Training camp is around the corner, and former Philadelphia Eagles running back Jay Ajayi is still teamless.
Last season, the Philadelphia Eagles backfield was amongst one of the worst units in the NFL. Talent-wise, they weren’t as bad as the numbers shown. But injuries to some of their top guys made it difficult to rely on the backfield for help on the offense.
It was strange seeing how bad the group of running backs did just one year after being a top-three backfield in the NFL. The trio of LeGarrette Blount, Jay Ajayi, and Corey Clement seemed strange at first, but the results were quite exciting. Losing Blount wasn’t ideal, but the promise shown by Ajayi and Clement in 2017 made us feel at ease about the 2018 unit — but that didn’t last long.
Jay Ajayi was going into the 2018 NFL season expecting to be a feature back. Although the Eagles tried to stick to the course of utilizing another committee, they were just better off with giving Ajayi a good chunk of the workload. Unfortunately, a season-ending injury put a stop to Ajayi’s comeback to being a bell-cow back like he was once with the Miami Dolphins.
The timing couldn’t have been worse for his injury. As Ajayi was playing in his first contract year, his value plummeted ahead of the 2019 free agency period. The Eagles were already aware of Ajayi’s previous knee concerns, so when he tore his ACL, the chances of his return became more and more unlikely. And at this point in the offseason, it’s unclear if Ajayi will even get a chance to play in the NFL again as he’s still searching for his next opportunity.
What’s the latest?
A few months ago, Ajayi was holding out hope for getting back to the Eagles, despite nursing a torn ACL. Once they made the trade for Jordan Howard though, Ajayi chucked up the peace sign to Philly, assuming his time in the City of Brotherly love was surely done. While there was still a slight chance he could return, the Eagles made it clear that they were moving on after drafting Penn State running back Miles Sanders in the second round of the draft.
Since the Eagles found two replacements, Ajayi hasn’t had much action. His only reported offseason visit was to the Indinapolis Colts, where he could’ve reunited with his former offensive coordinator, Frank Reich. The meeting came and went, and Ajayi left Indianapolis without a deal. Clearly, they aren’t all that interested in his services for next season.
So where could Ajayi end up? Well, according to Bleacher Report writer Brent Sobleski, he is predicting that the Los Angeles Rams could scoop up Ajayi at some point in the offseason. Given that Todd Gurley’s knee is apparently causing him issues, the Rams’ backfield could be dealing with some similar problems as the Eagles backfield did just last year. And if Gurley needs to miss time, Ajayi could serve as the complement to LA’s two youngsters, Malcolm Brown and Darrell Henderson, putting him right back on one of the NFC’s hottest teams.