New York Jets: Post Draft/Free Agency Offensive Analysis

Running Back

Expected Starter: Le’Veon Bell

Running back position was a position the New York Jets desperately needed to fill going into this season. Before going down with a career-threatening neck injury, Bilal Powell looked like he was going to be the guy that the Jets could make their bell cow back. However, in the wake of Powell’s injury, it opened the door for the Jets to sign arguably one of the best one-two punch running back combos in the NFL, Le’Veon Bell, and Ty Montgomery. This is going to be incredibly beneficial for the Jets in multiple ways.

Starting with Bell, he is not only a top two running back in the NFL, but he is also the player who many consider the best receiving back in the league. In his last full season of play (2017), Bell complied 1,291 rushing yards and 655 receiving yards on 85 catches.

He will be a massive addition for Darnold as his presence will take some pressure off the QB. Opposing defenses know they will have to worry about the Jets running game as a weapon. This will make Darnold more comfortable in the pocket and add to his confidence level.

For Montgomery, his main job will be to spell Bell, when the main back gets fatigued. He should be a valuable asset. His career average of 4.9 yards-per-carry will serve the Jets incredibly well on third-down situations, which they were awful on last year only converting 32 percent of their chances.