The New York Jets have a running back room crowded with young talent, could they benefit from trading one of those players away?
As Bleacher Report's Joe Tensey searched from prime trade candidates ahead of training camp's start, he landed on sophomore ball carrier Israel Abanikanda for New York.
Abanikanda was a fifth round selection in the 2023 NFL draft as a backup option for star back Breece Hall.
The Pittsburgh Panthers alum had 2,177 yards and 28 touchdowns on the ground with 38 catches for 354 and three more scores through the air during his college career.
His breakout senior season saw him grab 1,577 yard and 21 touchdowns from scrimmage.
He's not the biggest back, standing at 5-foot-10 and 216 pounds, but is an incredible athlete which added to his value. He ran a 4.45 40-yard
As a rookie, he had just 22 rushes for 70 yards. He was unable to carve out a large role for himself.
If it wasn't already clear that his job would be up for grabs, the Jets selected two running backs in the 2024 NFL draft.
First, they took Wisconsin's Braelon Allen in the fourth round. Allen is a large back that gets his yards through running people over. As a rookie, he'll be more of a goal line option rather than a passing game contributor.
A round later, they took Isaiah Davis out of South Dakota State. Davis is a similar back to Allen. Both backs were ultra-productive in college and have received rave reviews from early workouts and training camp sessions.
While Abanikanda could be viewed as more versatile and NFL-ready than those two, there are only so many snaps to hand out to running backs when you have a workhorse already on the roster.
It might make sense for New York to pull off a trade to send the 21-year-old to a new team to add value elsewhere. It would be a postiive for the player, as well, as he'd gain a better chance to make an impact in a less crowded room.
A position that the Jets could use some more depth in would be cornerback. If there's a team with a veteran that they would cut, a player swap could work.
Worst case scenario, New York could pick up a late-round draft selection to use in a future trade or just end up taking a flier in a future draft.
