Before coming to Cincinnati, BenJarvus Green-Ellis spent four years in New England. Over the course of Green-Ellis’s final two season in New England, Green-Ellis started all 16 games. Furthermore, in his final season in New England, he saw a major dip in raw production. Green-Ellis’s two seasons in Cincinnati have been similar to his final two years in New England. Green-Ellis’s first year in Cincinnati was a year in which he was an average running back that took a bulk of the carries. In his second season (2013), Green-Ellis split carries with rookie Giovani Bernard and once again saw a dip in raw production. So, what was the reasoning behind the dip in production this time around?
Green-Ellis’s role was predictable. When Green-Ellis was on the field, it was clear that Cincinnati was either running between the tackles or throwing the ball to someone other than the running back. Due to the predictability, defenses had to do less thinking, which in turn allowed them to more easily defend. On the other hand, when Bernard was on the field, it was a mystery as to what the offense was about to do. Bernard could run successfully from any concept, as well as be a lethal receiving option. If defenses got too prepared for Bernard to run, a simple swing pass could go for 20 yards with ease, and vice-versa. Then again, the reason Cincinnati is predictable with Green-Ellis on the field but not with Bernard is because of Green-Ellis’s skill set.
Large, clunky runners typically do not find much success when running in space and Green-Ellis is no exception. He does not have the speed to break away, nor does he have the agility to shake defenders. Green-Ellis is solely a downhill runner. His size and adequate power make him a solid producer between the tackles, but at the same time, it limits him. Also, his skill set makes him an ideal short yardage runner, but in 2013, he got fewer “normal” carries to balance it out. Granted, the amount of short yardage carries is only a small fraction of his total carries and should not be the main reason for Green-Ellis to drop a half of a yard on his “yards per carry” average.
To make things worse for Green-Ellis, the Bengals spent another second round pick on a running back in 2014. Even more concerning is that said running back, Jeremy Hill, is also a large, clunky runner that thrives in short yardage situations. Seeing that Hill has taken much less physical abuse at this point in his career, he moves a bit better than Green-Ellis does. Considering he is younger, a bit more athletic, and was selected with a valuable second round pick, it is likely that Hill takes carries from Green-Ellis.
Even if Cincinnati wanted to keep him as a depth player, he is earning almost $2 million more per year than Rex Burkhead, who is a solid depth running back. It is not far-fetched to think that Green-Ellis may not even make the team. Then again, if Green-Ellis were to be cut before his contract expires in 2015, there would be a $700 thousand dollar dead money penalty. The decision between Burkhead and Green-Ellis could go either way. Although, it is more likely that Cincinnati favors the youth movement and give Green-Ellis the boot.