The Facts: Chris Ivory was added to share the workload with Yeldon, who was overloaded at times as a rookie last season. GM Dave Caldwell said that days after the signing. Whether Yeldon remains the Jaguars' starter, however, is not as clear. "We'll see how it plays out," HC Gus Bradley said. "We love that part of it, the competition."
Diehards Line:
Regardless of which player starts, ESPN.com's Michael DiRocco believes the workload is going to be pretty equitable. The norm in the NFL is to use two, or even three, backs to get the job done. That’s why the Jaguars signed Ivory, who was coming off his first 1,000-yard rushing season at any level. Bradley and Caldwell viewed the move as a benefit to Yeldon rather than taking carries away. "We look at it as a way to help him, just for his health," Bradley said. "It’s a long season and to have two or three backs that you can count on, that’d be an asset for our team." It makes sense. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Yeldon played 592 offensive snaps last season. That was seventh-most among running backs and more than Doug Martin (582 snaps), who was second in the NFL in rushing with 1,402 yards, and just 41 fewer than Adrian Peterson (633 snaps), who led the NFL in rushing with 1,485 yards. In 12 games, he averaged 49.3 snaps per game. That’s by far the most of any running back in the league.