Is Stevan Ridley the Best Free Agent Still on the Market?

It's not easy being a running back in today's NFL.

The pounding ball-carriers take has remained the same, but paychecks and job security for running backs is dwindling by the year. 2015 has already seen a slew of veteran backs either released or allowed to walk in free agency.

You don't have to tell Stevan Ridley any of this. Despite the fact that Ridley is only now entering the prime of his career, and the fact that Ridley has a 1,200-yard season on his professional resume, interest in the 26-year-old has been sparse.

However, that interest is picking up, and it isn't difficult to see why. Among the "bargain bin" options available to teams at this point in free agency (especially in the backfield), Ridley offers something that few other free agents can, a word that's long been music to the ears of NFL clubs.

Upside.

As ESPN's Adam Schefter reported, Ridley continued his tour of the AFC East on Wednesday, with a trip to visit the New York Jets:

In a way it's not surprising that the Jets and Dolphins would kick the tires on Ridley. After all, they've seen him twice a season every season for the past four years.

It's also not exactly a stunner that the market for Ridley has been less than robust.

Year	G	GS	Att.	Yards	Avg.	TD	F	FL
2011	16	2	87	441	5.1	1	1	0
2012	16	12	290	1263	4.4	12	4	2
2013	14	6	178	773	4.3	7	4	4
2014	6	5	94	340	3.6	2	0	0

After gaining 1,263 yards and scoring 12 touchdowns on the ground back in 2012, continued fumbling issues landed Ridley squarely in Bill Belichick's doghouse two years ago. His carries dropped from 290 to 178, but Ridley still managed a respectable 4.3 yards per carry in 2013.

Last year, though, things bottomed out. Twice in the season's first six games Ridley topped the century mark, but he averaged only 3.6 yards a pop. Then came a torn ACL, and just like that Ridley's season (and time with the New England Patriots) was over.

At least he got a ring out of the deal.

Given the injury, Ridley's decreased role and his fumbling woes, it hasn't really shocked anyone that he has yet to land a gig.

But maybe it should.

There have been no indications that Ridley's rehab has gone anything but well. In fact, Ridley is reportedly ahead of schedule in his rehab:

So much so, in fact, that Ridley's begun running already.

Also, while Ridley's fumbling "problem" may have driven Belichick up the proverbial tree, as JJ Zachariason of NumberFire points out, Ridley really hasn't fumbled any more than any other NFL back:

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According to SportingCharts.com, of the running backs with 50-plus carries in 2011, Ridley's fumble rate ranked 27th, tied with Chris Johnson. In 2012, on 290 carries, Ridley's rate of fumbling was actually better than LeSean McCoy's and Jamaal Charles'. In 2013, the year he was dinged most in Rushing NEP thanks to defensive touchdowns being scored off of his mistakes, 200-plus attempt rushers Reggie Bush, CJ Spiller, Rashard Mendenhall and Alfred Morris all fumbled the ball at a higher rate than Ridley did.

Oh, and last year, guess how many times Stevan Ridley put the ball on the ground on 94 attempts? Zero.

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Put it all together and Zachariason sees value where Ridley is concerned:

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At this point in time, Ridley makes for the perfect low-cost, high-upside signing. He's proven to be effective with a large ground-game role. He's not a fumbling machine like many believe he is. He's a good, solid running back, and when you look at depth charts around the NFL (Atlanta, Tennessee, Dallas, Arizona, San Diego, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville), you have to wonder why team's aren't making the move to sign him.

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It's hard to argue with him, especially when you consider the other running backs who are still available.

Rank*	Player	2014 Team	Age	Exp.	1K Years
1.	Stevan Ridley	NEP	26	4	1
2.	Pierre Thomas	NOS	30	8	0
3.	Ahmad Bradshaw	IND	29	8	2
4.	Knowshon Moreno	MIA	27	6	1
5.	Ben Tate	CLE/MIN	26	4	0
6.	Steven Jackson	ATL	31	11	8
7.	Chris Johnson	NYJ	29	7	6

Pierre Thomas and Steven Jackson are both well the wrong side of 30. Chris Johnson turns 30 in September and has nearly 1,900 career carries worth of wear and tear on his legs (it showed last year with the Jets). Like Ridley, Knowshon Moreno is coming off a major knee injury. Ahmad Bradshaw hasn't been able to stay on the field and was recently arrested for marijuana possession.

And so on and so on.

Of the group, only Moreno isn't clearly on the downside of his career—and Ridley's per-touch career production is better.

Mind you, this isn't to say that Ridley would be a can't-miss, home run, slam dunk signing, even if he's healthy. With 23 career receptions in four seasons, Ridley has never been a factor in the passing game. His yards per carry has fallen every year he's been in the NFL.

Still, we're talking about a player who has shown the ability to be a more-than-capable between-the-tackles grinder. Ridley has exceeded four yards a tote three times in four years. In both 2012 and 2013, Ridley ranked among the top 25 running backs in the NFL in blocking, per Pro Football Focus.

As the "thunder" half of a backfield committee, on a short-term "prove it" deal, where exactly is the downside for the NFL team that rolls the dice on Ridley?

The answer is that there really isn't one. It's surprising that it's taken so long for a club to figure that out. But if Ridley can come anywhere close to the per-carry effectiveness he displayed in 2012 and 2013, then the team that does may find itself with one of 2015's biggest free-agent bargains...

At any position.

Gary Davenport is an NFL Analyst at Bleacher Report and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and the Pro Football Writers of America. You can follow Gary on Twitter at @IDPManor.