In the game of Football, since before the National Football League was formed; back when the game was played by universities in a muddy field with leather helmets, the running back has been the cornerstone of an offense. Throughout history, names like Walter Payton and Barry Sanders have graced the lips of young NFL fans, and have been passed on for generations as some of the greatest legends of the game. Young kids used to dream about running the football and those kids turned into names like Edgerren James and Chris Johnson. Halfbacks used to be the largest contracts in all of football. However, this is no longer the case. Halfbacks' value and longevity has gone down thoroughly throughout the last several years, due to some scattered injury histories of the biggest stars in the game. This past offseason was arguably the worst for the running back union, and collectively decided that they had enough.
The state of the NFL right now is simple; air raid offense. The quarterbacks of last years championship games are as follows: Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, and Brock Purdy. Now with the exception of a young Brock Purdy it is known that these teams are all a pass based offense. The 49’ers would fit into that category as well if it was not for one man; Christian McCaffrey. The Stanford Cardinal alum found himself back in his home state of California after a mid-season deal sent him from the Carolina Panthers to the Bay Area, instantly making the 49’ers Super Bowl contenders.
The 49’ers are an anomaly among today’s NFL. There are not many offenses that are a running back first offense. Some names that come to mind, The Cleveland Browns, who have the dynamic Nick Chubb. The Tennessee Titans, with King Henry. And lastly, the New York Football Giants, with the powerful Saquon Barkley. The common denominator among those teams? Injuries. This season in the first six weeks both Nick Chubb and Saquon Barkley have already gotten serious injuries and Derrick Henry missed the last several weeks of the season last year due to an injury as well. Even the number one running back in the league has been plagued by injury troubles. During his time in Carolina Christian McCaffrey was a bit of a liability due to his scattered injury history. There is no doubt that when these guys are on the field that they are a danger to any defense, but the secret to keeping them healthy has yet to be found. The solution for NFL front offices? Rentals.
The rental running back, something that is a newfound strategy in the National Football League. This was first seen in the early 2010’s with guys like Eddie Lacy or Jay Ajayi, players who were only good for two to three years but allowed their franchises to move onto the next guy with little to no financial repercussions. This became more frequent during the mid 2010’s where the old age of running backs were all fading out due to injury. Guys like Adrian Peterson and Jamaal Charles found their careers ending in non-optimal ways, both having a history of cruciate knee injuries.
The Adrian Peterson end to his era brought forth one of the biggest running back stars of the last few years, as well as one of the biggest proponents of this movement; Dalvin Cook. Cook’s contract ended last season and he found himself on the free agent marker scraping at the bottom of the barrel. A player who has rushed for over 6000 career yards and 47 touchdowns, who has also attended four pro bowls, is barely able to sign a new deal at only 28 years old. This season he is a backup to sophomore Breece Hall at the New York Jets, under a one year, 7 million dollar deal. As of week six Cook has only rushed for 97 yards.
This is just one example of the “dying age’ of running backs. Second contracts are scarce because NFL owners are not willing to risk injury for the heavy price tag placed on these superstars. Can you blame them? It makes sense logistically, but NFL fans want to see running backs thrive instead of watching them die a slow death. Guys like Le’veon Bell, Adrian Peterson, Demarco Murray, Lesean McCoy. All of these players had gas left in the tank still when their general managers decided that they were not willing to risk a second contract, and it resulted in the demise of their careers.
With only four NFL teams still centering their offense around a running back, it seems as if there is no other conclusion besides that the half-back position is on its way out the door. The old pound the rock generation has to wrap their minds around the fact that half-backs are now a rental position, and kids no longer picture themselves being Stephen Jackson or Ezekiel Elliott, but pass-catchers, such as Tyreek Hill and Stefon Diggs. The NFL has moved away from the running backs of old, and we are in the midst of the new age league. The half-back is dying, and the air-raid has begun.
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