Bilal Powell was left for dead this summer. After years of being a hopeful prospect, all hope was lost when the team opted to sign Isaiah Crowell this offseason. Along with second-year back Elijah McGuire, the New York Jets had two backs who seemed to spell the end of the road for Powell's chances. Until...
Jets’ RB Elijah McGuire will undergo surgery on his broken foot this week and is expected to be out 3-6 weeks, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 29, 2018
With this news, Powell all of the sudden became interesting again. Powell and McGuire posted Rushing Success Rate numbers -- percentage of positive expected-point runs -- of 30.34% and 31.82%, respectively, in 2017. Crowell was able to muster a 34.95% clip in Cleveland. The league average last year for running backs was 38.08%, so it's not like any of these players is a lock to run away with the job. Why not take a chance on Powell?
The impact from the McGuire injury should linger well into the season. Powell has gone from being on the roster bubble to a favorite to compete for a solid amount of volume.