Is Chris Ivory running away in RB battle with T.J. Yeldon?
By Luke Sims
Chris Ivory was brought to the Jacksonville Jaguars to solidify the running back position and it seems more and more like he’ll be the primary back for the Jags offense.
When the Jacksonville Jaguars surprisingly signed Chris Ivory during free agency, it seemed that he would be splitting time with 2015 second-round pick T.J. Yeldon.
Yeldon was hot off an impressive rookie debut and looked poised to improve on the rougher parts of his game and return as the workhorse back the Jags offense desperately needs. Then general manager Dave Caldwell surprised us all with the addition of 2015 Pro Bowler Chris Ivory.
Ivory and Yeldon have similar running styles, though Ivory is a bit more of a bruiser. His addition seemed like a strong complement to Yeldon at first, not a replacement. Original speculation seemed 50-50 and then 55-45. But with recent hype surrounding Ivory like:
"The running game also appears to have a real chance to improve, with Chris Ivoryshowing not only the power expected inside but more outside speed and burst than expected when he signed as an unrestricted free agent from the New York Jets."
It’s hard not to think that he’s running away with a position battle that landed on Pro Football Focus’ four running back battles to watch in training camp.
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The good news for Yeldon is that the running back position is relatively fluid. If Ivory isn’t performing well, the Jags can always bring in Yeldon to change things up. If Ivory isn’t able to be the bell cow back, Yeldon can get more reps. There’s no certainty that this level of hype for Ivory will be the definitive answer at the running back position through the season.
Still, it looks more and more like Ivory will be getting the vast majority of touches at the position going forward. Hopefully he’s as good as he was last season and the hype this year is reflective of his actual production. Chris Ivory is a good player and he has the ability to be something special on a surging offense.