Could Adrian Peterson be the best old running back in NFL history?

At age 35, Adrian Peterson looks to extend his career with the Lions. He could make history in the process.

The running back position has become one of the more fungible in recent years, and it’s a young man’s position. The exceptions to that latter rule are few and far between, but we do have one potential example in our midst heading into the 2020 NFL season. In 2019, future first-ballot Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson ran 211 times for 898 yards and five touchdowns for Washington. That was the third-most rushing yards in a season for a 34-year-old back, behind John Riggins’ 1,347 in 1983, and Frank Gore’s 961 in 2017.

Running backs who manage over 1,000 yards at age 35? There’s Riggins with 1,239 in 1984, and John Henry Johnson with 1,048 for the 1961 Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s it. That’s the list. Not that Peterson will gain 1,000 yards in Detroit’s stable of backs, but the Sunday news that he signed a one-year deal with the Lions is… interesting. It reunites Peterson with Darrell Bevell, who was Peterson’s offensive coordinator in Minnesota from 2007 through 2010. But it doesn’t likely get Peterson anywhere near the playoffs, unless quarterback Matthew Stafford has an All-Everything season, and head coach Matt Patricia can improve his defense from front to back.

It does, however, give the Lions an older player with much more in the tank than you might assume. Last season, Peterson had the highest yards per carry rate (4.3) since his 2015 season, when he led the league in carries, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns. He may not be able to get the carries to blast past 1,000 yards now, but his advanced metrics show a player with a lot to offer.

At least one former Detroit running back was impressed.

Per Pro Football Focus, Peterson caused 37 broken tackles on his 211 rushing attempts last season, which ranked 13th in the league and put him ahead of Sony Michel, Austin Ekeler, Raheem Mostert, and Melvin Gordon III. Peterson also had 12 carries of 15 or more yards last season, which ranked sixth in the league, tying him with Ezekiel Elliott. His 25 plays of 10 yards or more was also Top 10 overall. Peterson’s yards after contact of 3,0 yards per carry was pretty pedestrian, and his Success Rate of 47% was middle of the pack, but as we are veering into “Not bad for an older guy” territory, that’s not awful. Peterson ranked 24th in DVOA and 27th in DYAR, which is again… not bad for an older guy.

What Peterson can do in the right system is to create explosive plays with his vision, contact balance, agility, and understanding of defensive concepts. The second-level burners aren’t quite what they once were, but they’re still there. Washington ranked 18th in Adjusted Line Yards last season, so he didn’t get a ton of help in that regard, and as the Lions ranked 20th in ALY in 2019, he’ll have to create at a similar level with his new team.

The good news is, he can still do that.

This 32-yard run against the Cowboys in Week 17 out of a formation that even Stanford or Wisconsin would call a bit heavy shows Peterson ambling through an eight-man box with some fairly impressive moves.

And this 10-yard Week 15 touchdown against the Eagles shows that Peterson still knows how to create his way out of dead ends.

Well, about that. Peterson gained just 27 yards on 10 carries against the Lions in Week 12, but he did also grab a 22-yard play on a quick release pass from Dwayne Haskins, and he was able to push the pile once in a while.

There was also a lot of this. Peterson isn’t going to beat a quick linebacker or safety to the edge as he used to nine times out of 10, just so we’re clear.

So, just because Adrian Peterson isn’t what he used to be doesn’t mean that he can’t still be effective. Based on his 2019 tape, he’s got some pretty effective strategies to… if not beat Father Time, at least to keep the grumpy old man at bay. We don’t yet know how and how often the Lions will deploy him, but make no mistake — Adrian Peterson is still a pretty decent distance from the end of the road.