Does Izzy Abanikanda Still Have Shot to Make Jets Roster?

[JetNation]

When the Jets drafted Pittsburgh running back Izzy Abanikanda in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL draft, many fans were understandably excited about adding one of college football’s most explosive players.  In his final year at Pitt, Abanikanda, with his 4.34 speed, averaged six yards per carry and scored a whopping 20 touchdowns on the ground.

After what was essentially a red shirt year as a rookie, the expectation was that Abanikanda would move up the depth chart and see some real playing time in 2024.

But when Gang Green decided to take Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen in the fourth round of this year’s draft, fans had to be wondering about Abanikanda’s spot on the depth chart.  Fast forward just two picks later, and it went from wondering if Abanikanda had not only been pushed down the depth chart, but off the roster.

Jets running back Israel Abanikanda was limited to just 70 yards on 22 carries as a rookie in 2023.

The Jets took running back Isaiah Davis out of South Dakota State which would give them a total of 3 backs taken over the course of the last two drafts.  Add to that the fact that they also carried Xazavian Vallady on their practice squad all of last year and then signed free agent Tarik Cohen and you’ve got a pretty crowded running back room.

So is there a way for Abanikanda to stick?  We think there is.

While Allen is a virtual lock to take over the backup running back duties, don’t be surprised if Davis’ primary role this season is on special teams.  Especially given his experience as a kick returner and the NFL’s new kick return rules which will call for two return men, at least of of which will require a bit more thump than in years past.

In fact, in an article that just dropped on nyjets.com (that you should definitely read here), in discussing Allen, the emphasis appears to be his ability to play a multitude of roles on special teams.  While this hardly sets the back’s fate in stone, it does suggest the team views him in that light early on.

And while Valladay is a physical back who we liked out of college, we think Abanikanda’s skill set is more in line with what the Jets will be looking to pair with starter Breece Hall and Allen.  And while Cohen was added after the draft, his last NFL game was back in 2020 with the Bears.  Hard to say at this point that he’ll be taking anyone’s job without seeing what he’s got left in the tank.

So while Abanikanda may have an uphill battle in hanging around, writing him off this early is a bit premature.

 

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[slats]

I think he’s a goner. If you’re gonna make the roster three or four deep on the RB depth chart, you need to produce on special teams. He might make it somewhere as a one cut runner, but his lack of versatility makes it a very uphill battle with the Jets. Allen’s already shown more as a receiver in one set of OTAs than Abanikanda showed all last season. 

[IntoTheGreen]

Yes.

[Bobby816]

He of course has a shot. But his best bet is likely to prove himself as a returner in TC. If he can make the roster as a returner, then he likely gets the 3rd RB spot on the active roster.

Issue is he has some competition as a returner. And some of those guys at there positions would get more playing time than a 3rd RB.

 

He pretty much IMO has to breakout n TC to be on the active roster.

[AFJF]

11 minutes ago, slats said:

I think he’s a goner. If you’re gonna make the roster three or four deep on the RB depth chart, you need to produce on special teams. He might make it somewhere as a one cut runner, but his lack of versatility makes it a very uphill battle with the Jets. Allen’s already shown more as a receiver in one set of OTAs than Abanikanda showed all last season. 

Carrying four could mean your top 3 and the 4th being a special teams player.  Davis can fill a variety of roles on ST and Izzy does have experience as a return guy.

[JiFtheOracle]

I think so.  The unfortunate part of this is, we should have seen a lot more Izzy last year to know what they've got but this stupid team wasted money and carries on sh*tty Dalvin Cook when 99% of the world (sans @Pac) knew he was disaster in the making and had Izzy inactive for the first 3 quarters of the season, basically.  The 1 game last season that Izzy was able to get any rhythm and had more then 3 carries was vs. Washington where had 9 carriers and averaged 4.78 ypc and IMO looked pretty solid.  Sure, it might not be much but I do think it provides Izzy w/ an advantage. 

There is a weird thing going on this offseason, I dont remember this happening in years past but apparently every single player the Jets drafted is good, ready to play day 1 and going to be big contributors, no matter what round they were taken or position they play.  It's an ironic draft to choose this angle because they literally didnt draft a single player who is going to be asked to start and/or play a significant amount of time unless injury occurs. 

I say all that to say, pump the brakes on every rookie coming and taking jobs.  It's not that easy.  For ****s sakes, Jets fans should understand this better than most because of all their draft woes over the years.  I wouldnt be surprised if Izzy was the first RB called to give Hall a spell in San Fran.  That's a hard spot to trust a player who's never played a down in the NFL.

[Jetsfan80]

1 hour ago, JustInFudge said:

I think so.  The unfortunate part of this is, we should have seen a lot more Izzy last year to know what they've got but this stupid team wasted money and carries on sh*tty Dalvin Cook when 99% of the world (sans @Pac) knew he was disaster in the making and had Izzy inactive for the first 3 quarters of the season, basically. 

I’ll always remember @Pac ripping on me 1 year ago for suggesting Dalvin Cook was no longer a top-20 back.  

When’s that guy ever gonna be right about something?  Hopefully the Rodgers revenge tour thing?

[Warfish]

He has a shot. But he also faces a crowed RB room full of competition. May the best guys playing the best win.

[Dcat]

45 minutes ago, Jetsfan80 said:

I’ll always remember @Pac ripping on me 1 year ago for suggesting Dalvin Cook was no longer a top-20 back.  

When’s that guy ever gonna be right about something?  Hopefully the Rodgers revenge tour thing?

And I will always remember sitting in the training camp stands at Florham Park, hearing the training camp crowd cheering wildly after Cook was signed and present in street clothes.  While they were cheering and chanting "dalvin Cook", a handful of us were looking at each other in bewilderment at the idiots cheering for this washed player.  One guy put his finger in his mouth and pretended to heave when the crowd went happy crazy for Cook.  

Jets fans , for the most part, are stupid.

[LockeJET]

Gone

[BigRy56]

Feels like the answer is no here. The Jets are clearly transitioning to a power run football team this season and I don’t know if Izzy fits that mold. I think he’ll be a practice squad guy and get a shot maybe if injuries hit 

[slimjasi]

He has to have a big camp/preseason or he’s gone. 
 

The Jets drafting BOTH Allen and Davis was telling 

[GangGreened]

Writing is on the wall, he’s likely getting cut

[ARodJetsFan]

You would think a RB with 4.34 speed (Izzy) would be a big play waiting to happen.

From the games I've seen him play in, Iggy doesn't look like a RB with 4.34 speed - he seems to run very tentatively.

He was limited to 70 yards on 22 carries as a rookie in 2023, which works out to a 3.18 yd per carry average.

Now I know 22 carries is not a very big sampling, but an effective NFL RB should be hitting at least 4 yds per carry.

Case in point, Breece Hall averaged 4.5 yds per carry last season behind that same, bad O-line, coming off of a season ending injury the year before.

I know the O-line was bad, but with 4.34 speed and any kind of vision at all, you should be able to make some guys miss, or break a tackle or two and manage to rip off some big runs.

He hasn't been cut yet, so he has a shot.

We'll see what he does when training camp starts.

 

[slats]

9 hours ago, AFJF said:

Carrying four could mean your top 3 and the 4th being a special teams player.  Davis can fill a variety of roles on ST and Izzy does have experience as a return guy.

Carrying four would be a lot. Is Abanikanda more worthy of a slot than Bawden? Does he bring more to the table as a runner than Davis, who you expect to play a lot of STs? Like I said, I think it’s an uphill battle for him. He’s not a receiving back, and he doesn’t contribute on specials. Breece is gonna be the bell cow, and Allen looks like he’s gonna pick up the scraps. They made moves this offseason that signal a shift to a power running game and more of a physical offense overall, and I’m not sure where he fits. 

I absolutely hated the Cook signing last year, but that only happened after they got a long look at Abanikanda and decided he wasn’t backup material. They dumped Cook last year and this year drafted two more backs. I don’t think they’re too impressed with him. 

[#27TheDominator]

2 hours ago, slats said:

Carrying four would be a lot. Is Abanikanda more worthy of a slot than Bawden? Does he bring more to the table as a runner than Davis, who you expect to play a lot of STs? Like I said, I think it’s an uphill battle for him. He’s not a receiving back, and he doesn’t contribute on specials. Breece is gonna be the bell cow, and Allen looks like he’s gonna pick up the scraps. They made moves this offseason that signal a shift to a power running game and more of a physical offense overall, and I’m not sure where he fits. 

I absolutely hated the Cook signing last year, but that only happened after they got a long look at Abanikanda and decided he wasn’t backup material. They dumped Cook last year and this year drafted two more backs. I don’t think they’re too impressed with him. 

Last year on October 1st they were carrying Hall, Carter, Cook, Abanikanda and Bawden.  They signed Cook on August 16th, but supposedly offered him that deal two weeks prior which would have literally been at the start of camp.  Abanikanda looked good in the preseason had over 100 yards and a TD.  I think they had him back on some kickoffs but the new rule probably makes that meaningless. 

Things don't look great for the kid, but it's not like he has no shot.

[Untouchable]

He better start blowing people away in the return game if he’s going to.

And even then they might opt to go with a guy like Cohen as the 4th RB on the roster.

[AFJF]

2 hours ago, slats said:

Carrying four would be a lot. Is Abanikanda more worthy of a slot than Bawden? Does he bring more to the table as a runner than Davis, who you expect to play a lot of STs? Like I said, I think it’s an uphill battle for him. He’s not a receiving back, and he doesn’t contribute on specials. Breece is gonna be the bell cow, and Allen looks like he’s gonna pick up the scraps. They made moves this offseason that signal a shift to a power running game and more of a physical offense overall, and I’m not sure where he fits. 

I absolutely hated the Cook signing last year, but that only happened after they got a long look at Abanikanda and decided he wasn’t backup material. They dumped Cook last year and this year drafted two more backs. I don’t think they’re too impressed with him. 

They should be letting Bawden go and give the FB reps to Ruckert who would be a significant upgrade.

[TuscanyTile2]

No

[Doggin94it]

12 hours ago, slats said:

I think he’s a goner. If you’re gonna make the roster three or four deep on the RB depth chart, you need to produce on special teams. He might make it somewhere as a one cut runner, but his lack of versatility makes it a very uphill battle with the Jets. Allen’s already shown more as a receiver in one set of OTAs than Abanikanda showed all last season. 

He's not necessarily a goner, but he'll have to do something serious in camp to not be

[TuscanyTile2]

If he can't learn to block, he might have to learn to code.

[jetsrule128]

Practice squad 

[UntouchableCrew]

You get the vibe the coaching staff thinks he’s a dog — not sure if he’s dumb or lazy or what the deal is but their offseason certainly seemed to resemble that of a team looking to upgrade their RB depth.

[slats]

10 hours ago, #27TheDominator said:

Last year on October 1st they were carrying Hall, Carter, Cook, Abanikanda and Bawden.  They signed Cook on August 16th, but supposedly offered him that deal two weeks prior which would have literally been at the start of camp.  Abanikanda looked good in the preseason had over 100 yards and a TD.  I think they had him back on some kickoffs but the new rule probably makes that meaningless. 

Things don't look great for the kid, but it's not like he has no shot.

Again, didn’t say no shot, just said an uphill battle. Last year, he was their newly drafted, potential filled RB, and he was fourth on the depth chart until they dumped Carter and Cook. After a full season on the team, the Jets -in a draft they seemed to have little interest in after round three- added two more new RBs with potential, one of whom seems to already be clearly ahead of him on the depth chart. I think Abanikanda’s potential as a returner or receiver is somewhat limited by his Fashanu-sized hands. He hasn’t shown anything in either role. He needs to excel as a runner this summer; demonstrate that he should be the speed back behind Breece. That’s his shot. 

10 hours ago, AFJF said:

They should be letting Bawden go and give the FB reps to Ruckert who would be a significant upgrade.

Bawden’s superpower is that he’s a core special teamer. Only three guys on the team played more than his 61% of ST snaps, and he’ll probably be counted on there with the new KOR rules. 
 
I’m rooting for Ruckert to show us something. He should be getting the H-back reps in two TE sets this year (at a minimum), and that’s if he can hold off Yeboah. Long term, my stated preference would be to work Allen at FB some because I like the idea of him and Breece in the backfield together. 

[JiFtheOracle]

13 hours ago, slats said:

Carrying four would be a lot. Is Abanikanda more worthy of a slot than Bawden? Does he bring more to the table as a runner than Davis, who you expect to play a lot of STs? Like I said, I think it’s an uphill battle for him. He’s not a receiving back, and he doesn’t contribute on specials. Breece is gonna be the bell cow, and Allen looks like he’s gonna pick up the scraps. They made moves this offseason that signal a shift to a power running game and more of a physical offense overall, and I’m not sure where he fits. 

I absolutely hated the Cook signing last year, but that only happened after they got a long look at Abanikanda and decided he wasn’t backup material. They dumped Cook last year and this year drafted two more backs. I don’t think they’re too impressed with him. 

A long look at Izzy?  In training camp?  They loved him in preseason before he got hurt in the game.  I dont think the Cook signing had anything to do w/ their opinion on Izzy.  After an actual long look at him, they cut Bam, traded Carter and then eventually cut Cook.  

Again, we're doing this weird thing where every signing and every draft pick sends some type of message to someone and is about to take someone jobs and yet, that's not how sh*t works.  Yes, obviously they're going to have to make roster decisions but it's not always that cut and dry.   It's not like Allen was a significantly better prospect.  If you compared Allen vs. Izzy in college, Izzy's final year in college, was significantly better; 

1400 yards, 20 TD's, 6 ypc. vs. 900 yards, 12 TDs, 5 ypc.  And both did very little in the passing game in college.  48 catches vs. 39.  Izzy was also a kick returner in college ( returned a few last year) and Allen doesnt contribute on ST's, or at least didnt in college.  And in the only game where the Jets gave Izzy more than 3 carries last year, he averaged 4.75 ypc. 

Ready for this hot take.  It's entirely possible, Izzy is better than Allen.  And possibly, significantly better.  gasps! 

 

 

[slats]

41 minutes ago, JustInFudge said:

Ready for this hot take.  It's entirely possible, Izzy is better than Allen.  And possibly, significantly better.  gasps! 

Do you remember? I’m not bothering to look it up but it seems to me that Abanikanda was non-existent in this year’s OTAs, while Allen was being anointed as the new #2. Was he out because he was hurt, or just not making an impression? 

I do think draft picks will tend to reflect perceived needs, though. Their other late picks were CB and QB, which were probably more with an eye towards the future than the RBs who tend to excel out of the box. We’ll see what happens, I continue to think Izzy is going to need to prove himself this summer to win a spot, otherwise they’ll hand it to the new draft pick with potential - especially if that guy can play specials. 

[JiFtheOracle]

1 hour ago, slats said:

Do you remember? I’m not bothering to look it up but it seems to me that Abanikanda was non-existent in this year’s OTAs, while Allen was being anointed as the new #2. Was he out because he was hurt, or just not making an impression? 

I do think draft picks will tend to reflect perceived needs, though. Their other late picks were CB and QB, which were probably more with an eye towards the future than the RBs who tend to excel out of the box. We’ll see what happens, I continue to think Izzy is going to need to prove himself this summer to win a spot, otherwise they’ll hand it to the new draft pick with potential - especially if that guy can play specials. 

He wasnt non-existent, he was splitting reps w/ the rookies while Hall was sidelined.  Naturally, reporters want to share news about the new faces and rookies, so you werent hearing updates on him but he's been out there this entire time.

The Jets had Hall, Izzy and some practice squad level dudes on the roster.  RB was a need simply for depth.  If Allen beats out Izzy, great!  I couldnt care less, let he best player rise to the top but they needed a RB whether they have a high opinion of Izzy or not.

I think the fact Izzy has 4.3 speed w/  return experience that no other RB on the roster has, is also an advantage in addition to the fact he's actually played on Sundays.

None of this means he's making the roster but Allen presence, really has nothing to do w/ that prospect. 

[slats]

9 minutes ago, JustInFudge said:

He wasnt non-existent, he was splitting reps w/ the rookies while Hall was sidelined.  Naturally, reporters want to share news about the new faces and rookies, so you werent hearing updates on him but he's been out there this entire time.

The Jets had Hall, Izzy and some practice squad level dudes on the roster.  RB was a need simply for depth.  If Allen beats out Izzy, great!  I couldnt care less, let he best player rise to the top but they needed a RB whether they have a high opinion of Izzy or not.

I think the fact Izzy has 4.3 speed w/  return experience that no other RB on the roster has, is also an advantage in addition to the fact he's actually played on Sundays.

None of this means he's making the roster but Allen presence, really has nothing to do w/ that prospect. 

Honestly, we’re basically in agreement. This is just my opinion in July. I’m always up for anyone and everyone on the Jets to step up and prove their worth. 
 
But Allen looks like the clear backup right now 😉

[#27TheDominator]

I think the real issue is that everybody sees them signing bigger backs with "patience" and the bigger more mauler style OL as an indication they are going to more man blocking and power running.  Abanikanda seems to better fit the zone turn it up the field and jet style they have been running the past few years.  Is this a real change or not?  I guess we will see, but there is still room for everybody.  These guys are competing with the Chazz Surratt. Irv Charles, JBC, and Sam Eguavoen's of the world as much as each other.

[CTJetsFan]

21 hours ago, ARodJetsFan said:

You would think a RB with 4.34 speed (Izzy) would be a big play waiting to happen.

From the games I've seen him play in, Iggy doesn't look like a RB with 4.34 speed - he seems to run very tentatively.

He was limited to 70 yards on 22 carries as a rookie in 2023, which works out to a 3.18 yd per carry average.

Now I know 22 carries is not a very big sampling, but an effective NFL RB should be hitting at least 4 yds per carry.

Case in point, Breece Hall averaged 4.5 yds per carry last season behind that same, bad O-line, coming off of a season ending injury the year before.

I know the O-line was bad, but with 4.34 speed and any kind of vision at all, you should be able to make some guys miss, or break a tackle or two and manage to rip off some big runs.

He hasn't been cut yet, so he has a shot.

We'll see what he does when training camp starts.

 

That's why there is a difference between track speed (combine/pro days) vs game speed.

[#27TheDominator]

21 hours ago, ARodJetsFan said:

You would think a RB with 4.34 speed (Izzy) would be a big play waiting to happen.

From the games I've seen him play in, Iggy doesn't look like a RB with 4.34 speed - he seems to run very tentatively.

He was limited to 70 yards on 22 carries as a rookie in 2023, which works out to a 3.18 yd per carry average.

Now I know 22 carries is not a very big sampling, but an effective NFL RB should be hitting at least 4 yds per carry.

Case in point, Breece Hall averaged 4.5 yds per carry last season behind that same, bad O-line, coming off of a season ending injury the year before.

I know the O-line was bad, but with 4.34 speed and any kind of vision at all, you should be able to make some guys miss, or break a tackle or two and manage to rip off some big runs.

He hasn't been cut yet, so he has a shot.

We'll see what he does when training camp starts.

 

Running tentatively is literally the last thing that indicates that a guy is not fast.  What makes a guy slow is when they turn on the Jets and can't run away from anyone.  Think La'Mical Perine.  Being tentative is generally part of being a rookie.  Not knowing your assignment and thinking. IIRC, he had some pretty good rips in the preseason.  His first TD was literally a 10 yard sprint to the pylon where he beat the Browns D.  He had that long run with the spin move against the Panthers which is where I think he got hurt.

Big play guys don't have great ypc in the plays that aren't "big plays."  They drafted him to be a splash player and he wasn't during the season, but he was a rookie and he showed a solid amount of splash in the preseason.

15 minutes ago, CTJetsFan said:

That's why there is a difference between track speed (combine/pro days) vs game speed.

So your take is that Abanikanda is track fast, but not football fast?  Maybe explain how he got 20 TDs his last season at Pitt when his speed doesn't correlate? 

He may not end up being any good and being tentative can be a problem, but it sure as sh*t is not going to be because his speed doesn't translate to on the field in pads.

[ARodJetsFan]

1 hour ago, #27TheDominator said:

Big play guys don't have great ypc in the plays that aren't "big plays."  They drafted him to be a splash player and he wasn't during the season, but he was a rookie and he showed a solid amount of splash in the preseason.

 

It's hard to put a lot of stock in pre-season performances, when 75% of the time you're playing against 2nd & 3rd string defenses.

I'm not completely writing him off - but I'm not sold on him either.

[peebag]

It's tough to judge the offensive roster when you don't have anything comparable to a NFL QB behind center.

Please Mr. Rodgers, stay healthy.

[#27TheDominator]

19 minutes ago, ARodJetsFan said:

It's hard to put a lot of stock in pre-season performances, when 75% of the time you're playing against 2nd & 3rd string defenses.

I'm not completely writing him off - but I'm not sold on him either.

My point isn't that you should put stock in him or expect him to be great because #preseason.  It is that his speed showed itself.  Those 2nd and 3rd stringers may not be as good, may be more likely to be out of position, but they are certainly very fast.  Speed is not the most important thing.  If it were, Javelin Guidry, Terrell Sinkfield and Saalim Hakim would be on the Jets Mount Rushmore.

[ARodJetsFan]

1 hour ago, #27TheDominator said:

My point isn't that you should put stock in him or expect him to be great because #preseason.  It is that his speed showed itself.  Those 2nd and 3rd stringers may not be as good, may be more likely to be out of position, but they are certainly very fast.  Speed is not the most important thing.  If it were, Javelin Guidry, Terrell Sinkfield and Saalim Hakim would be on the Jets Mount Rushmore.

You're right, speed isn't the MOST important thing for a RB, but it's definitely a top 3 quality you'd look for in a RB, IMHO.

That said, I think vision is the most important thing, being able to read blocks and hit holes with authority and sorry, but I haven't seen that from Izzy either, hence my remark about him running tentatively.

Yes, he was just a rookie last season & maybe he'll put it altogether this camp - but I'm not holding my breath.