Najee Harris and Javonte Williams have made it to free agency, but will anybody care? They don’t come with the same sizzle of the running backs who signed with new teams a year ago – Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Derrick Henry.
Joe Mixon and Tony Pollard also played well with new teams a year ago, which might contribute to teams being more willing to spend at the position. But it’s a good year to be looking for running backs in the draft.
The Steelers selected Harris in the first round in 2021, and he’s run for over 1,000 yards in each of his first four seasons. He’s been durable – the only tailback in the league who hasn’t missed a game the last four years.
The Broncos selected Williams shortly after Harris, early in the second round. He missed most of his second season with a torn ACL, but he’s worked his way back to be a starter for most of the last two years.
But neither Harris nor Williams has been dynamic. Neither has generated many longer runs. Both have averaged under 4 yards per carry for their careers.
Of the 43 running backs who’ve carried the ball at least 400 times over the last four years, only five have averaged fewer yards per attempt than both Harris and Williams. All but one of those backs has already played on multiple teams.
The Steelers seem to be lukewarm on Harris; they declined to pick up the fifth-year option on his contract a year ago. I expect Harris will be starting somewhere, but he’s not a difference maker. He’s more of a lesser version of Derrick Henry.
Williams should land as a backup somewhere. He seems to be more of a committee back rather than a starter. Unlikely, I think, that the Broncos are interested in bringing him back.
The below chart shows total rushing stats for the past four years. Players are ordered by yards per attempt. Players headed for unrestricted free agency are tagged with black dots.
| YARDS PER CARRY, RUNNING BACKS (2021-24) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | G | Att | Yds | Avg | TD |
| Jahmyr Gibbs | 32 | 432 | 2,357 | 5.46 | 26 |
| • Nick Chubb | 41 | 660 | 3,286 | 4.98 | 23 |
| James Cook | 49 | 533 | 2,638 | 4.95 | 20 |
| Christian McCaffrey | 44 | 665 | 3,242 | 4.88 | 23 |
| Jonathan Taylor | 52 | 996 | 4,844 | 4.86 | 40 |
| • Khalil Herbert | 56 | 400 | 1,905 | 4.76 | 9 |
| • Aaron Jones | 60 | 781 | 3,714 | 4.76 | 13 |
| Derrick Henry | 58 | 1,173 | 5,563 | 4.74 | 51 |
| Bijan Robinson | 34 | 518 | 2,432 | 4.69 | 18 |
| Saquon Barkley | 59 | 1,049 | 4,872 | 4.64 | 31 |
| • Raheem Mostert | 45 | 477 | 2,201 | 4.61 | 23 |
| Miles Sanders | 56 | 580 | 2,660 | 4.59 | 14 |
| Tony Pollard | 64 | 835 | 3,810 | 4.56 | 22 |
| Breece Hall | 40 | 512 | 2,333 | 4.56 | 14 |
| Isiah Pacheco | 38 | 458 | 2,075 | 4.53 | 13 |
| Kyren Williams | 38 | 579 | 2,582 | 4.46 | 26 |
| Tyler Allgeier | 50 | 533 | 2,362 | 4.43 | 10 |
| James Conner | 57 | 829 | 3,668 | 4.42 | 37 |
| • Dalvin Cook | 47 | 588 | 2,566 | 4.36 | 14 |
| Devin Singletary | 65 | 694 | 3,024 | 4.36 | 20 |
| Rhamondre Stevenson | 56 | 706 | 3,066 | 4.34 | 21 |
| D'Andre Swift | 60 | 732 | 3,167 | 4.33 | 21 |
| Josh Jacobs | 62 | 1,091 | 4,659 | 4.27 | 42 |
| Austin Ekeler | 59 | 666 | 2,821 | 4.24 | 34 |
| Travis Etienne | 49 | 637 | 2,691 | 4.22 | 18 |
| Kenneth Walker | 41 | 600 | 2,528 | 4.21 | 24 |
| Chuba Hubbard | 64 | 755 | 3,175 | 4.21 | 22 |
| David Montgomery | 57 | 830 | 3,440 | 4.14 | 37 |
| • D'Onta Foreman | 46 | 516 | 2,137 | 4.14 | 12 |
| Zack Moss | 48 | 446 | 1,837 | 4.12 | 12 |
| Brian Robinson | 41 | 570 | 2,329 | 4.09 | 15 |
| Dameon Pierce | 38 | 405 | 1,648 | 4.07 | 8 |
| Joe Mixon | 61 | 1,004 | 4,069 | 4.05 | 40 |
| Antonio Gibson | 64 | 592 | 2,386 | 4.03 | 12 |
| • AJ Dillon | 49 | 551 | 2,186 | 3.97 | 14 |
| • Javonte Williams | 54 | 606 | 2,394 | 3.95 | 11 |
| Alvin Kamara | 55 | 871 | 3,439 | 3.95 | 17 |
| • Najee Harris | 68 | 1,097 | 4,312 | 3.93 | 28 |
| Rachaad White | 50 | 545 | 2,084 | 3.82 | 10 |
| • Ezekiel Elliott | 64 | 726 | 2,746 | 3.78 | 28 |
| Jamaal Williams | 57 | 569 | 2,137 | 3.76 | 22 |
| • Kareem Hunt | 53 | 536 | 1,993 | 3.72 | 24 |
| • Alexander Mattison | 63 | 520 | 1,894 | 3.64 | 12 |
—Ian Allan