The NFL playoffs are rolling along, but for 28 teams the offseason is underway. One of those teams, the New York Jets, has revamped its leadership and already has a big name considering a new home.
Soon-to-be free agent running back C.J. Spiller, who has spent the past two seasons platooning with Fred Jackson in Buffalo, has made it known that he'd like a reunion with former coach Chan Gailey, New York's new offensive coordinator.
"There is that familiarity between me and him in that offense," Spiller said. "So that would be a perfect match. Who knows what can happen, but I'd be foolish not to have those guys on my list. I had my best years in the league with Chan. So it'd be dumb not to give it serious thought."
Spiller had an explosive 2012 season but has since been limited by injury and workload. The Bills are well-stocked at the position right now, so it's likely he'll part ways with them. While the Jets offer an appealing situation, there may be other suitors that could use him as well. Here are three potential spots where Spiller may explode.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys aren't likely to keep both DeMarco Murray, the 2014 leading rusher, and wide receiver Dez Bryant this offseason. Because of the heavy workload Murray had this year and the generally rapid attrition of running backs these days Murray probably will be the one who hits the road.
Dallas' offensive line will remain intact, however, and that could mean a return to prominence for Spiller. Two years ago he was chewing up six yards per carry, and his explosiveness is still there. Given the holes that Murray was running through this season, Spiller's speed may allow for highlight-reel touchdowns from long-range.
Tennessee Titans
The Titans are a squad lacking in consistent playmakers, and their offensive line would be a nice one for Spiller to run behind. The Titans were middle of the pack in short yardage situations on third and fourth down, but Top 5 in "Stuffed Rank" per FootballOutsiders.com, which is a metric that measures how often running backs are hit in the backfield.
The Titans' rankings in second-level and open field yardage are low, but that could be due to their plodding RB tandem of Shonn Greene and rookie Bishop Sankey. Allowing Spiller to hit holes and make things happen could change their fortunes drastically.
Indianapolis Colts
Andrew Luck has proven that he can lead the Colts to great heights without a great running game, but why not give the man a running game? Ahmad Bradshaw and Daniel Herron are free agents after this season ends, and the Trent Richardson experiment has clearly failed. Coming off two subpar seasons Spiller may be amenable to taking a modest deal to join Luck and the Colts and give Indianapolis one of the most explosive offensive skill groups in the NFL.
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