Seattle signed Eddie Lacy yesterday, and that move raised some eyebrows. His one-year contract for $5.55 million seems like a hefty (no pun intended) sum for a player who's apparently struggled with his weight, including now. But Seattle clearly needed to do something to have options beyond their current ones.
C.J. Prosise flashed some talent last year, but with his wide-receiver like build he'll have some injury issues -- best suited to be a complementary back. And the team can't count on Thomas Rawls as its main runner.
Rawls has also struggled with injury issues dating back to college, and even when he was healthy a year ago, he was pretty ineffective. Among running backs with at least 100 carries a year ago, in fact, he was about the least-effective in the league.
The table below shows running backs with 100-plus attempts in 2016, sorted by yards per attempt. Lacy had only 71 attempts, but he's included on this list as well. If Lacy can get his weight under control, he should comfortably beat out Rawls for the main running back job.
| RUNNING BACKS, YARDS PER CARRY (2016) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Att | Yds | Avg | TD |
| Mike Gillislee, Buff. | 101 | 577 | 5.7 | 8 |
| Bilal Powell, NYJ | 131 | 722 | 5.5 | 3 |
| LeSean McCoy, Buff. | 234 | 1,267 | 5.4 | 13 |
| Jordan Howard, Chi. | 252 | 1,313 | 5.2 | 6 |
| Mark Ingram, N.O. | 205 | 1,043 | 5.1 | 6 |
| Eddie Lacy, G.B. | 71 | 360 | 5.1 | 0 |
| Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 322 | 1,631 | 5.1 | 15 |
| LeVeon Bell, Pitt. | 261 | 1,268 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Jay Ajayi, Mia. | 260 | 1,272 | 4.9 | 8 |
| Devonta Freeman, Atl. | 227 | 1,079 | 4.8 | 11 |
| Isaiah Crowell, Clev. | 198 | 952 | 4.8 | 7 |
| Carlos Hyde, S.F. | 217 | 988 | 4.6 | 6 |
| Derrick Henry, Tenn. | 110 | 490 | 4.5 | 5 |
| DeMarco Murray, Tenn. | 293 | 1,287 | 4.4 | 9 |
| Tevin Coleman, Atl. | 118 | 520 | 4.4 | 8 |
| Spencer Ware, K.C. | 214 | 921 | 4.3 | 3 |
| Ryan Mathews, Phil. | 155 | 661 | 4.3 | 8 |
| Jacquizz Rodgers, T.B. | 129 | 560 | 4.3 | 2 |
| David Johnson, Ariz. | 293 | 1,239 | 4.2 | 16 |
| Rob Kelley, Wash. | 168 | 704 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Alfred Blue, Hou. | 100 | 420 | 4.2 | 1 |
| Tim Hightower, N.O. | 133 | 548 | 4.1 | 4 |
| Paul Perkins, NYG | 112 | 456 | 4.1 | 0 |
| Lamar Miller, Hou. | 268 | 1,073 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Latavius Murray, Oak. | 195 | 788 | 4.0 | 12 |
| Terrance West, Balt. | 193 | 774 | 4.0 | 5 |
| C.J. Anderson, Den. | 110 | 437 | 4.0 | 4 |
| LeGarrette Blount, N.E. | 299 | 1,161 | 3.9 | 18 |
| Frank Gore, Ind. | 263 | 1,025 | 3.9 | 4 |
| Melvin Gordon, S.D. | 254 | 997 | 3.9 | 10 |
| Jeremy Hill, Cin. | 222 | 839 | 3.8 | 9 |
| Jonathan Stewart, Car. | 218 | 824 | 3.8 | 9 |
| Chris Ivory, Jac. | 117 | 439 | 3.8 | 3 |
| Matt Fort , NYJ | 218 | 813 | 3.7 | 7 |
| T.J. Yeldon, Jac. | 130 | 465 | 3.6 | 1 |
| Devontae Booker, Den. | 174 | 612 | 3.5 | 4 |
| Jerick McKinnon, Minn. | 159 | 539 | 3.4 | 2 |
| Rashad Jennings, NYG | 181 | 593 | 3.3 | 3 |
| Matt Asiata, Minn. | 121 | 402 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Todd Gurley, L.A. | 278 | 885 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Thomas Rawls, Sea. | 109 | 349 | 3.2 | 3 |
| Doug Martin, T.B. | 144 | 421 | 2.9 | 3 |
--Andy Richardson