Adam Gase was adamant about lessening Le’Veon Bell’s load and he stuck to his word.
The Jets agreed to a one-year deal with veteran running back and future Hall of Famer Frank Gore on Tuesday. The addition means Bell, who accounted for 311 combined carries and catches as the Jets’ bell-cow running back in 2019, now has some experienced help behind him. Gase wants a less is more approach for Bell, which is where Gore comes in.
Following the worst statistical season of his career, Bell will return to the Jets backfield running behind a remodeled offensive line. By adding La’Mical Perine and Gore, the Jets have sufficiently replaced both Ty Montgomery and Bilal Powell.
Here’s what the depth chart currently looks like:
Starter: Le’Veon Bell
Backups: La’Michal Perine, Frank Gore, Trenton Cannon, Kenneth Dixon, Josh Adams
As one of the Jets’ fourth-round picks, Perine presents himself as the perfect young complement to Bell. Perine is a hard-nosed runner who is also versatile out of the backfield. At the same time, Bell is a patient runner who is viewed as the best pass-catching back in the league. These two in the backfield allows Gase to be more creative than he was with both Bell and Montgomery in the backfield.
Perine benefits from the Gore signing the most, although he certainly won’t be seeing as many carries as once thought. He now has the opportunity to learn from and pick the brains of two-generational running backs. It’s hard to ask for two better players to help with the development of a young rusher.
Gore is a great locker room add for the Jets. He completely embraced being a mentor for Devin Singletary in Buffalo and did the same the year before with Gase in Miami for Kenyon Drake. His attributes aren’t tangible, he’s tough as nails and has terrific leadership ability for a younger locker room.
The Jets will most likely add another tailback or two before training camp starts, as they parted ways with Jalin Moore on Tuesday. Beyond Gore and Perine are two reclamation projects in Dixon and Adams, who were drafted by front offices that Joe Douglas is rather familiar with. On the other hand, Cannon was drafted by the previous regime and has added little value on offense. However, he presents himself as a primary special teamer for Gang Green.