4. Running backs look for a solid market
Teams with five of the top-eight rushing attacks in the NFL this past season made the playoffs. It’s an interesting stat to look at considering today’s professional football world has increasingly become pass first. It also tells us a story of running backs not necessarily dying out in terms of value, much like most of us figured they would years back.
This should lead to an increase in value when it comes to this position in free agency. Though, a lot of that will depend on exactly how the market itself plays out.
Will future Hall of Fame Adrian Peterson find himself available to the masses? If so, how will teams view him after he played in just three games due to multiple injuries this past season? Despite being injury plagued over the course of the past two years, will Green Bay Packers running back Eddie Lacy find a stronger-than-expected market? These are the two big question marks at this position.
Though, there’s surely going to be a focus on lesser-known options. Let’s assume for a second Le’Veon Bell has the franchise tag placed on him by the Pittsburgh Steelers. That will leave Latavius Murray and LeGarrette Blount as the two other best options on the open market.
Even after putting up 2,350 total yards and 18 touchdowns over the past two seasons, the Oakland Raiders are expected to let Murray walk in free agency. Still just 27 years old, he should find a decent market for his services.
Meanwhile, Blount is coming off a 2016 campaign that saw him lead the NFL with 18 rushing touchdowns. At 30 years old, he’s definitely going to be looking for that first and only major payday of his career. Does this exclude the Pats from re-signing the veteran?
How this plays out will have a huge role in the outcome of the 2017 NFL Draft, where multiple running backs could potentially go in the first round. As of right now, the likes of Leonard Fournette, Dalvin Cook and Christian McCaffrey could all be seen as Day 1 picks. Should teams go that route instead of free agency, what will that mean for the veterans mentioned above? See. It’s all correlated. And while the primary focus here is on free agency, everything that happens will have a chain reaction.