Some of the greatest players in NFL history are running backs. Some would consider Jim Brown, a running back, among the best in the history of the game regardless of position.
You can’t talk about the history of the NFL without talking about Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Tony Dorsett, Paul Hornung, Walter Payton, O.J. Simpson and Earl Campbell and what they produced on these football fields.
Today the running back position means nothing.
Well, it’s at least worth $10.09 million.
Three running backs received the franchise tag this offseason. Tony Pollard of the Cowboys signed the tag. When Monday’s 3 p.m. CT deadline came and went to reach a deal with franchised players, none of the running backs got a contract extension.
In a big picture look, Pollard will attend training camp next week in Oxnard cashing checks for a total of $10.09 million
Saquon Barkley of the Giants and Josh Jacobs of the Raiders were also franchised but didn’t sign the tag and won’t report to training camp. Once the regular season nears, the thought both players might show up intensifies.
“It is what it is,” Barkley said on Twitter moments after the deadline passed.
NFL teams once considered the running back position something of value. Not today.
You can blame NFL offensive coordinators wanting to pass more, the college game producing wide receivers worthy of high first-round grades and the health of the running back position.
The passing game is pushing teams to utilize fewer linebackers on the field, instead preparing for deep and short throws. So that means, cornerbacks and safeties are of more value. A safety can cover in the run and pass game. Think Cowboys’ safety Jayron Kearse and his own uniqueness of covering tight ends, receivers and running backs.
There are few discussions about edge rusher Micah Parsons’ abilities to stop the run. Parsons is paid to bother offensive tackles and quarterbacks. Sure teams will run the football, but instead of a running back storming ahead, think the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts or the Giants’ Daniel Jones. Quarterbacks. Jones had 17 rushing attempts in the NFC wild card win over Minnesota last season. Barkley had 18 rushing attempts combined in the two playoff games for the Giants.
When healthy, the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson and the Cardinals’ Kyler Murray are major threats with their legs in addition to their arms.
The league is changing, or rather, has changed.
It’s different from the days when Emmitt Smith would get 25-plus carries in an NFL game. In a 15-year career, Smith had 56 games where he carried the ball at least 25 times. Ezekiel Elliott, who was released in a salary cap move by the Cowboys this offseason, had 12 games with 25 or more carries in his seven seasons. He had no such carries the last three seasons as he dealt with knee injuries.
And speaking of injuries, Barkley is a man seeking a long-term deal but he’s endured his own health problems. He’s played just a full season once in four years, having missed 14 games in 2020. You know how many games he’s had 25 or more carries? Three.
This entire offseason has seen running backs Joe Mixon and Aaron Jones agree to take pay cuts. Dalvin Cook, Leonard Fournette and Elliott got released. Cook was sixth in the league in rushing yards in 2022 with 1,173 yards. Guess who finished seventh? Fields at 1,143. Yeah, a quarterback.
The Chargers’ Austin Ekeler, coming off a career season with 915 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, requested a trade. So instead of getting traded, Ekeler worked a deal where he’ll get just $2 million in incentives if he reaches certain thresholds.
So much for a raise.
Running backs are under siege across the league as teams want to get younger. Texas’ Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs were drafted in the first round this year. Next season, maybe two more backs will go in the first round.
Will Arkansas’ Raheim Sanders get a first-round grade from teams?
Monday was a statement day for some NFL teams when it comes to the running back position. It’s not valued anymore.
