Making the case against Thomas Rawls to the Jets via Free Agency

The New York Jets are reportedly bringing in free agent running back Thomas Rawls for a closer look at everything he brings to the table. Here’s a case against them signing him to the team.

Confirmed via Rich Cimini of ESPN, the New York Jets have scheduled a visit with free agent running back Thomas Rawls, formerly of the Seattle Seahawks. After signing running back Isaiah Crowell via free agency, it appears the Jets are looking to add one more player to the mix for depth.

At the end of the day, the Jets should have learned their lesson when they did something similar a few years ago when it came to running back Matt Forte. Yes, Forte was a popular player during his prime with the Chicago Bears but the version the Jets got was someone past their glory days.

Forte was consistently hurt and in the grand scheme of things, had a few good plays here and there but took away reps from other players on the roster that would have benefitted from them more. Running backs like Bilal Powell and even Elijah McGuire could have made a better impact if they were given more opportunities to run the football or be used as receiving threats out of the backfield.

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This is another case of the Jets hoping that a player like Rawls can come in and make a difference. Keep in mind, Rawls is coming off a shortened season due to a lingering ankle injury. It’s uncertain if it’ll bother him come training camp time, but again, do the Jets want to go through this road once again?

With Powell, Crowell, and McGuire figured to be the three-headed beast at running back for the Jets next season, it just wouldn’t make sense to add Rawls considering his history and lack of production. Last season with the Seahawks, Rawls missed a lot of playing time due to injury as he totaled 157 rushing yards, 58 attempts, and zero touchdowns. The year before that in 2016, Rawls totaled 349 rushing yards, 109 attempts, and just three touchdowns.

It’s best the Jets stay away from Rawls since he likely won’t be the same player he was in his big rookie season and is going to be hindered yet again due to injuries. He’s not a patient running back and tends to try and make something out of nothing when it comes to which lane to rush through or what the best angle is to get the most yardage. Hence why the last two seasons, Rawls only averaged 3.0 yards per attempt. Considering the Jets look like they’re already set at running back, it’s best to let Rawls walk and look for a different team.