The Jets’ running backs have heard the chatter for weeks.
The team’s flirtation with Dalvin Cook was very public when he came to Florham Park to visit.
There has been a clamoring from Jets fans to sign Cook as insurance as Breece Hall recovers from his ACL injury.
But on Saturday, in their preseason game against the Panthers, the current Jets running backs showed the team might not need Cook.
The Jets combined to rush for 141 yards and their backs caught nine passes.
That should make general manager Joe Douglas think twice about signing Cook.
The current Jets backs stated their case.
“We ignore it. Talk is cheap,” running back Michael Carter said. “Dalvin’s a great player. Dalvin’s probably one of the best college football running backs of all time [at Florida State], in my opinion growing up in north Florida. He’s a really good player.
“At the same time, we feel like we’re great players, too. We’re just young in our careers. We’re all chasing greatness in terms of team and personal goals. Nothing but respect for [Cook], but we’re not really focused on that. We’re just trying to get better and grind.”
Carter is the most intriguing of the Jets backs.
He had a strong rookie season in 2021 but dropped off last year. Carter has spoken about how difficult last year was.
Hall emerged as the team’s lead back and then when Hall tore his ACL in Week 7, the Jets traded for James Robinson rather than allowing Carter to carry the load.
Carter looks like he has regained the form he showed as a rookie when tacklers struggled to bring him down.
Carter averaged 4.8 yards per carry Saturday and caught two passes for 34 yards.
“As for Michael, he feels like he’s damn near back,” coach Robert Saleh said. “I know he was frustrated from his second season, but one thing you can count on with him is to make the first guy miss and just churn out those 4-, 5- and 6-yard runs.
“I thought he did a really nice job of making the first guy miss today and looking like who he is.”
In the locker room after the 27-0 win Saturday, Carter said he felt good going into last season, too, but acknowledged it is different this year.
“Everything is different,” Carter said. “This year I feel better than both of those years. I appreciate coach saying that. Everyone’s got their own opinions, but I appreciate it. I feel good.”
The Jets’ offense is going to revolve around new quarterback Aaron Rodgers, of course, but the running game will be critical.
The Jets brought Nathaniel Hackett in as offensive coordinator and pointed to his success in the running game in Jacksonville when he was the coordinator.
The Jets can’t just rely on Rodgers.
“When you can fall forward and make something out of nothing and keep yourselves ahead of the sticks, it starts with the offensive line and the run game — you’re going to give yourself a chance to possess the ball which I feel like we did in the first half and the second half,” Saleh said.
Rodgers did not play in the preseason game in Carolina, leaving Zach Wilson to start at quarterback.
Wilson threw frequently to the running backs and you could see how big of an element screens could be for the Jets.
“Running game helped set up some screens, some keepers, which obviously did really well for us,” Wilson said. “Hats off to those guys up front for taking that challenge. I think that was the challenge for them because joint practices maybe didn’t go as well as we wanted up front.
“The message was to go out there and give it all you got. The big guys up front, I think they did an awesome job. We ran the ball efficiently with the first group and the second group.”
