Le’Veon Bell produced one of the worst statistical seasons of his seven-year career in his first campaign with the Jets in 2019, but he could enjoy a resurgence in 2020 with a revamped offensive line.
Jets GM Joe Douglas brought in eight linemen this offseason – five in free agency, two in the draft and one undrafted free agent – in an attempt to turn one of the worst units in the league into one of the best. At least four have the ability and opportunity to start this season, and Bell told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler he “absolutely” noticed Douglas’ moves.
“Can’t wait, either,” Bell added.
Part of the reason Bell saw career-lows in total touches, total yards and total touchdowns – among other stats – was partially due to Adam Gase’s scheme, but mostly because of an inept offensive line which ranked 28th by Pro Football Focus. The Jets line averaged a league-worst 0.7 rushing yards before contact per attempt in 2019 and allowed pressure in 2.5 seconds or less on 27.5 percent of their dropbacks – 31st in the league.
No one, not even a dynamic running back like Bell, could produce with that line of protection.
Douglas allocated a lot of resources in an attempt to remedy this obvious problem. Not only did he commit $40.6 million to five free agent linemen between Connor McGovern, George Fant, Greg Van Roten, Alex Lewis and Josh Andrew, but he also used the Jets’ 11th overall pick of the 2020 draft on mauling tackle Mekhi Becton and then drafted tackle Cameron Clark in the fourth round. McGovern, Fant, Lewis and Becton should immediately slide into the starting lineup.
A lot of these moves revolve around protecting Sam Darnold, but giving Bell running lanes is also a crucial part of the Jets offense in 2020. New York needs Bell to perform in 2020 if they want a shot at winning the AFC East for the first time since 2002, and they can only do that with a top-flight offensive line.
It’s unclear how the coronavirus pandemic will affect the Jets’ ability to practice this offseason, but any missed time could hurt the offensive line’s ability to mesh before the season. This proved to be a big problem in 2019 when center Ryan Kalil didn’t practice or play in any preseason games before Week 1. The entire unit suffered and subsequently put together a horrendous season. The upgrades Douglas made are sound, but meaningless if the players never get a chance to work together prior to the start of the season.
At the very least, Bell understands he’ll be running behind a better line than he did in 2019. That goes a long way after a disappointing season and should help him – alongside backups Frank Gore and rookie La’Michal Perine – put up respectable numbers in 2020.