Chris Ivory is available. The Jaguars released him, leaving him free to sign with any team willing to take him on. But does the veteran have anything left?
No back in the league has run any harder in recent years. Ivory is one of those backs like Marion Barber or Devonta Freeman. He’s fearless, and he’ll put his head down and slam it into the line pretty good – consistently puts his body on the line. He runs hungry, and that’s the way he’s been playing his entire career.
I have immense respect for what Ivory has done. This is a guy who was an undrafted free agent out of tiny Tiffin (Ohio). He showed up at New Orleans in 2010 and forced his way only the roster, showing that he could do some things better than Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas. He’s not a good pass catcher, making him a poor fit with the Saints, but he’s a more violent and effective inside runner than those guys. After a trade to the Jets, he signed a nice contract there, then landed a big deal (five years, $32.5 million) from the Jaguars prior to the 2016 season.
But it didn’t make sense for Jacksonville to keep him. They’ve got other backs (not only Leonard Fournette but also T.J. Yeldon and even Corey Grant), so no way were they interested in paying significant money for Ivory. While not lacking in effort, Ivory averaged only 3.6 yards per attempt in his two years with the Jaguars.
Now he’s got to find a team, and time is working against him. He’ll be 30 next month, and that’s getting up there for a back of his ilk – a violent tackle-breaker who takes a beating on every carry.
While I don’t question Ivory’s effort, his playing style tends to be more effective with younger players. As he loses a little speed, power and explosive, he goes from a starting-caliber back to a player fighting to get on a 53-man roster. I’m guessing some teams will be willing to let him come in and compete for a No. 2 job, but he won’t necessarily stick.
I was tabulating some short-yardage numbers the other day and noticed that Ivory has been arguably the league’s least effective runner recently in 1-yard situations (when an offense needs a yard to either score or keep a drive alive). Of the 33 running backs with at least 20 such carries over the last three years, Ivory is the only one who’s been successful on fewer than half of his attempts.
Ivory worked out for Buffalo on Monday; he’s better than what they had behind LeSean McCoy last year. He’s meeting with the Browns today.
| "AND ONE" RUSHING, 2015-17 | zz | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | "Good" | Att | Pct |
| Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 33 | 39 | 84.6% |
| Robert Turbin, Dall.-Ind. | 17 | 21 | 81.0% |
| LeVeon Bell, Pitt. | 23 | 30 | 76.7% |
| Mark Ingram, N.O. | 36 | 47 | 76.6% |
| DeMarco Murray, Phi.-Ten. | 32 | 42 | 76.2% |
| Latavius Murray, Oak.-Min. | 35 | 47 | 74.5% |
| Mike Gillislee, Buf.-N.E. | 23 | 32 | 71.9% |
| Jonathan Stewart, Car. | 25 | 35 | 71.4% |
| Doug Martin, T.B. | 21 | 30 | 70.0% |
| Javorius Allen, Balt. | 16 | 23 | 69.6% |
| Jordan Howard, Chi. | 15 | 22 | 68.2% |
| Devonta Freeman, Atl. | 35 | 52 | 67.3% |
| DeAngelo Williams, Pitt. | 16 | 24 | 66.7% |
| Thomas Rawls, Sea. | 14 | 21 | 66.7% |
| Tevin Coleman, Atl. | 13 | 20 | 65.0% |
| Jeremy Hill, Cin. | 22 | 34 | 64.7% |
| Lamar Miller, Mia.-Hou. | 19 | 30 | 63.3% |
| David Johnson, Ariz. | 25 | 40 | 62.5% |
| Derrick Henry, Tenn. | 15 | 24 | 62.5% |
| Marshawn Lynch, Sea.-Oak. | 19 | 31 | 61.3% |
| Melvin Gordon, LAC | 35 | 58 | 60.3% |
| LeGarrette Blount, N.E.-Phi. | 31 | 52 | 59.6% |
| Isaiah Crowell, Clev. | 16 | 27 | 59.3% |
| Frank Gore, Ind. | 19 | 33 | 57.6% |
| Todd Gurley, LAR | 31 | 54 | 57.4% |
| Eddie Lacy, G.B.-Sea. | 12 | 21 | 57.1% |
| Spencer Ware, K.C. | 12 | 21 | 57.1% |
| Carlos Hyde, S.F. | 17 | 30 | 56.7% |
| Matt Forte, Chi.-NYJ | 15 | 27 | 55.6% |
| Bilal Powell, NYJ | 12 | 23 | 52.2% |
| C.J. Anderson, Den. | 14 | 27 | 51.9% |
| LeSean McCoy, Buff. | 13 | 26 | 50.0% |
| Chris Ivory, NYJ-Jac. | 17 | 36 | 47.2% |
—Ian Allan