Buccaneers: Five Inexpensive Potential Free Agent Options
Andre Ellington
Here we have a player that needs a chance but doesn’t often get it. If he stays where he is, he certainly won’t get it, thanks to a guy named David Johnson. There was a time when Andre Ellington led the league in yards per carry. Unfortunately for him, his play has diminished with the emergence of Johnson. Here are his career stats:
| Games | Rushing | Receiving | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Age | Tm | Pos | No. | G | GS | Rush | Yds | TD | Lng | Y/A | Y/G | A/G | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD | Lng | R/G | Y/G | Ctch% | YScm | RRTD | Fmb | AV |
| 2013 | 24 | ARI | rb | 38 | 15 | 1 | 118 | 652 | 3 | 80 | 5.5 | 43.5 | 7.9 | 57 | 39 | 371 | 9.5 | 1 | 38 | 2.6 | 24.7 | 68.4% | 1023 | 4 | 1 | 7 |
| 2014 | 25 | ARI | RB | 38 | 12 | 12 | 201 | 660 | 3 | 22 | 3.3 | 55.0 | 16.8 | 64 | 46 | 395 | 8.6 | 2 | 81 | 3.8 | 32.9 | 71.9% | 1055 | 5 | 2 | 5 |
| 2015 | 26 | ARI | db/rb | 38 | 10 | 3 | 45 | 289 | 3 | 63 | 6.4 | 28.9 | 4.5 | 24 | 15 | 148 | 9.9 | 0 | 32 | 1.5 | 14.8 | 62.5% | 437 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| 2016 | 27 | ARI | 38 | 16 | 0 | 34 | 96 | 0 | 13 | 2.8 | 6.0 | 2.1 | 19 | 12 | 85 | 7.1 | 0 | 16 | 0.8 | 5.3 | 63.2% | 181 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Career | 53 | 16 | 398 | 1697 | 9 | 80 | 4.3 | 32.0 | 7.5 | 164 | 112 | 999 | 8.9 | 3 | 81 | 2.1 | 18.8 | 2696 | 12 | 4 | 16 |
This is a player that clearly has flashed at times in his young career. When given the chance to run the rock, he has done it well. He is another small speed back that can wreak havoc around the edge. He has also performed well against our division in the past. During his rookie season, Ellington dropped 154 yards against the Falcons on just 15 carries on the way to a Cardinals win.
2014 yielded a 95 yard performance in a win over the Cowboys. He just isn’t a guy that the Cardinals need any longer. He ran the ball 34 times last year. That is what happens when David Johnson is above you on the depth chart.
He could exchange his red for pewter. He only averaged $565,000 per year on his last contract. It won’t cost much but could pay big dividends.