It didn’t take long after the Jets took running back Bilal Powell was drafted in the fourth round for the speculation to start in New York. Was LaDainian Tomlinson’s place on the team safe?
Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News tells everyone to relax. Mehta reports the Jets will have Tomlinson on the roster in 2011.
“You can’t have enough good backs,” G.M. Mike Tannenbaum said. “That’s been the foundation since Rex (Ryan) has been here: ground and pound. In my mind, it was a position of strength and we made it better.”
Four of Ryan’s first 10 picks since he took over in New York have been at running back. With Joe McKnight and Shonn Greene already in place, Powell is a luxury that may not get much use until 2012. By then, Tomlinson will surely be gone.
One Jet we don’t expect to see back: Brad Smith. Taking TCU wideout Jeremy Kerley should mean the end of Smith’s underrated run with the team.