Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
The Jacksonville Jaguars recently worked out former Arizona Cardinals running back Beanie Wells. While there were no reports of him signing with the team, it would not be unreasonable to see Wells as a member of the Jaguars in 2013.
The Jaguars could use another player to serve as an insurance policy behind Maurice Jones-Drew, who is in the process of coming back from an injury he suffered during the 2012 NFL season. Justin Forsett is currently the reserve behind Jones-Drew, along with the transitioning Denard Robinson.
Teams can never have enough quality running backs, and Wells has shown impressive flashes when he has been able to remain healthy. Dating back to his days at Ohio State, the knock on Wells has been his inability to stay healthy throughout the course of an entire season. With their star running back already dealing with his own injury issues, some may not see it as a smart move to bring an injury-prone player into the backfield situation.
However, if the Jaguars can sign Wells for a relatively affordable price, they could end up with a “diamond in the rough” type of free agent.
The former first-round pick is still in the early stages of his career, and if he can find some way to combat his injury issues, he can revitalize his career. While he may have to play a complementary role to Jones-Drew, he could still carve out enough opportunities for himself.
If Wells signs with the Jaguars, he could create a formidable running attack with Jones-Drew and make the Jaguars’ offense much more dynamic and productive.
