Crystal football predictions: Top NFL running back rushing yard totals for 2023
How many rushing yards will top RBs achieve in the 2023 NFL season?
Tag: nfl running backs
Is the running back position obsolete?
Is the running back position obsolete, and how can running backs fight against it? Touchdown Wire’s Natalie Miller investigates.
In the past few months we have been witnesses to multiple big time running backs holding out for long term contracts or general adjustments to their contracts. These running backs are among the best in the game with the likes of Austin Ekeler, Saquon Barkley, Jonathan Taylor, and the leagues leading rusher, Josh Jacobs voicing displeasure with their current contract. Time and time again we see the teams refuse to meet the running back’s demands, and either finding a compromise, or allowing the contract situation linger late into the offseason with no resolution in sight.
Does that mean the running back position is obsolete? One would be hard pressed to argue that given multiple backs were selected in the top half of the 2023 draft, including Bijan Robinson going eight overall to the Falcons. You also see teams shelling out large trade packages in order to secure the services of Christian McCaffrey. Though you could certainly argue that Robinson and McCaffrey are much more valuable than just pure running backs, as they are both capable receiver who could line up at any of the receiver positions if asked, and can be used in a variety of ways.
Perhaps teams are wising up to this history of paying big time runners, with notable disaster after disaster happening to the teams that have handed their backs large sums of cash. Ezekiel Elliot, David Johnson, Todd Gurley, Le’Veon Bell, etc etc. Time and time again teams have handed out large contracts for backs only for them to be injured, busts, or be off the team within the next three seasons. Given that the position has plenty of depth available in the league with the likes of Dalvin Cook, Kareem Hunt, and Leonard Fournette available to be signed today, likely on a value contract, the motivation to sign a back to a big deal falls to the wayside.
This point is driven home even more when you consider teams have had success historically finding young backs in the middle of the draft that can come in and at the very least be producers for their offense. Can you really justify saddling your offense with a mega contract when the Chiefs, Falcons, and Texans managed to find some of the most productive rookie runners in the league in the latter half of the draft?
It has been proven time and time again that teams are much better suited in spending big money and high draft picks on their offensive line, and finding a talented ball carrier in the middle round of the draft that can take advantage of the wholes created by your high end line. Is it entirely ethical to draft a back, run him ragged for years, just to franchise tag him and dangle short term contracts in front of him? Not particularly. Is it the most productive way to build a roster given the current state of quarterback contracts? Unfortunately so.
Unless you have a true elite level playmaker who is going to make a difference every time he touches the football, and can be a versatile tool for your offense, it makes less and less sense to pay them from a team building point of view. The likes of Derrick Henry and Nick Chubb are going to become more rare as the years pass, and while that doesn’t necessarily make for better football, it is a natural response to adaptive general managers, and a market that heavily favors the passing game.
Jonathan Taylor and the NFL’s running backs deserve so much better, but they likely won’t get it
Jim Irsay is being crass. But he kind of has a point.
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The NFL’s running back situation is coming to a head and it’s getting ugly.
Jonathan Taylor’s tenuous situation with the Colts is the latest case. Taylor is currently eligible for a contract extension after an injury-plagued third season in Indy, but the team hasn’t even had the discussion. At all. And, if Jim Irsay’s latest comments are any reflection of the team’s intentions, they don’t plan on it.
Look, it’s easy to see why things are heading in this direction. If the NFL is a game of chess, running backs are treated like the league’s pawns.
There are plenty of them. They’re easily replaceable and you can find multiple ways to use them effectively. Year after year, we see teams opting for younger and cheaper options at the position rather than paying proven talent.
To be completely honest, they’re not wrong in doing so. Take Ezekiel Elliott, for example. The running back was cut earlier this summer by the Cowboys. He’s a multi-time Pro Bowler and only 27 years old. This wouldn’t happen at any other position. But no other position seems to be as replaceable. The Cowboy’s found Elliott’s replacement in Tony Pollard in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. He’s a Pro-Bowler now.
Elliott is far closer to the norm for NFL running backs than anyone would like to admit. As ESPN’s Mina Kimes so eloquently points out here, these backs spend their prime laying for free in college and then, when they finally get to the NFL, they spend the rest of it playing on cheap deals.
By the time it’s time to get that second or third big contract, many backs are hundreds of carries deep into their career. The injuries have piled up.
That’s the truth. But, man, does that suck. Imagine putting your body on the line for your job and your team just to have them say “Thank you, but we don’t need you anymore.” Even if there’s logical reasoning behind it, it just feels crass.
Getting back to Jonathan Taylor, he’s very clearly the Colt’s best player. Yet, because of his position, he can’t be offered any long-term security. That’s wrong.
Where would the Giants be without Saquon Barkley? Would the Raiders be able to compete without Josh Jacobs? To put it simply, players should be rewarded for being good. There’s got to be a reasonable way to do that.
The sad part is that there’s no shot of changing this. Not at least until 2030 when the NFL’s labor agreement with the NFLPA expires. In that sense, Jim Irsay is right. Nothing can change until then.
When the time comes, players could ask for solutions like lowering the NFL Draft eligibility age to allow players to enter the league sooner. Most players won’t be physically ready, but at least having that option might get the clock ticking sooner.
Maybe they could negotiate the removal of salary slots for rookies so running backs have a chance to earn more money earlier. Or maybe there’s some sort of award players could earn to trigger contract negotiations sooner.
There are solutions available. But there’s a chance those changes might require a work stoppage of some sort. Would players be willing to do that for one position? That’s hard to say.
Regardless, we’re not getting any solutions anytime soon. But the league’s current crop of running backs should take solace in this: The noise that they’ve made has ensured that nobody will forget anytime soon that this happened.
So, in 2030, when it’s time to fight? We’ll all know exactly where they’re coming from.
Quick Hits: Shohei Ohtani is unreal … Big 12 expansion is coming … and more.
— I know the Angels are probably silly for not trading Shohei Ohtani. But, y’all. Imagine trading someone THIS GOOD. Mary Clarke has more.
— Andrew Joseph has marked the six best candidates in college football for Big 12 expansion. Following the new Colorado addition, more should be on the way.
— Sean Payton ain’t have to go in on Nathaniel Hackett like this. OK, maybe he did. Prince Grimes has more.
— Here’s Cory Woodruff on the NFL’s first slot machine deal.
Enjoy the weekend. Be kind to each other!
The NFL’s running back problem, and how to fix it
The NFL has a running back problem, and Touchdown Wire’s Jarrett Bailey has an outside-the-box solution.
In case you haven’t heard, the NFL has a running back problem. After several top bell-cows failed to get long-term contract extensions this offseason, an outcry from running backs across the league took place on social media about the abuse of the position. Per Spotrac, running backs on average, are earning less today than they did in 2005, even though the cap has gone up drastically in that 18 year period.
Not only are they making less as a position group than in years past, the average running back now makes about $400,000 less than the average kicker. In 2005, eight running backs made up 10 percent or more of their team’s payroll — no running back today makes up more than 5%.
So what exactly has caused this mass devaluation of a position that was once viewed as premium, to now being looked at as expendable?
Where Bijan Robinson ranks among highest paid NFL running backs
Bijan Robinson is making the big bucks.
Former Texas running back Bijan Robinson was viewed by many as the best overall prospect in the most recent NFL Draft. He’s already garnered some lofty expectations without even taking so much as a preseason snap in the NFL.
The 2022 Doak Walker award winner was selected with the No. 8 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons, and is viewed as the perennial favorite to be the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. While Robinson hasn’t taken the field for a game in Atlanta, he is someone that many believe can be a force to be reckoned with in the NFL. Especially when you consider his coach worked with Titans running back Derrick Henry.
While many are currently debating where Robinson should be drafted in fantasy football, one thing we do know is he ranks among the highest paid players at the running back position already. Let’s take a look at where Robinson ranks among NFL running backs in terms of total cash for the 2023 season according to NBC.
2 former Alabama RBs named as some of the best in the NFL
True or false: Alabama is RBU.
Former Alabama players rarely have any issues getting adjusted to their roles in the NFL. One position that has found plenty of recent success has been the running backs.
With over five running backs active in the NFL heading into the 2021 season, and most of them starters, the Alabama Crimson Tide can often be synonymous with ‘RBU.’
USA TODAY’s Touchdown Wire recently shared their thoughts on who the top-11 running backs are in the league, two Crimson Tide products made the list.
6. Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders
Jacobs is still very young in the league, but his potential is through the roof. The Raiders offense relies on him heavily and sees him as a part of their long-term plan for the organization.
1. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
The Titans offense has seemingly revolved around Henry, and it’s not hard to see why. The Heisman-winning running back is nearly impossible to bring down. Someone that big with that speed is a cheat code.
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
Who are the 7 duos to rush for 1,000 yards each in same NFL season?
Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt are looking to become the 8th teammates to rush for 1,000 yards in the same season.
Watch: Nick Chubb’s 10 greatest Georgia plays
Watch this highlight video of Nick Chubb’s 10 greatest Georgia football plays.
Nick Chubb became the NFL’s second leading rusher in 2019, making him a household name among football fans.
But prior to that, he became The University of Georgia’s second all-time leading rusher by the time his collegiate career came to an end.
Watching Chubb at Georgia was special. It was like he was playing against my cousin’s Pop Warner team, bouncing off nearly every tackle.
Related: Checking in on Nick Chubb’s cousin, Harlem Diamond – a rising Cedartown star
Chubb started his UGA career with a 4 carry, 70 yard and 1 touchdown performance against Clemson in 2014. By the time he left Georgia, he had tallied 4,769 rushing yards.
Now he’s an NFL Pro-Bowler with the Cleveland Browns, but the kid from Cedartown will always be a Georgia Bulldog.
Here are Chubb’s top-10 Georgia players, according to video creator Hex Highlights.
Nick Chubb named to list of top NFL players under age of 25
Georgia football great and current Cleveland Browns RB Nick Chubb considered one of the best young NFL talents.
Former Georgia running back Nick Chubb is a rising star in the NFL and he’s only 24 years old.
He just finished as the second leading rusher in the league and is widely viewed as one of the best ball carriers in pro football.
CBSSports recently ranked the top 25 NFL players who will begin the 2020 season under the age of 25, and included Chubb on its list.
The Cleveland Browns star checked in at No. 20 on and was the fifth highest ranked running back behind Christian McCaffrey (No. 8), Ezekiel Elliot (No. 15), Saquon Barkley (No. 17), and Alvin Kamara (No. 18).
Here’s what CBSSports wrote about Chubb:
Chubb is yet another example of how teams don’t really know how to evaluate players in the draft. In the 2018 NFL Draft, the Browns grabbed Chubb with the third pick in the second round. Which means Chubb was the fourth running back off the board. The three running backs taken before him? Saquon Barkley, Rashaad Penny, and Sony Michel. Only Barkley is a better player than Chubb, but considering where they were drafted (No. 2 overall compared to No. 35), it’s Chubb who represents better value. Put another way, the Giants would’ve been better off drafting someone else (they had a ton of options) at No. 2 and then getting Chubb at No. 34. Through two seasons, Chubb has totaled 2,917 yards and 18 touchdowns from scrimmage while averaging 5.3 yards per touch. In that span, he ranks fifth in yards from scrimmage among all running backs.
Top NFL players under 25: One Bulldog makes the cut, but way too low
One Georgia football player, Nick Chubb of the Cleveland Browns, made Bleacher Report’s rankings of the top-25 under the age of 25.
This week, Bleacher Report ranked the top-25 NFL players under the age of 25.
As expected, Georgia had one player on the list, however, he was ranked a bit lower than I would have had him.
Bleacher Report ranked former Georgia running back Nick Chubb, now with the Cleveland Browns, as the 20th best NFL player under the age of 25.
20th? No disrespect to Bleacher Report, I know they can’t possibly please everybody with a list like this, but Chubb finished second in the NFL in rushing last season. And I don’t care what changes Cleveland has made…he did it on the BROWNS.
Chubb, who dons the jersey #24 for the Browns, is also 24 years old.
On Chubb, BR wrote:
Among 25 running backs who have carried the ball 300-plus times since Nick Chubb came into the NFL in 2018, Chubb ranks first with 5.1 yards per attempt.
The 24-year-old 2018 second-round pick doesn’t get as much publicity as several star running backs yet to be named on this list, and his numbers related to fumbles and receiving could be better. But from a statistical standpoint, he’s right there with the top offensive weapons in the league.
Running backs ranked ahead of Chubb include:
No. 18: Dalvin Cook
No. 14: Ezekiel Elliott
No. 13: Saquon Barkley
No. 12: Alvin Kamara
No. 11: Christian McCaffrey
All those guys are great backs, but are we really going to sit here and say that Chubb, who I’ll remind you again finished No. 2 in rushing last season by only 46 yards, is the sixth best running back under the age of 25?
Yeah, I can’t get on board with that.