The NFL might be trying to devalue the running back position, but that doesn’t mean it’s not an integral part of a team.
The Las Vegas Raiders placed the franchise tag on 2022 NFL rushing champion Josh Jacobs, and as of today June 12th, he has yet to sign it.
All reports say Jacobs is “making a stand” for his running back brethren by taking a firm position on his true value.
Dallas is in a similar position with Tony Pollard, but the difference is Pollard actually signed his tag, and a long-term deal is in the works.
Running backs still have value for teams who know how to use them properly.
An efficient rushing attack does wonders for an offense.
Today we will continue the NFC East positional rankings series by analyzing the running back rooms.
Like in my previous article ranking the quarterback rooms, we will analyze by team alphabetical order and list the final rankings at the bottom of the article.
Dallas Cowboys
Projected starter: Tony Pollard
Key contributor(s): Ronald Jones, Malik Davis, Deuce Vaughn
Tony Pollard
In a splash, yet anticipated move, the Cowboys designated fan favorite Ezekiel Elliott as a post-June 1st release after seven productive seasons with the team.
This left a Texas size void in the running back room after big play man Tony Pollard.
Much to the entertainment of Cowboys Nation, former Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore finally exploited the playmaking ability of Pollard in 2022.
Pollard rushed for a career high 1,007 yards and 12 touchdowns on his way to the de facto RB1 on the Cowboys’ 2023 depth chart.
His explosiveness brought an element to the Cowboys offense that had been missing for several years.
Pollard looks to build on his career season in 2023.
Ronald Jones/Malik Davis/Deuce Vaughn
I purposely lumped all three of these running backs together in one section of this article.
They all have one thing in common: We have no idea what they will contribute to the Cowboys offense in 2023.
Ronald Jones has spent the last two seasons as an afterthought on running back rotations with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs.
If he couldn’t get playing time over names like Leonard Fournette, Rachaad White, Gio Bernard, Isaiah Pacheco, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire, what can we really expect from him?
Malik Davis is a training camp and preseason stud who has yet to translate that production into the regular season.
Could this season finally be his year? We shall see.
Dallas famously drafted Deuce Vaughn, the diminutive dasher from Kansas State University in the 2023 draft.
It’s possible he has some special packages or mop up work on offense, but we really have no idea right now what his impact will be.
The bottom line is the position looks bleak after Tony Pollard.
New York Giants
Projected starter: Saquon Barkley
Key contributor(s): Matt Breida
Saquon Barkley
The Giants placed the $10.09 million franchise tag on Saquon Barkley like the Cowboys did for Pollard.
Barkley is an injury prone player, but when healthy is arguably the most physically gifted running back in the NFL.
That injury history mixed with the apparent devaluing of the position itself is likely why the Giants offered the tag instead of a long-term deal.
New York and Dallas are similar in that they are both pushing all of their chips in for one player on the top of the depth chart without viable options behind them.
Matt Breida
Matt Breida averaged 4.1 yards per carry and caught 20 passes in limited work his first season with the Giants.
A six year veteran who has also spent time with San Francisco, Buffalo, and Miami is a solid, yet unspectacular choice to spell Barkley.
Second year Head Coach Brian Daboll will be sure to maximize the abilities of Barkley, but it is a steep drop from Saquon down to Breida should injury occur.
Philadelphia Eagles
Projected starter: D’Andre Swift
Key contributor(s): Jalen Hurts, Rashaad Penny, Kenneth Gainwell, Boston Scott
D’Andre Swift/Jalen Hurts
The Eagles allowed Miles Sanders to hit free agency after his rookie contract expired.
Sanders has since signed with the Carolina Panthers, and left nothing but role players behind him on the Eagles depth chart.
Philadelphia traded away a future 5th round pick to the Detroit Lions in exchange for explosive, but oft injured D’Andre Swift.
Swift’s career high for yards rushing is just 617 yards, a mark that Hurts eclipsed just last season.
Jalen Hurts runs the read option offense well. Hence, he is basically regarded as another starting running back on the field.
If both remain healthy, this is a dangerous duo out of the Philly backfield.
Rashaad Penny/Kenneth Gainwell/Boston Scott
Out of these three, it’s most likely that only two of these backs makes it onto the Eagles’ 2023 roster.
Rashaad Penny was an ultra productive running back in college who was drafted in the first round by the Seattle Seahawks.
Injuries kept Penny from cementing his role as the lead back in the Seahawks’ backfield, but he did show flashes of his ability.
Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott are pieces of the Eagles offense that have each contributed in different points of their careers.
Gainwell is a good runner with quick feet in the open field. He mostly contributes best on passing downs.
Scott has been the bruiser in the Eagles backfield who has benefited from goal line packages, evidenced by his 16 rushing touchdowns since 2019.
The Eagles possess a slew of question marks behind Hurts, who finished second on the team in rushing yards in 2022.
Washington Commanders
Projected starter: Brian Robinson Jr.
Key contributor(s): Antonio Gibson, Jonathan Williams
Brian Robinson Jr.
The rushing attack for the Washington Commanders will need to be a big part of their offense to help protect their deficiencies at the quarterback position.
Second year player Brian Robinson Jr. looks to build on a promising rookie season where he was the feature back for just 12 games.
Robinson was the victim of a gunshot wound last offseason, and started the 2022 season on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list for the Commanders.
Once recovered, he seemed to have established himself as the lead back over the incumbent Antonio Gibson.
The former University of Alabama standout is a tough runner who is not often brought down by the first tackler.
He is also not much of a receiver out of the backfield, catching only nine passes on 12 targets in his rookie season.
Antonio Gibson/Jonathan Williams
Antonio Gibson was once regarded as the “next Christian McCaffrey” by Head Coach Ron Rivera.
Gibson has yet to live up to the billing, unable to keep his starting role over a rookie in 2022.
He had a stellar 2021 season, reaching the 1,000 yard rushing milestone while also contributing solid numbers in the passing game.
His 2022 season was a disappointment to those expecting him to make the leap.
Jonathan Williams was moderately successful in spot duty last season, averaging 4.1 yards per carry.
His opportunities look to remain limited for 2023.
Final Running Back Room Rankings
Dallas Cowboys
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Commanders
