Zac Stacy Gets His Wish Adding to a Successful New York Jets Offseason
Ask and you shall receive. Running back Zac Stacy made a formal trade request with the St. Louis Rams less than 24 hours after the team drafted Todd Gurley, the powerful running back out of the University of Georgia. In a simple tweet that was eventually taken down by the former Vanderbilt star, his frustrations were obvious.
After being benched in favor of Tre Mason later in the 2014 season, Stacy must have noticed the writing on the wall.
Apparently the Rams were more than happy to grant Stacy his wish. Yesterday St. Louis agreed to send Zac Stacy to the New York Jets for a seventh-round pick. The third-year running back joins yet another crowded backfield situation. There is not a high profile draft selection amongst the Jets group of ball-carriers. Stacy stands a good chance of making the roster, perhaps as the starter.
The New York Jets’ roster is not filled with a cavalcade of rushing stars.
Free agent Stevan Ridley might be the best of the bunch. His best season came in 2012 with the New England Patriots, the only franchise he has played on. In that year he rushed for 1,263 yards and had 12 touchdowns. Ridley is coming off of an ACL tear. He will have plenty to prove when he finally resumes playing football.
Jets now have crowded backfield: Zac Stacy, Chris Ivory, Bilal Powell, Stevan Ridley.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 2, 2015
The other backs are young, unproven veterans Bilal Powell and Chris Ivory.
Zac Stacy has a chance to take the ball in NFL Training camp and never look back.
His bruising style fits the offensive scheme that the Jets are looking for. Stacy has the knack for getting tough yards; what failed him in St. Louis was his dismal 3.9 yards per carry. Much of the blame can be placed on the offensive line of the Rams. Nevertheless, Zac Stacy is more of a north and south runner than he is an east and west runner.
His addition to the Jets is yet another piece to their offseason puzzle. It has been a great past few months for them. They fired head coach Rex Ryan and replaced him with Todd Bowles. That was followed by the trade for wide receiver Brandon Marshall and the reunion with Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie.
In the draft the Jets did not outsmart themselves when they selected Leonard Williams, the highest regarded player in the NFL Draft with the sixth pick. They did it while needing a running back to help usher in the Todd Bowles era.
In Zac Stacy, they now have that back. He will help make life easier for everyone involved with bringing him to New York. Just a couple of days ago Stacy wondered aloud about his future with the St. Louis Rams. It is simply a story of one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
[Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images Sport]
