If you’re remotely familiar with the National Football League these days, you know what people say about both modern offenses and the value of running backs within them. Over the last two decades, with the increase in having multiple receivers on the field, and the decreasing value of running backs both in the draft and free agency, it’s now writ large that the NFL is a passing game, and that running backs don’t really matter.
As is the case with any absolute, there’s more to the story, and that’s been especially true in the 2024 season. Most people already know that Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles and Derrick Henry of the Baltimore Ravens are re-jiggering the concept of running back value with their MVP-level seasons, but there’s an undercurrent of creative and effective run games throughout the league in 2024 that is showing up more and more in the metrics.
