In what wasn’t much of a surprise to Jets fans, head coach Rex Ryan announced that the team plans to utilize three running backs this season. Ryan acknowledged that there will be times when the Jets may go with the hot hand, “sure, that’s a possibility too” said Ryan according to ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini.
It’s hard to imagine the Jets going with any other approach at this point. They have three very capable backs in Chris Johnson, Chris Ivory, and Bilal Powell. Some may even argue that St. Louis Rams castoff Darly Richardson should be in the picture. Richardson averaged 4.8 YPC as a rookie two years ago to go along with 163 receiving yards on 24 catches, but saw a drop in production in coordiantor Brian Schottenheimer’s offense.
Given Johnson’s high mileage and Ivory’s injury history, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for the Jets to find a way to keep a fourth RB.
