was facing a loaded box on 36.3 percent of his runs. It’s hard to have success as a running back when opposing defenses know what’s coming. So Gase thinks Bell should see fewer players in the box because of the other threats the Jets have.

“If you have the vertical threats like I think we’re going to have with the wide receivers now, hey, maybe we’ll start seeing two-high zone instead of them just focusing on one guy in the receiving corps,” Gase said.

Chris Johnson questions decision to join Jets over Ravens in 2014

Chris Johnson remorses on his bad decision to join the 2014 Jets instead of the Baltimore Ravens.

It’s been six years since running back Chris Johnson played for the New York Jets, but the decision still haunts him.

Johnson tweeted on Monday night about his free agency decision in 2014. In the tweet, he wondered how he picked the Jets over the Ravens in free agency after spending six years with the Tennessee Titans.

Later on, Johnson tweeted again, this time saying that he meant no disrespect to the Jets organization. Rather, he explained that Gang Green was already set at the running back position with Chris *Ivory* and Bilal Powell.

In retrospect, Johnson did make a bad decision. That year the Jets finished dead last in the AFC East with a 4-12 record, while the Ravens went 10-6 and won a playoff game.

In his only season with the Jets, Johnson didn’t record 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his career. Johnson finished with 663 rushing yards and one touchdown with the Jets. Meanwhile, his rushing attempts per game dipped to less than 10 carries per game after he averaged at least 16 in six years with Tennessee.

As for the Ravens running back situation in 2014, it worked out quite well for them. That was the year Justin Forsett exploded for 1,266 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, which was good enough for a Pro Bowl appearance.

Unfortunately for Johnson, he can’t go back in time and change his decision. But the choice still lingers in his head when he thinks of what could’ve been had he signed with Baltimore instead of New York.

Should the Jets target former Patriots and Titans RB Dion Lewis?

The Jets need help in the backfield but veteran pass-catching running back Dion Lewis isn’t the answer.

Le’Veon Bell will see the lion’s share of touches for the Jets in 2020 but that doesn’t mean the team shouldn’t look for backup options for him.

Bell wore down late in the 2019 season, which forced the Jets to lean more on players like Bilal Powell and Ty Montgomery. However, it appears unlikely that either backup running back will return to New York in 2020.

One player who just hit the open market who could fill in for Bell is Dion Lewis. The Titans released Lewis after two mediocre seasons in Tennessee and the emergence of Derrick Henry as a feature running back. Lewis will be 30 by the time the 2020 season starts, but his skill set as a pass-catcher could be useful in the Jets offense. 

Adam Gase likes running backs who can catch. He’s typically employed at least one in his offense since he was the Broncos offensive coordinator in 2013. Players like Knowshon Moreno in Denver, Matt Forte in Chicago and Kenyan Drake and Damien Williams in Miami enjoyed solid receiving years as running backs under Gase. Bell is already one of the better dual-threat rushers in the game, so it would make sense to double up similar styles of play. 

The problem with Lewis besides his age is his production and size. Not only is he one of the smaller running backs in the league at 5-foot-8 and 197 pounds, but he also wasn’t nearly as effective in 2019 as he was in years prior. 

Lewis saw his production drop significantly just a year after wracking up 1,100 combined yards and nine touchdowns on 212 touches with the Patriots in 2017. After he signed a four-year, $19.8 million deal with the Titans in 2018, Lewis tallied only 917 yards and two touchdowns with almost double the snap shares. His yards per rush also dropped from 5.0 to 3.3 despite 25 fewer attempts. Things only got worse in 2019 when he finished with  373 yards and one touchdown on only 79 touches. 

Lewis actually saw an uptick in production when Ryan Tannehill took over midway through the 2019 season, so he can’t blame seasonal fatigue or a quarterback change on his bad season. His usage went up from 4.1 touches per game from Week 1-10 to 6.3 touches from Week 12-16.

The Jets are in the market for a backup running back if they don’t keep Powell or Montgomery. Only Josh Adams and Trenton Cannon are under contract behind Bell and neither inspire confidence if Bell needs a break. Lewis could be a quality role player on the Jets but doesn’t make much sense to sign considering his limited usage potential, though. He saw a slightly higher snap share in 2019 compared to Powell and Montgomery, but Lewis’  DYAR – Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement –  fell slightly lower than Powell. That means, while Powell may have played fewer snaps and tallied fewer stats, he was a better runner than Lewis in 2019. 

If the Jets are unafraid to sign an aging backup, they’d be better off keeping Powell around another year. Otherwise, they could be better off finding a more talented backup pass-catching running back either in the draft or elsewhere.

4 backup running backs the Jets should avoid in free agency

Jets Wire takes a look at four running backs the Jets should steer clear of when searching for a backup for Le’Veon Bell.

The Jets are set at the top of their running back depth chart with Le’Veon Bell, but there’s not much behind him right now.

Bilal Powell and Ty Montgomery, the Nos. 2 and 3 running backs on the depth chart last season, are unrestricted free agents. That leaves New York with no established depth behind its star tailback. Fortunately for first-year general manager Joe Douglas, free agency will provide him with the opportunity to fill those voids.

Buyer beware, though. There are some running backs available on the open market that could wind up making Douglas look bad down the road. Who are those backs? Let’s take a look.

Lamar Miller

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Miller is a backup at this point in his career, but he is not one the Jets should be targeting. The 29-year-old tore both his ACL and MCL last preseason and it remains to be seen if he will ever get back to 100 percent.

The injury risk alone makes Miller worth staying away from. The Jets need a reliable backup for Bell, not one who is coming off major knee surgeries. Factor in Miller’s dip in production prior to his injury and that makes him a running back Douglas should wipe off his free agency big board.

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5 backup running backs the Jets should target in free agency

Jets Wire takes a look at five running backs the Jets should target in free agency this offseason.

In 2019, the Jets ranked fourth in the NFL behind the Los Angeles Rams, Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots in terms of running back spending by cap dollars. New York allocated over $10 million to five different backs.

Now, with Le’Veon Bell’s at the top of the depth chart, New York ranks only second to Los Angeles in spending by cap dollars at the position. Gang Green will be searching for a backup to its All-Pro back, as Ty Montgomery was ineffective in limited use and Bilal Powell is getting up there in age.

Jalin Moore, an undrafted free agent out of Appalachian State, Josh Adams, Trenton Cannon and Kenneth Dixon still remain on the roster, but none of them have proven they can be a legitimate option behind Bell. The Jets need experience there, and free agency is the best place to find it.

With that said, here are five backup running backs the Jets should target in free agency.

Jordan Howard

(Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports)

When healthy, Jordan Howard was the perfect complement to Eagles rookie Miles Sanders.

Joe Douglas was part of the Chicago Bears personnel department that took Howard in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Douglas was then with the Philadelphia front office that sent a sixth-round pick to Chicago for Howard. If nothing else, the connections to Howard are there.

Howard appeared in 10 games and recorded 525 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns in 2019. He missed six games after suffering a shoulder injury in Week 9. 

Howard is by no means flashy and won’t get any premier offers to be a team’s No. 1 back, but he’s proven to be a perfect complementary piece. He would pair excellently with Le’Veon Bell. The problem the Jets face is if Howard is willing to see a decrease in snaps due to Bell’s workhorse nature. That remains to be seen, but the Jets should definitely attempt to court Howard in free agency regardless.

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Bilal Powell wants to retire with Jets

Bilal Powell would like to retire as a New York Jet.

Bilal Powell hopes Green and White are the only colors he wears during his NFL career.

Powell was on WFAN’s Joe and Evan show Thursday and discussed his future in the league. Powell has spent his entire nine-year career with the Jets and wants to continue his career with them in 2020 and beyond.

“I just stay in my lane,” Powell said. “I sit back and let things happen and unfold. I want to retire a Jet, that’s the biggest thing for me.”

The 31-year-old is an unrestricted free agent for the second straight offseason. After the 2018 season, the Jets weren’t sure if he was healthy enough to play again, as he suffered a serious neck injury that put his career in jeopardy. However, Powell was cleared to resume play and the Jets brought him back in June on a one-year deal.

Powell has told his teammates that other teams have reached out to him in the past, but he’s committed to the Jets for the long run.

“For me, I just like to sit put,” Powell said. “I had a couple opportunities to leave around the times that I was a free agent in previous years, but I wanted to stick around and see this thing unfold.”

The longest-tenured Jet has run for 3,675 yards in his career to go along with 15 rushing touchdowns. As a receiver, Powell has 1,600 yards and five touchdowns. Last season was one of Powell’s worst in his career as he only ran for 229 yards. It was his lowest-rushing total since 2014.

Former Jets coach couldn’t remember Raheem Mostert

Former Jets running backs coach Marcel Ship has no recollection of Raheem Mostert even being with the Jets.

The Jets weren’t aware that they had a diamond in the rough with Raheem Mostert.

Now a 49ers playoff hero on his way to the Super Bowl, Mostert was signed to the Jets practice squad for six days in September 2016. The Jets were not the first or last team to cut the running back, but he’s since played an integral part in San Francisco’s Super Bowl run.

Yet, his old position coach in New York couldn’t even recall him being on the Jets roster.

“Wow, I don’t remember him at all,” former Jets RB coach Marcel Shipp told ESPN’s Rich Cimini. “I usually remember those guys. This is bad. I do not remember him being in the room.”

The Jets weren’t the only team who misjudged Mostert. He went undrafted out of Purdue in 2015 and spent time on six different rosters before finding a home in San Francisco in 2016. Mostert didn’t succeed with the 49ers until this year, though. With one of the best offensive lines in the league, Mostert totaled 772 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in the regular season and 278 rushing yards and four scores in the postseason.

While the Jets and several others missed out on Mostert, these types of stories happen all the time in the NFL. Sometimes, it takes a few years and the right set of circumstances for a player to finally make an impact.

Mostert got his opportunity in San Francisco. Now he’s heading to the Super Bowl as a feel-good story after making the most of it.