As the Jets get close to training camp, I am examining the roster and giving you my top 25 players. Each weekday, we will reveal another person on the list, leading right into camp. I am not including rookies on this list because I do not feel it is possible to fully evaluate them before they play a game.

No. 1: Le’Veon Bell

Last year’s ranking: Unranked (not on team)

Position: RB

Age on Opening Day: 27

How acquired: Signed a four-year, $52.5 million contract as a free agent on March 13.

Years left on contract: 4

2019 Salary Cap figure: $9 million

Looking back at 2018: Bell sat out the 2018 season in the midst of a contract dispute with the Steelers.

It is hard to know what kind of effect, if any, missing an entire year will have on Bell. On one hand, he is rested. On the other, he has been away from football since January of 2018.

Before his hiatus, Bell was one of the most productive backs in all of football. In 2017, he rushed 321 times for 1,291 yards and nine touchdowns. He also caught 85 passes for 655 yards and two touchdowns. In 2016, he had 1,268 rushing yards on 261 carries to go along with 616 receiving yards on 75 catches with two touchdowns.

Bell has made three Pro Bowls and been first-team All-Pro twice.

Outlook for 2019: The Jets jumped on Bell in free agency in hopes of igniting their offense. The team has not had a playmaker of Bell’s quality in years.

The Jets believe Bell can not only be an effective runner but also provide second-year quarterback Sam Darnold with a target he can rely on out of the backfield.

Bell skipped most of the voluntary portion of the spring and he was used sparingly during the mandatory minicamp.

One of the challenges for the Jets will be managing Bell’s workload in training camp and early in the season. He was a workhorse in Pittsburgh, but it will take him awhile to get back into football shape after a year away from the game. Players who sit out awhile typically have soft-tissue injuries in training camp. It would not be surprising to see the Jets bring him along very slowly in camp practices and the preseason.

If Bell can recapture the production he gave the Steelers two years ago, the Jets’ offense will make a huge leap. His 1,291 yards in 2017 would be the eighth-most in Jets history. His 85 catches would be the seventh-most.

The Jets’ offensive line is not as strong as the Steelers’, so it bears watching how they adjust to Bell and just what kind of running lanes they can open up for him.