The 2024 NFL season has been a lot of things, but one feature that is extremely hard to miss is the high performance of running backs of a certain ilk. The group is young by the standards of other positions—still in their mid-to-late-20s—but older for the running back position. And the group is defined by recently being told their services were no longer needed by teams they had served admirably for years, all teams that let them leave without putting up much of a fight to keep them. For lack of better phrasing, let’s call them the “You really thought I was washed?” club, a group of running backs that has had a remarkable impact on the league.
The Tennessee Titans let Derrick Henry walk into the waiting arms of the Baltimore Ravens, as they were content to replace him with another group member, Tony Pollard, whom the Dallas Cowboys let leave with minimal resistance.
