The New York Jets acquired Stevan Ridley to hopefully anchor their run game in 2015. The Jets had been struggling on the ground over the past few seasons. They released Chris Johnson and held on to Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell, but they are not enough. Ridley signed on with the potential to be a starter for the team, but his knee injury might not allow it.
Ridley is currently nursing his way back from reconstructive knee surgery after tearing his ACL and MCL against the Buffalo Bills in October. He has yet to be seen in OTAs or mini camp as the Jets are hopeful he can debut at training camp. However, Ridley is making it clear that he cannot predict what will happen to his knee so he does not want people getting their hopes up.
"I really can't predict the future, man," Ridley said, via the New Jersey Star Ledger. "I just know that, for me, I've got to be ready for Week 1. That's the goal right now. I'm not going to set myself up for any false hope or say that I'm going to do something that I'm not. What I will say is I'm working hard. I've just got to make sure that I'm 100 percent healthy, and that when I do hit the field, I'm making an impact."
Ridley stressed that he is getting healthy, but is taking recovery slowly. The Jets have offered up no timetable for his return which means there is a battle for the starting spot between Ivory, Powell and Zac Stacy who was acquired in a trade. When Ridley comes back he might not be the guaranteed starter any more.
There is also a small battle taking place at the wide receiver spot. Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker are guaranteed starters, but Jeremy Kerley and rookie Devin Smith are also competing. Marshall has been getting in as much work as possible with quarterback Geno Smith. The two began training together almost immediately after Marshall was traded and the wide receiver made it clear that he went to the Jets because he believed in Smith as a quarterback.
"I was really shocked at the intelligence, how smart he was," Marshall said, via Judy Battista of NFL Media. "I had known him as a player from afar. I didn't know his football IQ was so high. He had crazy passion. When I talked to him, I fell in love with the conversation."
Marshall has been very outspoken in how much he believes in Smith. The quarterback is entering training camp at the top of the depth chart, but is not guaranteed the starting spot. Ryan Fitzpatrick and Bryce Petty are also currently battling to see field time.
