running-back Page 1 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
The NFL’s franchise tag is un-American
What happens every time an NFL quarterback resets the QB market? A relatively crap quarterback gets overpaid. The reason Daniel Jones netted a four-year $160 million deal after one good season, instead of getting franchise tagged like he should’ve been, is Joe Burrow got enough money that, by compar...
Ask not what a free agent running back can do for you, but what you can do for them
Saying there’s no value in running backs was always nonsense, but because bad teams think a ground game is going to make their garbage quarterback and shoddy offensive line redeemable, the stereotype gets furthered. So this offseason when some NFC South team signs Derrick Henry or Josh Jacobs or Saq...
![So much for Saquon Barkley being a 'Giant for life' [Update]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/f3c6d802297990b5c4a9b9cb3e1da6ba.jpg)
So much for Saquon Barkley being a 'Giant for life' [Update]
It’s official. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the New York Giants will not give running back Saquon Barkley the franchise tag. He will hit the open market for the first time since entering the league in 2018. ...
Derrick Henry all but confirmed his future following Tennessee’s win over Jacksonville
Titans running back Derrick Henry arrived in Tennessee in 2016 as a second-round pick following an incredible career playing for Nick Saban at Alabama. Henry has topped the 1,000-yard mark in five of his eight seasons with the team and became the eighth player in NFL history to run for more than 2,0...
NFL Running backs don’t need to fake injuries to show the league how dangerous their jobs are
This summer, NFL Players Association president J.C. Tretter’s ill-advised suggestion that running backs fake injuries to create leverage set off alarms around the league. On Monday, the NFL finally responded by filing an expected grievance against the NFLPA. ...
Nick Chubb's gruesome injury — and its aftermath — shows why NFL RBs deserve hazard pay
There was little offense early during the Cleveland Browns-Pittsburgh Steelers Week 2 Monday Night football matchup. The two teams played hot potato, turning the ball over back and forth, and the end of the first quarter had to be played over again after replay review. ...
Deuce Vaughn is proving that size doesn't matter in the NFL
Deuce Vaughn has Mike McCarthy drawing up a brand new offensive playbook...
Running backs meet as changes to the franchise tag are long overdue
Disgruntled NFL tailbacks are on the counteroffensive against unfavorable market forces and a collective bargaining agreement that leaves them with few options have spent the last few days discussing their current predicament amongst one another and appear to have emerged from their Zoom meeting wit...
Is Saquon Barkley stuck in a time loop, or just us?
On the surface, Saquon Barkley’s new contract with the New York Giants feels a lot like the franchise tag. It’s a one-year deal worth roughly the amount of same money — $10.1 million fully guaranteed vs. $10.091 million via the franchise tag — but with about a million in incentives. The main distinc...
Arthur Smith’s Falcons are riding the Bijan Robinson train in an age of aviator offenses
Arthur Smith migrated to the Falcons after laying down the railroad tracks for the Tennessee Titans’ 2020 AFC Championship berth. One would hope he isn’t trying to put his spin on the Derrick Henry cloud of dust offense he conducted for two years, but with Bijan Robinson. An essential part of buildi...
NFLPA prez implies franchised running backs should fake injuries for leverage
Apparently all the striking and picketing going on at various writer and actor guilds has seeped into the professional sports. The New York Giants and running back Saquon Barkley are at an impasse over the team giving him an ultimatum of a shitty contract, or the franchise tag, and now he’s mulling ...
Le’Veon Bell speaks out on state of NFL running back position
The deadline for franchise-tagged players and their teams to come to an agreement has come and gone, and neither Saquon Barkley nor Josh Jacobs got the long-term extension they were seeking. Of course, everyone has an opinion on the situation NFL running backs find themselves in frequently. There mi...
Ain’t no love in the heart of NFL ownership for running backs
On the field, running backs have an offensive line to protect them. Off of the field, all they have is each other. The position with the shortest career span in the NFL has become the one that comes with the hardest fight to receive a contract that properly compensates their contributions. The deadl...
The NFL’s leading rusher seems like an afterthought during the offseason
Running backs have been devalued for some time in the NFL. Top RB paydays pale compared to quarterbacks and wide receivers around the league. NFL offenses once coveted backs who could carry the rock 20-plus times each game and were willing to pay them accordingly. Now all that’s out there for the le...
Dalvin Cook cut a reminder that the NFL treats RBs like Amazon warehouse workers
Being a running back is a great way to get recruited. In high school, RBs frequently have the ball in their hands, and it doesn’t take much for their talent to be recognized. Little Johnny fakes out two linebackers, runs over a safety, and then glides into not only the end zone, but also a college s...
So you traded the No. 1 pick — now what, Chicago?
The Chicago Bears failed in the most ideal way possible last season. They finished with the worst record in the NFL, and still found a way to unleash breathtaking athleticism from Justin Fields. ...
Running Back contracts have been stuck in amber for the past decade
We used to be a country. A proper country, where the running back position was the focal point of any NFL offense. Today, they’re the coal miners of the NFL landscape. It’s no secret that as the salary cap has ballooned and the market has blessed the quarterback-receiver connection, the running back...
Tua is the most aggressive quarterback in the league? Next Gen Stats, explain yourself<em></em>
I love advanced analytics. At the same time, I know the results that come from analytics can lead people down some pretty insane rabbit holes and toward some pretty hot takes. One stat leads to another, which leads to another, and all of a sudden you’re saying that C.J. Beathard deserves another sho...
For Your Consideration: Pollard over Elliott for the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl voting has been underway for some time now, and it closes...*checks notes*... TOMORROW NIGHT! Well, I hope you all voted your hearts out while you still had an opportunity. If you haven’t though, you might want to throw your two cents into the Pro Bowl fountain if you’d like to see your fav...