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Jets Add Running Back Matt Forte
The Jets moved swiftly to find a new starting running back, agreeing to a contract with Matt Forte, who spent the last eight seasons with Chicago. Forte ranks among the league’s most durable and versatile backs, and both attributes appealed to the Jets, who snagged him after losing Chris Ivory to Jacksonville.
Forte, 30, has missed only eight games across his eight-year career — including three because of a sprained knee last season, when he rushed for 898 yards — and he has caught the most passes by a running back, 487, since his rookie year of 2008, according to Pro Football Reference.
Over that same span, only two players — Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson — have more rushing attempts than Forte, whose age and workload increase the likelihood that the Jets will complement him by adding another back or two. They want to retain Bilal Powell, who became a free agent Wednesday.
The Jets also saved a combined $3.2 million in salary-cap space by informing two players who were marginalized in Chan Gailey’s offense last season — tight end Jeff Cumberland and Jeremy Kerley, a receiver and punt returner — that they would be released.
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