Teams can field serviceable running backs without breaking the bank to sign them.
Here’s the deal, folks: running backs are a dime a dozen! Each year the NFL draft produces at least four or five solid RBs that quickly become an integral part for their respective teams.
DENVER, COLORADO – DECEMBER 15: Phillip Lindsay #30 of the Denver Broncos carries the ball against the Cleveland Browns at Broncos Stadium at Mile High on December 15, 2018, in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
In recent drafts, we’ve seen excellent players get selected in the 3rd round or later and end up starting in the backfield as rookies. Yeah, sometimes a first rounder, like Saquon Barkley, takes over the league. But, other times, undrafted players (e.g., Phillip Lindsay) are invited to camp, earn a roster spot, and become starters after a few weeks.
Think I’m exaggerating? Well, let’s look at the stats from last season. Guess how many NFL teams have running backs who are still under their rookie contract? How about … 23! Yes, 23 out of the 32 teams had running backs who’ve been in the league four years or less–players who finished the season earning or holding down the starting job.
What’s it mean? It means NFL franchises are getting smarter. But that ‘intelligence’ has implications. These players are under rookie contracts and locked in for four years.
Only ‘the best of the best’ get big contracts following their rookie deal. And that’s why Le’Veon Bell has been putting up such a fuss.
The average shelf life of an NFL running back is about three years. Because dozens of RBs are taken within the seven rounds of the draft, teams are bound to pull a few rabbits out of the hat.
Le’Veon Bell (photo, YouTube)
So why would an organization give Le’Veon Bell (or any running back) $17 million bucks a season? Answer: it doesn’t make sense to do it. Spend the big bucks on other positions, especially a franchise quarterback, a highly-skilled defensive pass rusher, a prime-time cornerback, or (heck) even an underappreciated (but critical) position, like a left tackle.
Wide receivers are always looking for the big payday, and they get it more often than running backs. Why? RBs are replaceable. You may think there’s a shortage of good-to-great RBs in the league, but THERE ISN’T! They just get injured a lot.
It’s that simple. The running back is the least durable position in the game. RBs retire due to age and injury younger than any other position. A running back’s best years are his first four years in the league. Rookies are under contract for four seasons. So owners can get them ‘on the cheap.’
It may be unfair, but the NFL is a business. Money talks. That’s why no running back should ever get paid top-dollar. Yes, there are a few exceptions to that rule, and some think Le’Veon Bell is one exception. But, to be quite honest, I wouldn’t spend that kind of money on Bell.
Barkley, not Bell, maybe the best example to support the argument that some RBs deserve to earn big bucks.
Yes, fans, that’s the unfortunate truth about the running back position. And unless the NFL starts restructuring rookie RB contracts, that’s the way organizations will continue to operate.
