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The New York Jets are going to need another proven running back in the backfield in 2024.
Analyst Joe Caporoso predicted that the player the green and white will sign is New England Patriots veteran Ezekiel Elliott.
“At some point over the summer,” the Jets will add Elliott which will keep Israel Abanikanda “as their third running back,” Caporoso said.
Elliott, 28, is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. He played for the Patriots last season on a one-year deal for $3 million.
Analyst Passionately Explains Why Jets Need More Juice in Backfield
“The Jets quietly need a No. 2 running back if they think Izzy isn’t ready for that and with this staff… God knows,” Connor Rogers of NBC Sports said on “Badlands.”
“Yeah I mean they need another veteran running back behind Breece Hall because he still had a pretty serious injury not that long ago,” Caporoso added. “I like Izzy but he didn’t show any signs of being ready.”
Abanikanda only ended up appearing in six games during his rookie campaign. During that period, he toted the rock 22 times for 70 rushing yards.
Caporoso also predicted that the Jets “will not” end up using a draft pick on a running back in 2024. Rogers jumped in and explained why they shouldn’t, “develop Izzy. This running back class isn’t great anyway.”
That would set the Jets up to have Hall as RB1, Elliott as RB2, and Izzy as a change-of-pace third back on the roster.
The pair of analysts also explained that if the Jets are playing with more leads next season then they will need someone who can “chew up some carries” at the ends of games.
Elliott Would Be an Interesting Fit for What the Jets Need
There were a lot of jokes made on social media that Elliott was over the hill this past offseason. Elliott didn’t end up joining the Patriots until the middle of August and there seemed to be minimal expectations on what he could accomplish.
However, the three-time Pro Bowler proved a lot of people wrong with his production on the field. Elliott appeared in all 17 games and registered 955 scrimmage yards. He added five total touchdowns and finished with the fourth-highest reception total of his career (51).
Elliott is an adept pass protector, is effective as a short-yardage and goal-line back, and has an underrated receiving game.
Spotrac’s market value projections expect Elliott to sign a one-year deal for $2.7 million this offseason. That annual salary would make him the No. 23 highest-paid running back in the NFL, per Over The Cap.
When you factor that number into the overall cap it’s relative peanuts. However, it’s a very important role to fill.
In the Week 18 regular-season finale the Jets ran Hall into the ground versus the Patriots. Hall finished with 39 total touches and specifically had 37 carries. It resulted in a wildly productive day with 178 rushing yards but it was a reckless decision by the Jets coaching staff.
The former Iowa State product was a little more than a year removed from completely tearing his ACL. In what amounted to be a meaningless regular season game the Jets put way too much of a workload on his shoulders.
Hall didn’t get injured in that game, but he certainly could have. The green and white need to prevent that from ever happening again. One way they could do that is by adding a proven veteran running back on the cheap behind Hall this offseason to spread the love.
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