Bilal Powell

Powell's 2018 season came to an abrupt end in October as he was forced to undergo neck surgery to address a bulging disc, an injury that had the potential to end his NFL career. The 30-year-old has apparently progressed well in his recovery as he sent a letter informing teams he's been medically cleared to play, though he currently remains unsigned. He proved to be a reliable passing-down back for most of his time with the Jets and also averaged 4.4 yards per carry for his career. Powell's age and the fact he's coming off a serious injury probably will keep some teams at bay, but he could serve well in a complementary role somewhere if given the opportunity.

Despite saving the Jets' bacon repeatedly when injuries or ineffectiveness sidelined the team's starting RB, it doesn't look like Powell will ever get a chance to handle No. 1 duties on his own. Perhaps it's just as well. His one outstanding trait as a runner might best be summed up as "gumption" - he won't run away from or around defenders, instead fighting for every extra inch available after contact. That's a profile that looks great in a backup, but could get exposed in a larger workload. Isaiah Crowell is the latest back to keep Powell down, though his lack of receiving polish could lead to a timeshare. New offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates will try to institute a scheme as friendly to Sam Darnold as possible, so don't be surprised if Powell's role in the passing game looks more like it did in 2015-16 than it did last season.

The acquisition of Matt Forte seemed to be a blow to Powell's value heading into 2016, but instead he had the most productive season of his career, stealing passing-down work from Forte en route to top-five finishes among RBs in targets and receptions (setting career highs in both categories). Powell then took advantage of a huge four-game stretch at the end of the year when he essentially had the backfield to himself to fuel a career high in rushing yards. He doesn't possess any one outstanding physical trait and is a little undersized for a feature back at 5-10, 204, but he rarely goes down on first contact and seems to will himself into extra yards. Both he and Forte will return to the Jets and the two will form a full-fledged committee this year, but new offensive coordinator John Morton comes from the Saints' pass-happy system, so there should be plenty of targets available for both of them if the team's muddled QB situation cooperates. Powell may not match last season's numbers on the ground, but he should remain productive through the air in an offense that lacks proven targets at wide receiver and tight end.

For a No. 2 back, Powell carved out a handy niche last year — he was 11th among running backs in catches and 15th in receiving yards. He also averaged a career-best 4.5 yards per rush, and cobbled together an end-rank of RB34 in PPR leagues. But with the Jets letting Chris Ivory walk and adding Matt Forte, it puts Powell's role in jeopardy — Forte is at least as good a receiver as Powell, probably better. And the Jets also have Khiry Robinson to pound away as the short-yardage man, if they so desire. Powell still rates as an interesting later-round selection if you don't trust Forte's durability at this stage of his career, but we'd like Powell more if the roster remained static from last year.

A reserve running back, Powell posted career-highs in yards per carry (4.3) and yards per reception (8.4) last season. However, compared to his 212 total touches in 2013, Powell garnered only 44 touches in 2014 on an underwhelming Jets team. Now, New York has added fellow tailbacks Stevan Ridley and Zac Stacy heading into the upcoming campaign, making Powell’s standing on the Jets’ depth chart unclear. While veteran Chris Ivory is expected to start, Powell is more than likely destined for another season of occasionally shuffling in and out as a backup running back this term.

Powell saw action in all 16 of the Jets' games last season, but he only reached paydirt once despite commanding 212 total touches. With New York's signing of high-profile Chris Johnson, it's believed the team will role with Johnson and Chris Ivory as their one-two punch at running back. Powell will be the next in line to provide relief and will have much more fantasy value if an injury occurs.

After a rookie year buried on the depth chart, Powell emerged late in his second season as a quality complement to Shonn Greene, punching in four touchdowns in four games from Weeks 11-14. Greene departed in free agency, but the Jets signed Mike Goodson and sent a fourth-round pick to the Saints for Chris Ivory, leaving Powell in a likely committee situation entering his third year. At 5-10, 204, Powell boasts neither special size nor speed, but he could see an uptick in value depending on how Goodson's offseason legal troubles play out.

In 2011 the second-year running back was active for just two games and carried the ball 13 times for 21 yards. Which is understandable as there wasn't much space at the position with Ladanian Tomlinson on board. This season Powell is competing for the third-down job behind Shonn Greene and Joe McKnight. Powell has reportedly performed slightly better in camp than McKnight.

Powell ran for 1,405 yards and totaled 14 touchdowns during his senior year at Louisville last season, and the Jets snagged him with the No. 126 pick of the draft. He’ll enter training camp battling Joe McKnight for the No. 3 RB role, but LaDainian Tomlinson is hardly a sure bet at this stage of his career, so Powell could conceivably become a factor on the team that has easily led the NFL in rushing attempts over the last two seasons.