RB Elijah McGuire

New York Jets running back Elijah McGuire will see more opportunities for the rest of the season. As a rookie last year, he played in every game and started two of them. Entering his sophomore year, McGuire had high expectations of himself to lead the Jets offense. A broken foot on the first day of training camp kept McGuire sidelined for half of the season; luckily he’s back.

Veteran running back Bilal Powell hit the IR during Week 7 and will not be back on the field for the rest of the season. McGuire’s presence will help for depth purposes, but he could also help New York be more productive on offense. Although a small sample size, McGuire’s 4.7 YPC and six receptions against the Dolphins and Bills is a solid start.

McGuire said to the New York Post on the Friday before Week 10’s Buffalo Bills game:

I think I can do a very good job of sparking this offense, especially in the pass game.

They’re spreading me out wide, getting me mismatches with the linebackers I know I can beat. In the run game also, just hit a couple runs and then open up the pass game for the receivers on the outside.

According to Spotrac, starting running back Isaiah Crowell will be under contract next year, but Bilal Powell will be a free agent. With Powell out, this is McGuire’s opportunity to prove he truly deserves to be a part of the Jets plan for the future. If McGuire does well enough, the Jets can go into the offseason confident he can compete with Crowell for carries. If he slumps, it will become more clear why the Jets are the top landing spot for free agent Pro Bowl running back Le’Veon Bell.