The 10 Best NFL Free Agency Signings
Matt Forte to the New York Jets
It’s a scary thing when you have to build from scratch. That’s what the Jets’ backfield faced this offseason, when starting running back Chris Ivory, passing-down Bilal Powell and backup Stevan Ridley's contracts all expired at once. With no true lead dog in their running back corps, then, they turned to the free agent market to find one.
The Jets brought in longtime Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte to lead their backfield in 2016. While he might not be a dramatic upgrade, he did perform better than any Jets back last year, despite his worst season in his career to-date. Forte’s 0.00 Rushing NEP per play far outstrips either Ivory’s -0.07 or Powell’s -0.21, and he had a Rushing Success Rate about 8 percentage points higher than either. He also had a 0.43 Reception NEP per play on 58 targets, better than Powell’s 0.34 on 63. Forte may be old, but he’s not done yet.
