Poll: Who should be starting RB for New York Jets?

Who do you think the New York Jets should start at the running back position going into this upcoming season? I’ll make a case for and against each player and let you be the judge by voting in our poll below.

Zac Stacy – In 2014, Stacy averaged 3.9 yards per carry and only had one touchdown. Those aren’t very great stats for someone that you may consider starting at running back, however you have to keep in mind Stacy was with the St. Louis Rams last year and wound up playing behind Tre Mason. The bright side to Stacy is that he can be almost as effective as a receiving tight end when catching the ball out of the backfield. Last season he averaged 8.4 yards per reception on 18 catches.

Stevan Ridley – Ridley’s stats were pretty low last season because of injury. I have watched every single New England Patriots game for the better part of the last decade so I’ve seen Ridley play a lot. The best thing about him is that he can be a workhorse at running back. He’s a little smaller (only 5′ 11″ 220 lbs.) but he can carry the majority of the hand offs if that’s what is needed of him in a game. The biggest downside with Ridley? Holding onto the ball. He fumbles more than the average back and it seems like it’s always in the worst possible situation. If he can get that under control I don’t see why he shouldn’t get the start.

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Daryl Richardson – Richardson also came from the Rams. In 2012, he averaged 4.8 yards per carry on 98 attempts in 16 games. In 2013, that was cut down to 3.1 yards per carry on 69 attempts in eight games. We didn’t get to see Richardson last season so we don’t really have any fresh idea of what he might be able to do in the Jets backfield, but if he would be able to get back to his 2012 average he should be able to be either the No. 1 or No. 2 option at running back on the depth chart.

Bilal Powell – Powell is similar to Stacy in the fact that he is better suited as a receiving back than an actual running back. The difference between Powell and Stacy is that Powell is better running the ball than Stacy is. In 2014, Powell averaged 4.3 yards per carry on only 33 attempts with one touchdown. His receiving stats were even better at 8.4 yards per reception on 11 catches. I don’t know if I would put Powell in as the starting running back but he could definitely be useful in some split back formations going out for a pass to keep defenses on their toes.

Chris Ivory – Ivory averaged 4.1 yards per carry with six rushing touchdowns and 6.8 yards per reception with one touchdown in 2014. If I had to pick one guy to be the favorite right now to win the job it would be Ivory. He did a decent job last year showing everyone that this is his job to lose and I think he’s going to build on that heading into this upcoming season.

Who should be starting RB for New York Jets?

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