JETS: CRACK IN THE BELL

Brass divided on Le’Veon

The Jets desperately need personnel upgrades to lift them out of irrelevance in 2019 and beyond, but they aren’t sold on the biggest fish in the free agency pool.

The Daily News has learned that Gang Green is divided on prized free-agent running back Le’Veon Bell. Frankly, some folks on One Jets Drive don’t believe that A) He’s worth the anticipated price tag and/or B) He’s worth the risk given his mileage and mercurialness.

There’s a general feeling in the building that Bell is worth pursuing only to a certain point. In other words, the Jets do not want to break the bank and fork over what Bell evidently wants: $15-16 million per year.

There’s an overriding sense that Jets decision makers won’t be heartbroken if they don’t land Bell, who sat out last season in Pittsburgh rather than play on a $14.54 million franchise tag. Some people in the organization would like to toe the right side of the line between aggressiveness and recklessness. Others don’t see any need to pay those kinds of big bucks at all for a running back in this offense.

The Jets are fully aware that they need to fill plenty of holes and make plenty of upgrades to a subpar roster. They don’t think it makes sense to allot so much cash for a 27-year-old running back with a lot of mileage on his body.

The Jets also do not want to be used as leverage for Bell to cash in somewhere else. There are still some important people in the building who firmly believe they were used during the Kirk Cousins negotiations last year. They don’t want a repeat of that with Bell.

There’s little denying that Bell would inject life into the Jets offense. I’ve repeatedly said that Bell could do for Sam Darnold what Todd Gurley has done for Jared Goff.

However, his 1,635 career touches in 66 games is a concern for some people in the organization. They also don’t see the wisdom in investing so much loot in a person who largely remains a mystery. It would be a different story if Bell were a home-grown player brought up in their organization.

Although the Jets have been pleasantly surprised after researching Bell, there’s a faction in the building that just doesn’t believe Adam Gase’s offense requires a star player at that position. A review of Gase’s history supports that notion.

Regardless, the Jets will be in the mix for Bell. It would be surprising if they broke the bank for him. If that happens, you know Gang Green panicked to make the splashy signing.

There are other running back options. I believe Falcons running back Tevin Coleman would be a solid Plan B, but there’s a sense on One Jets Drive that Coleman, who is slightly younger with considerably more tread left on his tires than Bell, is an overrated player who will get overpaid.

The Jets view Coleman as a player with a limited skillset as an outside-zone runner and decent – but not special – passcatching ability.

Frankly, he would still be an upgrade in the backfield. I think that he would be a good signing depending on the price tag.

Regardless, Bell will dominate the headlines. Some people on One Jets Drive believe the dual-threat difference maker is headed for Baltimore. The NFL Network tossed the Raiders into the mix.

The Jets would be smart to make an aggressive play for him. But it’s clear that they won’t shed a tear if he goes elsewhere.