New York released LeVeon Bell last night, just hours after the report came out that they were trying to trade him. (Which was different than basically every week since they signed him how?) Sometimes when a team dumps its starter, other players become more valuable. Doesn't seem to be the case here.
Jacksonville, you'll recall, dumped Leonard Fournette on the eve of the season. James Robinson stepped in and has been a very nice featured running back for them. But New York doesn't seem to have that kind of player, and we've got a few weeks of evidence to suggest they won't.
Bell was on IR from Weeks 2 through 4, and the Jets averaged 114 rushing yards in those games. That sounds impressive, until you consider that if you do nothing more than remove Sam Darnold's 111 rushing yards in those contests. they dip to just 77 yards per game. No rushing touchdowns by the running backs, just an unlikely, crazy-legged scamper by Darnold against the Broncos.
Here's how the running backs fared in the three games Bell missed.
| JETS RB RUSHING YARDS MINUS BELL | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | S.F. | Ind. | Den. | Avg. |
| Frank Gore | 63 | 57 | 30 | 50 |
| LaMical Perine | 17 | 24 | 15 | 19 |
| Kalen Ballage | 5 | 8 | Cut | 4 |
Maybe one of those backs will make an impact as a receiver? No, that didn't really happen in the games Bell missed, either.
| JETS RB RECEIVING YARDS MINUS BELL | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | S.F. | Ind. | Den. | Avg. |
| Frank Gore | 0 | 5 | 6 | 4 |
| LaMical Perine | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 |
| Kalen Ballage | 12 | 44 | Cut | 19 |
Ballage is gone (for now); the Jets added former Lion Ty Johnson last week. He had a couple of games with 4 catches for the Lions last year, so maybe he carves out a role in the passing game the rest of the way. And Perine was the team's fourth-round pick this year, so they must have liked him (even though the GM who was perhaps instrumental in drafting him doesn't work there anymore). Maybe he emerges with significant numbers at some point. Would help if the Jets fired Gase and released Gore, who makes little sense on this roster, but that won't necessarily happen.
But it's likely a three-back committee working behind a suspect line on a winless team whose only rushing score is by an injured quarterback. (Darnold has just been ruled out for Week 6; it will be Joe Flacco as the sitting duck in the backfield.) Unlikely this team has a usable running back. This week, or at all this season.
--Andy Richardson