Running Backs Being Devalued
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Running back has become a position where you play for a few years, get franchise tagged, and then get replaced. The NFL is a business at the end of the day, and the value RBs once had is not there today, but there are special circumstances, and Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs are two examples. Barkley ran for 1,312 yards, ten touchdowns on four yards per carry, and 82 yards per game. Saquon also added 57 receptions and 338 receiving yards. This is a guy who was the Giants offense which lacked weapons outside of him, and playing with a quarterback who we would all say is middle of the pack in towards of talent, it is not like the Giants went in free agency and got weapons they need Saquon and should want to get a deal done with him.
Caean Couto
Josh Jacobs is a similar case as he is coming off a great year as well, running for 1,653 yards, 12 touchdowns on five yards per carry, and 97 yards per game. The Raiders just lost Derek Carr and traded Darren Waller, so adding Jacobs to that list would be a huge blow to an offense that already struggling, and that production is not easy to replace. Josh Jacobs is young, and he is one of the RBs that deserves to be paid.
On social media, the news of Josh Jacobs, Saquon Barkley, and Tony Pollard not getting a contract running backs all around the league came out in support.There was also an interesting tweet about the running backs who have won super bowls.
This list is a good example of lacking context because you look at the list, and you see teams led by Hall of Famers Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, and Peyton Manning the one outlier is Matthew Stafford, who is very talented. It’s hard to compare this situation to the Giants situation because Daniel Jones is coming off a season of 15 touchdowns passing to Saquon’s 10 running in a league where you need an elite quarterback the Giants don’t have that, so they should try to build the best team around him as possible. The same thing could be said for Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard, as both of those offenses dealt with losses that put more pressure on quarterbacks that are not elite and need more help than others. The RB position is tough to value, but some running backs are just worth it based on team need and their value to the team, and these three definitely deserve to get paid.
