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The New York Jets took a swing on running back Israel Abanikanda in 2023, but there’s a chance that that the team is already open to cutting ties after an unproductive rookie season.
Prior to training camp, Anthony DiBona with Pro Football Network wrote Abanikanda could be a trade piece for the Jets this season.
“The New York Jets have invested heavily in the team’s backfield,” DiBona wrote in a July 4 story about a player on each team who could be traded. “Not only has Breece Hall established himself as a star running back, but New York added two more running backs in the 2024 NFL Draft. This could mean that second-year running back Israel Abanikanda could be on the move in 2024.”
Israel Abanikanda’s Underwhelming Rookie Season
Expectations shouldn’t have been high for Abanikanda. He was a fifth-round pick out of Pittsburgh in the 2023 draft and behind at least three players on the Jets’ running back depth chart. Pittsburgh Sports Now wrote in August 2023 that he would be “fighting for carries.”
However, The Athletic reported in June 2023 that the Jets believed Abanikanda “could contribute right away” after seeing the numbers he put up in college and watching his offseason workouts.
In his final season for the Panthers, he finished with 1,431 yards and 20 rushing touchdowns while averaging 6.0 yards per carry. He also set a school record with 320 rushing yards in one game, also scoring six touchdowns in that same contest against Virginia Tech.
But he didn’t come close to replicating that production as an NFL rookie. A preseason thigh injury kept him off of the field to start his pro career. He didn’t make his NFL debut until Week 11 against the Buffalo Bills.
Abanikanda finished the year with just 70 rushing yards on 22 carries. That won’t cut it if he wants to stay around the NFL, and the Jets, moving forward.
New York Has Plenty of Backfield Depth
With so many players at the running back position, Abanikanda may be the odd man out.
Breece Hall leads the backfield as the clear RB1. In two seasons with the Jets, he’s averaging a strong 4.8 yards per carry with 1,457 yards and nine touchdowns. With a healthy quarterback in Aaron Rodgers, Hall will likely face far fewer stacked boxes in 2024, leading to an uptick in production in 2024.
The Jets also drafted a pair of running backs this year to compete for carries behind Hall. Braelon Allen was the team’s fourth-round pick out of Wisconsin. He showed flashes of star potential at times for the Badgers, and could serve as an ideal short-yardage power back at 235 pounds.
Meanwhile, the Jets also took Isaiah Davis a round later out of South Dakota State. He has a unique frame at 6-foot-0 and 218 pounds, and averaged an absurd 6.7 yards per carry over his college career. He shows good vision on film while constantly keeping his feet moving to either change direction or run through contact.
With two promising rookies joining the team, Abanikanda faces an uphill battle if he wants to make New York’s final 53-man roster after training camp.
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