We’re staring down the barrel of another NFL training camp, which is seemingly music to the ears of anybody affiliated with the world of football…except for elite-level running backs.
The focus of championship-winning offenses for roughly 80% of the league’s 103-year existence, running backs have been forced to watch the value (or the perceived value) of their position wither away in recent years. After receiving the franchise tag, Josh Jacobs of the Raiders, Tony Pollard of the Cowboys and Saquon Barkley of the Giants failed to secure multi-year contracts before Monday’s deadline. In a sport where significant injuries are an accepted part of the game for all players, obtaining any sort of long-term financial stability is a necessity. As players are getting bigger, stronger and faster by the generation, the shelf lives of these players are shrinking. Fast.
The problems here are wide-ranging, but the most prevalent one appears to be the over-quarterbackificaiton of the NFL (it doesn’t help that Netflix just launched a behind the scenes series entitled, you guessed it, “Quarterbacks”). When it comes to roster construction and winning, you’ll never hear this outlet, or any other sane person, argue a running back’s importance over a quarterback’s, especially not in 2023 as the sport has been tilted to favor the passing game. But just because running backs aren’t quarterbacks, doesn’t mean they can’t carry significant value.
Consider the ALWAYS undersold instances in recent memory where franchises made star running back and their rushing attack their offense’s primary weapon of choice, resulting in real success:
- DeMarco Murray: We endorsed Murray as a serious candidate for NFL MVP in 2014. Following years of underachievement with Tony Romo being among the league’s passing leaders, the Cowboys shifted to a Murray-based, run-first offense. Murray led the NFL in carries (by 80 totes) and yards, and won Offensive Player of the Year. Led by Murray, the Cowboys record jumped to 12-4 following consecutive 8-8 seasons with Romo dropping in the pass attempt leaders category from 3rd, to 14th, to 23rd in 2014. Yet somehow Murray and Romo finished tied in MVP voting.
- Derrick Henry: Drafted in 2016, the Alabama product saw his team’s record spike from 3-13 to 9-7 after his arrival. King Henry began to cement himself as the bell cow back in Nashville during the last month of the 2018 season. From that point, the Titans enjoyed three consecutive playoff trips, twice reaching the Divisional Round and once the AFC Championship. Henry has led Tennessee to THREE ROAD PLAYOFF VICTORIES since entering the league, averaging a spellbinding 178 yards per contest.
- Todd Gurley: The 6-10 Rams drafted Gurley in 2015 and found themselves at 11-5 two years later. Coming off an Offensive Player of the Year award in 2017, Gurley led the Rams to the Super Bowl in 2018. Some may credit Sean McVay and the passing game for this, but the wunderkind coach moved off QB Jared Goff just two seasons later. Gurley’s 131 scrimmage yards per game and 21 touchdowns (in 14 games) were second and first in the NFL respectively. With a compromised Gurley only receiving 11 touches in the Super Bowl, the Rams’ second ranked offense mustered just three points.
- Christian McCaffrey: Always a dynamic rusher and receiver, Run CMC was traded by the Panthers to the 49ers in the middle of last season. The Niners were 3-3 and made the deal just days before a home blowout loss to the Chiefs. But from McCaffrey’s first full week with the team, the 49ers ripped off 12 straight wins and landed a spot in the NFC Championship Game.
Right now you’re probably thinking, “That’s it? Just four guys??” Or “Lol And they got zero RINGZ to show for it!” Or maybe, “Well, there’s a lot of other reasons why those teams had success.”
That last one is definitely true. But the same can be said for any quarterback. And the reality is, for as much attention, money and other resources teams pour into quarterbacks, if your signal-caller’s name ain’t “Brady” or “Mahomes”, you’re not guaranteed any level of success. Think about it—until we see a new quarterback winning it all every year, why should the “look at the last 10 Super Bowl winning starting running backs” argument that Twitter keeps spitting out hold much weight?
Sidebar: And there’s other examples not listed above (see: Marshawn Lynch, the backbone of a championship-winning offense in 2014).
The Point
While there may be better ways to construct a championship football team — such as being that 1% of the league lucky enough to build around a top 3 QB on a team-friendly deal — the impact elite running backs have on winning has been understated for a decade. Whenever they actually carry teams to victory, they never truly get the credit or the commensurate financial rewards.
The Giants made the playoffs in 2022, but only after Barkley amassed over 1,600 total yards and 11 touchdowns, essentially serving as a third of the Giants entire offense. Meanwhile, in what was a career year, QB Daniel Jones threw for a pedestrian 3,200 yards and 15 touchdowns (don’t laugh), yet he was gifted a four-year, $160 million extension. Someone has to explain why it’s fiscally prudent to make Danny Dimes the ninth highest paid QB in football instead of paying Saquon Barkley what he’s earned and stands to continue to produce. Jones hasn’t even proven to be productive without his all-world RB behind him!
Sidebar: It wasn’t long ago that this outlet advocated for Barkley to be the #1 pick in the draft, something we’d be stoned for saying by the football nerd community.
To be fair, Jones also totaled an impressive 708 rushing yards, which raises another important point. The rise in quarterback value is partially due to them supplementing their arsenal with the ability to run the ball. Gone are the days of pocket-passers with cement feet; the athleticism of Mahomes, Allen, Hurts, Lawrence, Jackson, Watson and even Daniel Jones are setting the standard for what a contemporary quarterback looks like. The front office logic is simple: If they can beat you with their arm AND their legs, they’re even MORE valuable to our offense. Therefore, these players should be drafted and compensated accordingly for their requisite skill set.
But why doesn’t that apply to dual-threat running backs? The backs that can play three downs and, if needed, touch the ball 20-25 times per Sunday like Barkley, McCaffrey, Gurley, Alvin Kamara and Austin Ekeler. Hell, McCaffrey and Ekeler frequently line up as receivers. The latter led the Chargers in receptions by 35 catches (in addition to his 200+ carries) and has averaged 80 grabs per season over the last four years.
Said Ekeler in a recent interview, “Seeing some backup WRs making more than me is going to piss me off.”
You know what? He’s should be pissed! Because, unlike elite running backs, backup receivers have never proven to be the focal point of offenses that win in the NFL.
Yes, there are analytics that point to running backs losing their burst by the time their second contract rolls around. And yes, there’s data that suggests you can find a serviceable, if not a good tailback, at the end of the draft (or as undrafted free agents in some cases) that are way more affordable. It’s also true that running backs take more hits than most, exposing them to a greater number of potential injuries and a shortened career. But why can’t the football world also acknowledge that the best of the best at this position shouldn’t be marginalized disrespected in this way? They’re not just taking a backseat to QBs at the negotiating table—they’re behind nearly every other position.
Running backs sell the jerseys, score the touchdowns, win the awards (other than MVP) and raise the interest level of the game (e.g. fantasy football). Most importantly, running backs are the guys most teams entrust with the ball to salt the game away in the fourth quarter. They’re called upon to push for the short yards on the 3-5 crucial plays each game that decides the outcome. And, the winning that’s done in the frigid months of December, January and February are often on the backs of these backs more often than we’d care to admit. It’s long been argued that quarterbacks deserve the most money because they touch the ball on every play—even in this pass-happy era, running backs are still next in that line.
Maybe top tier running backs just need better PR. Or better yet, better agents. Regardless, the men asked to secure the rock this much also deserve to secure the bag.