La'Mical Perine
Getty Images

Bracing for a tightly-contested competition in the backfield, New York Jets RB La’Mical Perine is enjoying being slept on.

After their selection of North Carolina running back Michael Carter with the 107th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, the New York Jets have a very crowded running back room that features five viable competitors, at least one of which has to be the odd man out come cut-down day.

Josh Adams and Ty Johnson will return after showing promise with very limited sample sizes of opportunities near the end of the 2020 season. Seventh-year veteran Tevin Coleman followed Mike LaFleur over from San Francisco and signed a one-year contract.

The elephant in the room is La’Mical Perine, who was selected by Joe Douglas with the 120th overall pick in the fourth round of last year’s draft. With the additions of Carter and Coleman, coupled with the hot 2020 finishes by Adams and Johnson, many have begun to speculate whether Perine’s roster spot is in jeopardy.

Seemingly responding to the debates about his job security that were circulating around Twitter on Tuesday morning, Perine’s latest tweet appears to suggest that he is embracing his role as the slept-on underdog.

Perine is coming off of a somewhat disappointing rookie season. He was stashed behind Frank Gore throughout much of the year, getting only 64 carries over 10 games.

However, he produced little with the opportunities he did get, averaging only 3.6 yards per carry, which ranked 64th out of 76 running backs with at least 50 carries. Johnson (4.7 yards per carry) and Adams (5.4 yards per carry) were inserted into the lineup late in the season and ran the ball much more efficiently.

Jets X-Factor Membership

The running back competition is going to be one of the fiercest battles at Jets training camp, and Perine clearly appears ready to take it on with a massive chip on his shoulder.

Audio Version available to members only: Learn more here

Download Jet X Mobile on the App Store and Google Play.

Want More NY Jets News & Jets X-Factor Content?

Download the free Jet X Mobile App to get customizable notifications directly to your iOS (App Store) or Google/Android (Google Play) device.

Add Jets X-Factor to your Google News feed to stay up to date with the New York Jets.

Follow us on Twitter @jetsxfactor for all the latest New York Jets news, Facebook for even more, Instagram for some of the top NY Jets images, and YouTube for original Jets X-Factor videos.

Join the official Jets Discord community to connect with likeminded fans.

Michael Nania is one of the best analytical New York Jets minds in the world, combining his statistical expertise with game film to add proper context to the data. Nania scrapes every corner, ensuring you know all there is to know about everyone from the QB to the long snapper. Nania's Numbers, Nania's QB Grades, and Nania's All-22 give fans a deeper and more well-rounded dive into the Jets than anyone else can offer. Email: michael.nania[at]jetsxfactor.com - Twitter: @Michael_Nania
0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
1 Comment
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Dark Demonik
Dark Demonik
2 years ago

He is better than most of the RBs not name MC.. System fit or not im not giving up on Perine