Instant Analysis: Fortefied

Jacob Feldman

It is a bit of a sad day for me as the Matt Forte era is official over for my Chicago Bears. We’ve known it was coming for some time now, but he is now officially trading in the navy and orange of Chicago for the green and white of New York. While it wasn’t my top spot as a Forte owner, the Jets are pretty close to the top of the list. In the flurry which is the NFL free agency period, things can change quickly, but here is what it currently means.

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Matt Forte

He’s 30 years old, but Forte still has the ability to be productive and a short term fantasy solution. He gives the Jets something they have been lacking over the last few years: a running back who can rush and catch. For years it seems like the Jets have had their up the middle power back and then a different rusher to play in the passing game. This meant their personnel choice on any given play often tipped the defense off. With Forte in the fold they won’t need to worry about that. He is one of if not the most well rounded rushers in the NFL over the last six-eight years. He instantly brings a dual threat element to the Jets, which they have been missing for quite some time.

Forte’s exact value will depend a little bit on who ends up playing quarterback for the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets, but he adds a very nice dimension to a team which quietly features one of the best receiver tandems in the league. Regardless of if it is a young quarterback or a seasoned veteran, Forte’s ability to pass protect and catch out of the backfield will definitely be used. In PPR leagues, I’m penciling him in as a high end RB2 who could push into the back end of the RB1 ranks next year. He’s merely a short term solution though as he has slowed just a bit in the rushing department over the last few years.

I expect the Jets to bring in a younger complement to Forte, most likely via the middle rounds of the draft, but he should be the feature back in this offense. The only role I see him potentially losing out on, other than occasional change of pace rolls, would be the short yardage package. Otherwise, over his career Forte has typically handled about 80% of his team’s carries and an even higher percentage of snaps when he is healthy. This doesn’t leave much room for anyone else. Things could be different in New York, but I expect the Jets to get their money’s worth out of the veteran.

Chris Ivory/Bilal Powell

Ivory is already gone, after having signed with the Jaguars, and I think Forte’s signing has sealed Powell’s fate. With the current cap position for the Jets, they can’t afford to pay anyone else. Unless Powell signs at a massive hometown discount, which I don’t see happening since he won’t be able to start, he is going to be going somewhere else.

Zac Stacy

Coming off a broken ankle to end the 2015 season, I think Stacy is going to be in the mix to be the complement to Forte. He definitely isn’t a top shelf talent, but he is good enough to be a backup, assuming he is fully healthy. I think he’ll stay on the roster into training camp and compete with a draft pick or two for a spot on the depth chart.

Jets’ Passing Game

I already covered this a little bit, but adding Forte to the mix should only mean good things for the passing game of the Jets. With Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker on the outside, adding Forte out of the backfield will make a bit of a headache for opposing defenses. If a quality third receiver or a tight end actually emerges, we could be looking at one of the better groups of pass catches in the league. Of course the elephant in the room is who will be throwing them the ball, but if it is anyone even remotely competent, they will have a lot of weapons to work with.langford-2

Jeremy Langford

There were some wondering if the Bears might try to keep Forte at a discount, but that clearly isn’t going to happen. This should clear the way for Langford to get the first shot at a lead role. He performed well last year, both in the passing game and as a rusher, but wasn’t exceptional. For a rebuilding Bears team with a lot of holes to fill in the draft, I think that will be enough to earn him a starting job. He’ll be a solid RB2, possibly low end RB1 if they get him involved in the passing game like they did Forte. This isn’t the time to be buying him though.

Eddie Lacy

I’m putting Lacy here because there was a lot of talk in Wisconsin about the Packers trying to sign Forte. This clearly shows a level of concern with Lacy’s ability to get back into shape and return to his previous level of play. Had Forte been signed, it would have been an upgrade over James Starks and likely meant a full blown committee in 2016. I think Lacy’s owners dodged a bullet for now, but the Packers definitely aren’t happy with his 2015 performance and are expecting better.

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jacob feldman