When Bilal Powell first hurt his neck during the 2018 season, there was worry that the injury could be career-ending. Fortunately, that’s not the case. The free agent running back is good to go for another campaign.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Powell was physically cleared to resume his playing career. The longtime Jet is “really looking forward to getting back to work.”
Powell, 30, played in seven games last season before going down with the neck injury against the Vikings. He had 343 rushing yards (4.3 yards per rush) to go with 110 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Powell was the longest-tenured player on the Jets’ roster, as he spent his entire eight-year career in New York prior to the injury. For his career, Powell has rushed for 3,446 yards and 15 touchdowns and also has 1,567 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns.
The Jets have likely moved on from Powell with the signings of Le’Veon Bell and Ty Montgomery. Given Powell’s age and the scary injury, it’s hard to blame the Jets for looking for an upgrade despite what Powell has done in his career.
But now that he has been cleared, at least one team should take a flier on him. Powell has proved he is a serviceable back in this league and it’s never a bad thing to have a running back who can line up as a wide receiver as well.
