New York Jets: Thoughts on Stevan Ridley and Chris Ivory

This afternoon, I wanted to give you some musings on the signing of Stevan Ridley, and a little bit on the ramifications for Chris Ivory. For anyone who missed it, Stevan Ridley was signed to a one year contract by the Jets yesterday.

First of all, great move by the Jets. Word is that the one year deal is for under $1,000,000, although that is unconfirmed as of the writing of this post. It gives the Jets a way out. If Ridley is healthy, the Jets get a running back with a 1,200 yard season on his resume. If not, the Jets can get out without too much money committed to Ridley.
This is a great idea for Ridley as well. He knew that the market became soft, so signing for an affordable rate makes sense. Ridley can show the world that he is healthy, and if the 2015 season goes well, he can go out and earn a large paycheck following the season. It’s a low risk, high reward deal for Ridley as well as for the New York Jets.
I have seen a lot of talk about the Jets being willing to shop Chris Ivory on the back of this signing. Stevan Ridley is coming off of an ACL tear. Looking to move Chris Ivory at the draft is a mistake. Chris Ivory is a proven commodity here. Let him stay and see what we have in Stevan Ridley. Could it happen during camp? Maybe. I wouldn’t be a fan of it then either, but it would make more sense because the Jets would have time to be convinced about Ridley’s health. But don’t get too enamored with Ridley and let Ivory fall through the cracks. Even if you go with Ridley as the number one, Ivory would be a great number two. It would be a mistake to let him go.
That being said, Ivory and Ridley are similarly built. They are both around six feet tall, 220+ pounds, and work between the tackles. I do believe that Ridley and Ivory could create quite a potent 1-2 punch. Don’t run Ivory out of town over that either. Them both running between the tackles is not a good enough reason to keep Ridley and get rid of Ivory, at least not for me. Take a look at both in Chan Gailey’s offense before making up your mind.
The Jets can still make a move in the draft at running back. They are preaching competition, so don’t be afraid to bring in more. The Jets also have a lot of flexibility now, with moving up or down fair game. Ridley takes away the need for a high choice at running back. They can lack back and look for the middle levels guys, such as Jay Ajayi.

All in all, yesterday was a good day for the New York Jets. Welcome, Stevan Ridley.

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