By Jordan Long
Free agent running back Jay Ajayi is looking for a new team. He was with the Philadelphia Eagles last year but missed 12 games. Ajayi tore his ACL against the Minnesota Vikings in week 5. He was a free agent and the Eagles moved on from him. Ajayi is now medically cleared to play.
Ajayi is a decent backup running back for any team to have. He can run the football, block for the quarterback, and catch passes. In his 5-year NFL career, Ajayi totaled 2,516 yards rushing. He is tough to bring down on the first hit. Ajayi gains yards and averages 4.5 yards per carry. Those make 2nd and 3rd downs easier for a team.
The downside with his running is protecting the football. Ajayi doesn’t hold onto the football with two hands. Those can be punched out by defenses for fumbles which kill drives for his team. Ajayi has 8 fumbles with 4 of them lost.
There are times where he will sneak out of the backfield to catch the football. Those passes help his team march down the field. Ajayi has 419 receiving yards and 1 touchdown as a receiver.
Ajayi is hoping to have another chance with an NFL team. His ACL injury recovery hurt his chances of a team bringing him in. The Eagles and the Colts both talked to him in the offseason but decided to go another direction. Now that Ajayi is able to play, teams should be calling him. Ajayi is a serviceable running back who could make a team’s backfield better, even as a backup.
The problem is training camp has started. They may not bring him in right now because franchises want to see what they have in the backfield. It is possible if they aren’t happy with their running back core, then Ajayi will be with a team. The other option is Ajayi may need to wait until an injury to a running back. Then he will have his chance. For now Ajayi will have to train on his own and hope he receives a call to play again, but he should have that opportunity to show what he can do. Time will tell when that occurs. x.
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