Bilal Powell

As a freshman, Powell contributed on offense and special teams. He was part of a shared backfield that included Anthony Allen, Brock Bolen, George Striping, and Sergio Spencer.[6] On October 27, he had 25 rushing yards and ten receiving yards against Pitt.[7] His role expanded in the game against South Florida with 70 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, two receptions, 15 receiving yards, and six returns for 141 net yards.[8] In his final appearance of his freshman season, he had 91 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, and seven kick returns for 178 net yards against Rutgers.[9][10]

As a sophomore, Powell continued to contribute for the Cardinals. He became the third running back behind Vic Anderson and Brock Bolen.[11] On September 26, he had 112 rushing yards and a touchdown against Connecticut.[12] On November 22, against West Virginia, he had 77 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.[13][14]

As a junior, Powell led the team in rushes. He, Darius Ashley, and Vic Anderson dominated the share of carries for the Cardinals.[15] In the season opener against Indiana State, he had 76 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.[16] On October 17, against Connecticut, he had 87 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to go along with three receptions for 15 yards.[17] On Halloween, against Arkansas State, he had season-highs with 93 rushing yards and 31 receiving yards.[18][19]

As a senior, Powell dominated the carries for the Cardinals.[20] In the season opener against Kentucky, he had 153 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.[21] He followed that up with 92 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns against Eastern Kentucky.[22] In the next game, he had 83 rushing yards, a rushing touchdown, and 21 receiving yards against Oregon State.[23] In the following game against Arkansas State, he had 157 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, 65 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown.[24] On October 9, against Memphis, he had 204 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.[25] On October 15, he ran for a season-high of 209 yards and 2 touchdowns against Cincinnati.[26] He followed that up with 105 rushing yards against Connecticut in the next game.[27] On November 13, against South Florida, he had 140 rushing yards.[28] On November 26, against Rutgers, he had 123 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, 28 receiving yards, and two receiving touchdowns in the victory.[29] In the final game of his collegiate career, he had 75 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the victory over Southern Miss in the 2010 Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl.[30] He was named to the All-Big East Conference first-team[31] and Phil Steele All-American fourth team after rushing for 1,405 yards and 10 touchdowns in 11 games for the Cardinals.[32][33] His 1,405 single season rushing yards set a new school record for second all time.[33] Prior to the 2011 NFL Draft, Powell was invited to the 2011 Senior Bowl.[34]

On July 29, 2011, Powell signed a 4-year rookie contract worth $3,226,500 with $400,500 guaranteed.[39][40]

Powell made his NFL debut on November 17, 2011, against the Denver Broncos.[41] Powell would finish the 2011 season by playing in only two games. In those two games, Powell ran for 21 yards on 13 attempts and had one reception for 7 yards.[42]

On November 18, 2012, Powell ran for 42 yards on 11 carries and a season-high two touchdowns against the St. Louis Rams, his first multiple-touchdown game of his career.[43][44] On November 22, 2012, Powell ran for 40 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown against the New England Patriots.[45] On December 2, 2012, Powell ran for 58 yards on 12 carries against the Arizona Cardinals.[46][47] On December 9, 2012, Powell ran for a season-high 78 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars.[48][49] Powell scored his fourth touchdown of the season, and also had a season-high in carries. Powell finished his second professional season running for 437 yards on 110 carries and 4 touchdowns and catching 17 passes for 140 yards.[50]

On September 22, 2013, Powell ran for 149 yards on 27 carries and a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills.[51][52] Powell ran for a 21-yard touchdown.[53] On September 29, Powell ran for 66 yards on 14 carries against the Tennessee Titans.[54][55] On December 22, 2013, Powell recorded a 39-yard run against the Cleveland Browns.[56] On December 29, 2013, Powell ran for 76 yards on 21 carries against the Miami Dolphins.[57] Powell also threw a pass to tight end Jeff Cumberland for 30 yards.[58] Powell finished the 2013 season with 697 rushing yards on 176 carries and a touchdown and 272 receiving yards on 36 passes.[59]

On October 26, 2014, Powell ran for his only touchdown of the season against the Buffalo Bills.[60] Powell finished the 2014 season with 141 rushing yards on 33 carries and 92 receiving yards on 11 catches.[61]

On March 14, 2015, Powell signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the New York Jets.[40][62]

In Week 13, Powell had 108 scrimmage yards against the New York Giants.[63] He finished the 2015 season with 313 rushing yards on 70 carries and a touchdown and 388 receiving yards on 47 catches and two touchdowns.[64]

On March 10, 2016, Powell signed a three-year, $11,250,000 contract with the New York Jets.[40][65]

On September 11, 2016, Powell ran for 41 yards on 4 carries in the season-opener against the Cincinnati Bengals.[66] On September 25, 2016, Powell caught 6 passes for 41 yards against the Kansas City Chiefs.[67] On October 2, Powell caught six passes for 54 yards against the Seattle Seahawks.[68] On October 30, 2016, he ran for 76 yards on 6 carries and a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns.[69] His 35-yard touchdown was the longest Jets touchdown run since Chris Ivory ran 71-yards in 2014 against the Oakland Raiders,.[69] On November 13, 2016, Powell caught seven passes for 52 yards and a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams.[70] He was able to score the touchdown on a lateral trick play.[71] On December 11, 2016, he ran for a season-high 145 yards on 29 carries and two touchdowns against the San Francisco 49ers.[72] His two touchdowns were a 5-yard score and a 19-yard score, which was the game-winning touchdown in overtime.[73] This was his first 100-yard game of the season,[74] and the second of his career while he also became only the second Jets player since 1975 to rush for at least 145 yards and at least two touchdowns in a road game.[74][72] Powell's 19-yard touchdown in overtime was the first rushing touchdown in overtime in team history.[72] Overall, in the 2016 season, he finished with 722 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, 58 receptions, 388 receiving yards, and two receiving touchdowns.[75] His 5.5 yards per carry ranked second in the NFL.[76]

During Week 4 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Powell rushed for 163 yards, including one for a 75-yard touchdown, as the Jets won 23–20 in overtime.[77] In Week 16, against the Los Angeles Chargers, he had 145 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.[78] Overall, in the 2017 season, he finished with a career-high 772 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns, 23 receptions, and 170 receiving yards.[79]

Powell started the first seven games of the season, recording 343 rushing yards with no touchdowns along with 11 receptions for 110 yards and one touchdown.[80] He suffered a neck injury in Week 7 and was placed on injured reserve on October 24, 2018.[81]

Powell in a game against the Washington Redskins

On June 7, 2019, Powell re-signed with the Jets.[82] In the 2019 season, Powell appeared in 13 games, of which he started one, and recorded 59 carries for 229 rushing yards.[83] In November 2019, Powell was the longest-tenured active member of the New York Jets.[84] Powell became a free agent in 2020; he expressed a desire to stay with the team through the end of his NFL career.[85] He left the Jets with a career total of 3,675 rushing yards with 15 touchdowns, the eighth most rushing yards in team history.[86]

After being unsigned in 2020 and 2021, Powell signed a one-day contract on April 26, 2022, to retire with the Jets.[87]