Ideal landing spot for top 10 NFL free agent running backs

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley — Credit: Kevin R. Wexler / USA TODAY NETWORK

The NFL running back market has not been robust for players at this position over the past several offseasons. Teams are now going with more of a committee approach. Add in the pass-happy modern NFL, and this position has been devalued a great deal.

There are still going to be a number of top-end backs hit the NFL free agent market in March. The headliners are Saquon Barkley (New York Giants) and Josh Jacobs (Las Vegas Raiders).

Though, there are others who are going to draw interest from teams attempting to upgrade their backfields this offseason. Here, we look at the top-10 free agent running backs and their ideal landing spot.

Saquon Barkley

The Giants are not going to place the franchise tag on Barkley, meaning he’ll hit NFL free agency. It’s highly unlikely he’ll be back in New York given the contract stalemate last offseason. The two-time All-Pro put up 1,242 total yards and 10 touchdowns a season ago despite missing another three games to injury. Given his dual-threat ability (98 catches past two seasons), there is going to be widespread interest. We like the Los Angeles Chargers and new head coach Jim Harbaugh as a fit for Barkley. He seems to be an ideal running back in offensive coordinator Greg Roman’s system.

Josh Jacobs

Another running back who found himself in a contract stalemate last offseason, it is also highly unlikely that Jacobs will be back with the Raiders in 2024. The 2022 NFL rushing champion struggled to the tune of 805 rushing yards at a clip of 3.5 yards per rush this past season. That came after a 1,653-yard performance the year before. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fiinshed last in rushing a season ago. They’d love to find more balance for Baker Mayfield once he ultimately re-signs with the team. Jacobs would provide that in more ways than one.

Tony Pollard

In his first season taking over as the Cowboys’ RB1, Pollard did not live up to expectations. He recorded just over 1,000 rushing yards while playing in all 17 games. That came after tallying more yards on 59 less attempts the season before. We’re expecting Dallas to go in another direction here. Pollard still caught 55 passes a season ago. That fits in with what teams are looking for in today’s NFL. Former Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and the Washington Commanders make a ton of sense here. Antonio Gibson is slated to hit free agency. Washington also finished with the sixth-worst rushing attack in 2023.

Derrick Henry

Tennesee has indicated that it would like to re-sign this two-time NFL rushing champion. We’re just not seeing it. At 30 years old, Henry wants to play for a title contender. He’s made that more than clear. Still going strong after putting up nearly 1,400 total yards in 2023, there is going to be market for Henry. The Dallas Cowboys come to mind as a logical landing spot. Tony Pollard is unlikely to return. They have a major need in the backfield with Dak Prescott. It just makes too much sense.

Austin Ekeler

Yet another running back who had contract issues last season, Ekeler is more valuable as a receiver (228 catches past three seasons) than an actual running back. He’ll likely be seen more of that type of player once NFL free agency opens. It is also highly unlikely he returns to the Los Angeles Chargers given they have a new brass calling the shots. It would certainly make sense for a team like the New York Jets to sign Ekeler as a change of pace to Breece Hall. Aaron Rodgers likes targeting backs in the passing game. It’s an ideal fit.

Devin Singletary

Singletary signed a one-year contract with Houston last offseason after a ho-hum four-year start to his career with the Buffalo Bills. He ultimately put up a stellar performance in a part-time role, tallying 1,091 yards at a clip of 4.4 yards per touch. Singletary seems to be a perfect fit in Bobby Slowik’s offense, meaning that a return to the Houston Texans should be in the cards.

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D’Andre Swift

Dynamic. That’s the best way to describe what Swift did in his first season with Philadelphia. The former Detroit Lions star gained 1,263 total yards at a clip of 4.7 yards per touch. He also caught a resounding 80% of his targets from Jalen Hurts. A return to the Philadelphia Eagles makes the most sense here.

Antonio Gibson

Gibson has fallen off the map to an extent after gaining nearly 2,400 total yards and 21 touchdowns in his first two seasons from 2020-21. He’s still a dual-threat option out of the backfield (172 catches in four seasons). We absolutely love the San Francisco 49ers as a fit for Gibson. They simply can’t continue to rely on Christian McCaffrey so much. He’ll need a breather or two moving forward after leading the NFL in rush attempts and touches a season ago. Gibson would be a dynamic backup given that aforementioned receiving ability.

A.J. Dillon

Dillon actually saw a downtick in yards-per-carry each of the four seasons he played with the Packers. Last season saw the former Boston College standout average a mere 3.4 yards per tote. He’s not going to be valued as a RB1 on the NFL free agent market. But as a short-yardage guy, he makes sense. That’s where the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs come into play. They don’t really have that in the backfield. Why not sign Dillon and see if they can hit lightning in a bottle?

J.K. Dobbins

Dobbins was seen as a dynamic running back prospect leading up to the 2020 NFL Draft out of Ohio State. He performed well as a rookie in Baltimore, going for 925 total yards at a clip of 6.1 yards per touch. Since then, Dobbins has played in all of nine games due to a plethora of injuries. A change of scenery should be in the cards here. That’s where the New Orleans Saints come into play. They are up against the NFL salary cap. Alvin Kamara is likely to be released. Taking a chance on Dobbins via a veteran minimum deal would make sense.