Will Le'Veon Bell have a bigger impact for the New York Jets in 2020?
After a down year, Le’Veon Bell could be primed for a bigger 2020 with the New York Jets. The funny thing is, however, that the numbers may not show it.
2019 saw the worst numbers Bell has put up in his career in any season where he had double-digit games. It was just a tough season for any Jets running back and Bell, despite being a Pro Bowl talent, was no different.
With the exception of 2015 when injuries cut his season to just six games, Bell has never had a season as poor as his first year in New York. His 789 rushing yards and three touchdowns were career lows in any season where played at least 12 games (he had 15 appearances, all starts in 2019). Worrisome from last year, as well, was a career low 3.2 yards per carry. That is a yard less than his career average.
Now, this really wasn’t Bell’s fault. In fact, he played pretty well all things considered. It is just the optics of having signed a big offseason contract and then having a down year that tends to cloud the perception on Bell.
But playing behind an offensive line that was bottom three in the league in nearly every statistical category, the fact that Bell got any positive yardage at all is actually worthy of praise. The Jets upgraded the line this year, meaning that Bell could and should be an improved player in 2020. But does that mean that he will actually have a bigger statistical impact on the Jets?
Conventional wisdom and his past production say yes. Reality, though, gives reason for pause.
Three times in Bell’s previous five years in the league, all with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he topped 1,000 rushing yards. He can absolutely do that with the Jets, especially behind an offensive line that should be much improved. But the Jets also added a veteran running back in Frank Gore, who should see some carries. They also drafted La’Mical Perine out of Florida, a player who should see some reps out of the backfield. Bell had 245 carries this year. That number could slide a bit with Gore and the developing Perine shouldering some of the workload.
The Jets also face a tougher schedule this year than in 2020. So while Bell likely will improve on his output from last year, he may not necessarily leap up the rushing charts. He still has carries to split and the Jets still are a rebuilding offense.
The oddsmakers have set Bell’s rushing number this season at 850.5. That’s a fair number. But if Bell doesn’t reach that number, the season can still be a success. Look at his yards per carry to go up, showing a greater impact when he has the ball. In a deeper and more talented backfield, Bell’s numbers might stay relatively flat but his overall production could go up in key areas such as yards per carry, showing a greater effectiveness when he does get the ball.
That number, improving on 3.2 yards per carry, will likely be a bigger one for the Jets this year than overall rushing yards.
