Tag: running backs

Cowboys have decision to make at RB2 with Rico Dowdle out vs Lions

From @ToddBrock24f7: The Cowboys are left with very sparse rushing options behind Tony Pollard as the stingy Detroit defense comes to town.

The Cowboys have a big decision to make in their backfield.

They’ll head into Week 17’s showdown with Detroit without running back Rico Dowdle, who on Friday was declared out due to an ankle injury. Dowdle has been the clear-cut No. 2 back all season long, having recorded between two and 12 carries in every game thus far and giving first-year starter Tony Pollard the occasional breather.

Who will now step into that backup role this Saturday is unclear.

Malik Davis is on the practice squad, but the club has already used all three of his game-day elevations. In order for Davis to play this weekend, the Cowboys would have to remove someone else from the 53-man roster to open a spot for him. Davis has yet to touch the ball this season.

Fullback Hunter Luepke is already active. The undrafted rookie has been used sparingly this season but was a key piece of Dallas’s opening drive against Miami, getting four touches in the team’s first 15 plays. But the last one was a costly goal-line fumble, recovered by the Dolphins and immediately changing the complexion of a game the Cowboys went on to lose by two points. Luepke has a total of 19 yards on six rushes; he scored a touchdown in Week 4.

And then there’s Deuce Vaughn. The darling of draft weekend and impressive during training camp, the diminutive Vaughn failed to find any success once regular-season action got underway. He tallied just 38 yards on 21 attempts and added another 30 yards on six receptions over six official appearances, but he’s not been active for a game since Week 10.

One of those men will have to serve as the backup to Pollard against a Lions defensive front that is allowing an average of just 90.6 total rushing yards per game to opponents, the fourth-best mark in the league.

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Dowdle has been dealing with the ankle issue for several weeks. He was limited in practice Tuesday but did not participate at all on Wednesday or Thursday.

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We still aren’t talking enough about Minnesota’s Darius Taylor

The Golden Gophers freshman only played in six games, but he rushed for 190 yards three times, including Tuesday’s Quick Lane Bowl.

You’d be forgiven for not thinking about Minnesota running back Darius Taylor much this season.

Taylor was a three-star recruit in the Class of 2023, 247Sports’ No. 29 running back in the class. The Golden Gophers finished 5-7 this season, only making a bowl game because the schedule needed to be filled. Taylor only played in five of those games, and he only received a single carry against Nebraska.

You’d only start to raise an eyebrow when you realized he still led the team in rushing yards.

Taylor gained three yards on his one carry against Nebraska, the first game of the season. In the next game against Eastern Michigan, he ran for 193 yards on 33 carries. Might just be the competition, right? Until he followed that up with 138 yards against North Carolina and 198 yards against Northwestern.

He rushed for 529 yards in his first four collegiate games, and he only had one carry in the first one.

Taylor missed most of the rest of the season with a leg injury, coming back for a 59-yard performance on 16 carries against Iowa before returning to the bench again. Even with that performance and the Nebraska game, he still averaged 118.2 yards per game in the regular season. The next-best mark in the Big Ten was Ohio State star TreVeyon Henderson at 94.9.

The budding freshman star came back in the Quick Lane Bowl and picked up right where he left off against Bowling Green, picking up a career-high 208 yards and scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter to build the lead back up to two scores.

Only four freshman running backs in the FBS ran for more than 730 yards this season, and West Virginia’s Jaheim White was the only one of those who played for a Power 5 school. Taylor ran for 737 in his best four games alone.

This was not a dominant rushing offense he fell into, either. Minnesota was 78th in the country in rushing offense this season. In Taylor’s four full regular-season games, the Golden Gophers averaged 205.75 yards per game on the ground. In the other eight, they averaged 121.25.

Minnesota averaged five yards per carry as a team only four times in 2023: the three games before Taylor got injured and Tuesday’s bowl game. There’s a pretty obvious theme to follow there.

Taylor isn’t simply poised to become one of the best running backs in the country. He already is. If he takes another step forward as a sophomore, or if he even just plays a full 12-game schedule, well, don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Matt Nagy preparing to play without RB Isiah Pacheco vs. Bills

Kansas City #Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy is preparing to play against the #Bills without running back Isiah Pacheco.

The late stretch of the NFL regular season features plenty of players dealing with nagging aches and injuries. The Kansas City Chiefs have more than their fair share of ailments entering Week 14, as several players could have different designations on this week’s injury report.

Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy has to weigh a few more variables ahead of this Sunday’s matchup against the Buffalo Bills. The health of starting running back Isiah Pacheco is of concern as the team’s leading rusher has been dealing with a shoulder injury keeping him out of practice this week and possibly Sunday’s game. Nagy addressed the concern of being without Pacheco and utilizing Clyde Edwards-Helaire during his conversation with reporters on Thursday.

“I think that it’s one of those mentalities that we always say it’s a cliche that, you know, next man up if it goes that direction, and I think that that room has done a good job,” Nagy explained. “That’s one of the things building depth in that room. When you have that, it’s always nice to have. So I mean, Pop’s (Pacheco) has been phenomenal for us all year.

“You can see, you know, brings that energy, that physicality, really starting to become that leader as well. So, you know, the other guys in that room have done a really good job all year long of just really starting to complete that room by joining him and doing all the stuff we asked him. It’s got to be the next-man-up mentality.”

Clyde Edwards-Helaire was the starter until suffering an injury last season, allowing Pacheco to win the job with his exceptional performance.

“It’s your professional job always to prepare the right way. And then when you have that opportunity,” said Nagy. “Clyde (Edwards-Helaire) and these other guys entering your Clyde’s a vet so he understands that he gets it.”

Edwards-Helaire has filled in for Jerick McKinnon as the third down running back in recent games over the last two games. The versatility of the former first-round pick has made him a comfortable option and replacement.

“I think his speed looks good. As far as his running between the tackles, He’s been good. Even mentally, when you go through a transition, or you go through what he’s been through the last couple of years,” Nagy continued. “I think for him, he’s been a really good mentor and leader in the room; it starts there.

“When you get on the field when given opportunities, he’s trying to make the most of it. And that’s what I respect the most about him. And you know, in these situations, the running back position gets hit quite a bit. So if you have an injury or somebody next man up, you want to have a guy like Clyde, that’s ready.”

Looking at the NFL’s top 10 rushing leaders entering Week 14

Looking at the NFL’s top 10 rushing leaders entering Week 14 of the 2023 season

NFL running backs may be woefully underpaid as opposed to other position groups, but they’re among the most important players on the field. A great running back can take an ordinary offense and make it extraordinary, as Christian McCaffrey has done in San Francisco.

The Falcons drafted Bijan Robinson in the first round of the 2023 draft and he’s single-handedly kept their offense afloat this season. Let’s check out the top 10 rushing leaders entering Week 14.

Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco discusses running backs room, preparing for trip to Germany

#Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco discusses running backs room, preparing for trip to Germany

The Kansas City Chiefs have enjoyed consistent rugged and productive runs from starting running back Isiah Pacheco. He has proven to be a game-changer and budding leader in his second NFL season.

Chiefs Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. recently sat down with Pacheco courtesy of NFL’s official pizza partner, Little Caesars, to discuss the weekly mindset of Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Jerrick Mckinnon, and himself in the running backs room and getting ready for Germany.

“I’ll say the proper preparation of progressive poor performance. And that’s something we have in the room is five Ps.” said Pacheco, “And as a unit, we got to stand on that and persistently help one another out.”

The core values from the running backs room are also translated into the team’s preparation plans for traveling to Germany in Week 9.

“So I’m prepared to get out there to Germany. You know, it’s going to be different the time traveling, so we have a plan. And for us as players, we got to stick to it. What coach (Andy) Reid and the staff has for us.” said Pacheco, “A long trip, so, just being able to have a routine and plan when we get there and understanding what the coaches want, what’s best for us and trust in the process.”

The Chiefs will need their routines set for travel as they match up with the offensive firepower of the Miami Dolphins on November 5th.

For more information about Little Caesars, visit LittleCaesars.com and follow @LittleCaesars on Instagram and Facebook.

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Ranking the top RBs in Pac-12 at midway point of 2023 season

The Pac-12 has some of the best quarterbacks in the country, but the league has many underrated tailbacks.

The 2023 college football regular season is nearly half complete, and the Pac-12 is having one of the most memorable seasons we’ve seen in a long, long time. From Heisman Trophy-contending quarterbacks to offenses that put up more points than anyone in the nation, it’s clear the Pac-12 saved the best for last as it goes out on top in the final year of its existence. While it may not technically be the exact midpoint of the season for another week, we are going to take this bye-week opportunity for the Oregon Ducks to take stock of the top performers in the conference and see where everyone stands.

College football can be a cruel sport sometimes. It’s almost fitting that, in the last season of the Pac-12, this could be the most talent the conference has had from top to bottom.

The quarterback depth in the Conference of Champions receives the most coverage and deservedly so with Michael Penix Jr., Bo Nix and the reigning Heisman winner Caleb Williams.

But those signal callers can’t throw the ball 60 times a game. They need a running game to keep opposing defense honest and off-balance. As we take a deep dive into the tailbacks on the West Coast, there are some quiet, but very talented players in the Pac-12.

Here are the Top 10 tailbacks in the Pac-12 through the fifth week of the 2023 season.

Broncos’ studs and duds from 17-16 loss to Raiders

Do you agree with these studs and duds from the Broncos’ loss to the Raiders on Sunday?

The Sean Payton era in Denver is now officially underway.

However, things did not go quite according to plan in his debut, which ended with the Las Vegas Raiders getting a 17-16 victory at Empower Field at Mile High in Week 1.

Broncos Wire examines five studs and duds from the loss.

Seahawks great Shaun Alexander has an idea to get running backs paid

Here’s Alexander on the Jim Rome show offering a solution.

The Seahawks have had some great running backs come through over the years during the Pete Carroll era. However, the team’s only league MVP is still Shaun Alexander, who won the award back in 2005 when running backs still had a chance to win MVP and also get paid.

That last part is an ongoing problem for running backs in the modern game, even the very best of whom are struggling to get fair contracts around the NFL. Here’s Alexander on the Jim Rome show offering a solution.

More Seahawks Wire stories

50 NFL players with best MVP odds

7 bold predictions going into 2023

6 biggest questions for the Seahawks

Saints reveal new jersey numbers for practice squad RB’s Tony Jones Jr., Jordan Mims

The Saints revealed new jersey numbers for practice squad running backs Tony Jones Jr. and Jordan Mims. Update your home rosters accordingly:

The New Orleans Saints announced jersey numbers for recently-signed practice squad running backs Tony Jones Jr. and Jordan Mims on the team’s official website roster; update your home rosters accordingly.

Jones is wearing the same No. 34 jersey that he last used in New Orleans. He’s also worn Nos. 21 and 37 in black and gold, and it’s interesting that they were both available when he signed. Someone must have already laid claim to them after the Saints released cornerbacks Bradley Roby (No. 21) and Troy Pride Jr. (No. 37). Who that may be is uncertain. Or maybe Jones just wanted to go with the same uniform number he used in his last stop with the Saints.

As for Mims: the rookie out of Fresno State swearing No. 35, which is what he also wore with the Buffalo Bills after signing with them as an undrafted free agent this spring. In college he went with Nos. 7 and 22, neither of which were available for him in New Orleans. Taysom Hill and Rashid Shaheed got to them first.

These two backs on the practice squad round out the depth chart. With Alvin Kamara (No. 41) suspended, the Saints will be leaning heavily on their veteran free agent pickup Jamaal Williams (No. 30) and, if he’s healthy, third-round rookie draft pick Kendre Miller (No. 25). They also have former wide receiver Kirk Merritt (No. 33) on the 53-man roster as a Kamara-style change-of-pace back, which is the role envisioned for Mims, too.

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Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco names himself as a top-5 rusher all-time

#Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco didn’t lack confidence in his recent comments on the All Things Covered Podcast.

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco wasn’t hesitant to name himself as one of the top-five running backs of all time during a recent podcast appearance.

Pacheco, who rose to prominence as Kansas City’s leading rusher during the Chiefs’ march to Super Bowl LVII earlier this year, was asked to name his five favorite running backs during his time on the All Things Covered podcast and started his list with the same names many fans would expect.

“I [haven’t] watched football that much,” Pacheco explained, “but I know that I’ve watched highlights. Barry Sanders was on my highlights, A.P. [Adrian Peterson] was on my highlights, LaDainian Tomlinson, and then I’m going to get a little bit into this era, Saquon Barkley. Then… myself.”

With this kind of talk before his sophomore campaign in Kansas City has even begun, Pacheco will have a lot to prove if he intends to make fans and his peers agree with his rankings at season’s end.

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