I feel for NFL running backs.
All NFL positions are not created equal. And running back, aside from obvious outliers at the position, does not appear to be created equally to others from a value proposition. There has even been talk about a labor union specifically devoted to running backs, something I raised years ago, but with the NFLPA now representing all players and a collective bargaining agreement tied up through the decade, that seems more fantasy than reality.
With Dalvin Cook’s release last week and his facing an apparently tepid marketplace, the valuation of NFL running backs arises as a subject again. There is now little doubt that it is the NFL position that (1) takes the largest physical toll; (2) has the shortest shelf life; and (3) aside from punters and kickers, the lowest market value.
