NFL free agent RBs in 2024: How Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry and more got last laugh with playoff runs

In the modern NFL, wherever quarterbacks and wide receivers reign supreme, moving backs person faded from the spotlight successful caller years.

While you tin statement the "value" of moving backs each time long, the NFL tells america precisely however they presumption the presumption based connected the contracts they manus out. As of now, the league's highest-paid moving back, Christian McCaffrey ($19 cardinal mean yearly value), makes little wealth than Amari Cooper ($20 cardinal AAV), the 21st-highest-paid receiver successful the league.

Running backs crossed the league person intelligibly taken this to bosom and person made it a constituent to beryllium their worthy this season. These efforts person been spearheaded by the 2024 escaped cause class, who person made up immoderate of the league's astir productive rushers this season. Four of the league's top-10 rushers were moving backs who recovered caller homes successful 2024, and each 4 are the featured backmost connected playoff teams.

Two of the astir marquee signings astatine moving backmost this offseason, Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs, are acceptable to quadrate disconnected successful the wild-card circular arsenic the Eagles volition big the Packers connected Sunday afternoon. As these 2 hole to spell caput to caput this weekend, let's instrumentality a look backmost astatine the occurrence of the astir caller escaped cause class.

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NFL escaped cause RB signings successful 2024

Saquon Barkley: Philadelphia Eagles

Down the agelong this season, determination were fewer bigger storylines than Barkley's quest to interruption Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record. He was benched successful Week 18 and fell conscionable short, but it was an awesome play nonetheless.

Barkley lit up the stat expanse successful each mode imaginable portion playing an invaluable relation successful the Philadelphia offense, allowing them to brackish distant games with a suffocating crushed game. What's arguably astir awesome is that Barkley, connected the ground, has out-gained the Philadelphia passing onslaught 4 times this season.

Outside of his wide production, Barkley tin rip disconnected a touchdown from astir anyplace connected the field, thing this discourtesy has ne'er had astatine its disposal. Barkley has 8 touchdowns successful his vocation of astatine slightest 65 yards successful length, 4 of which person travel this season.

Altogether, it's been 1 of the astir awesome single-season performances from a moving backmost of each time.

Moving into the playoffs, expect to spot much of the aforesaid retired of Barkley. The Eagles diagnostic a top-tier defence and an elite violative line, some of which pb to Barkley seeing plentifulness of enactment each week. With Barkley consistently threatening to gash a defence for a agelong touchdown portion A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith run connected the outside, the Eagles volition airs a large situation for defenses passim the postseason.

Josh Jacobs: Green Bay Packers 

Josh Jacobs, meanwhile, is successful the midst a stellar play of his own. After struggling passim the 2023 season, galore ridiculed the Packers' beforehand bureau for giving him a $48 cardinal declaration this offseason. He's proven the critics incorrect and has been among the astir productive moving backs successful the league successful his archetypal twelvemonth with the Packers.

Jacobs has besides played an integral relation successful the discourtesy successful immoderate of the more trying times of the season. When Jordan Love was sidelined successful Weeks 2 & 3, Jacobs toted the stone 46 times, picking up 194 rushing yards connected the mode to 2 wins for Green Bay.

This play marks the 2nd clip successful Jacobs' vocation that he's seen 300-plus carries. A existent workhorse backmost who tin grip 15-20 carries per crippled portion besides playing a relation arsenic a receiver is thing that the Green Bay discourtesy hasn't featured successful rather immoderate time. 

More recently, Jacobs has been a cardinal portion of the Packers' scoring output. Jacobs has 14 rushing touchdowns successful his past 10 games, a agelong wherever Green Bay has scored 30-plus points six times. While a mates of cardinal games haven't gone the Packers' way, Jacobs brings an constituent to this discourtesy that tin let them to vie with immoderate squad successful the NFC.

Both Philadelphia and Green Bay person proven to beryllium much than contented leaning connected their stud moving backs this season, ranking No. 32 and No. 31 successful wide walk rate, respectively. With the upwind expected to beryllium successful the 30s successful Philly connected Sunday afternoon, don't beryllium amazed if the conflict betwixt Barkley and Jacobs is the superior storyline successful this wild-card matchup.

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Derrick Henry: Baltimore Ravens

Although overshadowed by Barkley, Derrick Henry is coming disconnected a play worthy of a 3rd vocation All-Pro nod. Henry eclipsed 1,900 rushing yards for the 2nd clip successful his vocation contempt being connected the "wrong" broadside of 30.

If determination was 1 mode to statistically capture Henry's greatness this play and what helium brings to this Baltimore offense, look astatine the past enactment of that table. If you look strictly astatine his yards after contact, Henry would inactive person much rushing yards than David Montgomery, Rhamondre Stevenson and Brian Robinson Jr. connected the year.

If there's an idiosyncratic play that displays what Henry means to this team, it would beryllium his archetypal transportation of the crippled successful Week 4 against the Bills.

DERRICK FREAKIN' HENRY!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/xhYv0apEQu

That is simply a 250-pound, 30-year-old antheral blowing by antiaircraft backs connected his mode to a location call. Outside of Henry, determination is not a azygous moving backmost successful the NFL that features this operation of size and speed.

With 2 All-Pro talents successful the backfield successful Henry and Lamar Jackson, the Ravens are fundamentally capable to bash immoderate they privation connected offense. Henry and Lamar some pb their respective positions successful yards per transportation and bid tremendous respect from opposing defenses, opening the doorway for the passing onslaught to run freely.

The Ravens person arsenic potent of an discourtesy arsenic immoderate heading into the 2025 playoffs. If they're yet going to interruption done to the Super Bowl with Jackson nether center, Henry volition beryllium a cardinal portion of their violative occurrence each and each week.

Aaron Jones: Minnesota Vikings

While he's not rather Derrick Henry, Aaron Jones has enactment unneurotic yet different beardown play aft uncovering a caller location backmost successful March. Despite battling injuries passim the year, Jones played each 17 games and finished the play arsenic the league's No. 9 starring rusher.

Jones has ne'er been an 80-percent drawback stock feline who you provender 20 carries per game, though helium played that relation successful spurts this season. Jones is simply a 1A backmost who takes the bulk of the enactment portion providing explosive plays and prime accumulation done the air. This is precisely who Jones was this season. He finished the regular play with 408 receiving yards, the seventh-most of immoderate moving back.

Not galore teams are consenting to enactment their moving backs successful a concern similar this.

#Vikings RB Aaron Jones (bottom of screen) gets cleanable separation vs #Jets LB Quincy Williams. A amended propulsion and this is simply a TD. Really large occupation by Jones to travel backmost to the shot and marque the contested catch, don't spot Running Backs bash this often pic.twitter.com/p3XOVLdkZ8

Justin Jefferson and the passing onslaught volition ever beryllium the focal constituent of this offense. However, with a complementary portion similar Jones, the Vikings are capable to endanger defenses successful a assortment of ways, which allows Kevin O'Connell to get creative. When KOC tin unfastened up the full playbook, this discourtesy is simply a show to see.

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J.K. Dobbins: Los Angeles Chargers

After tearing his ACL successful 2021 and tearing his Achilles successful 2023, determination was a existent accidental that J.K. Dobbins would ne'er spot the NFL tract again. Luckily, the Chargers gave him a one-year "prove it" woody to spot what helium inactive had near successful the tank.

After winning the starting occupation successful grooming camp, Dobbins got disconnected to an incredibly blistery commencement this season, rushing for 130-plus yards successful each of his archetypal 2 games successful a Chargers uniform. He yet slowed down, but inactive enactment unneurotic an awesome play considering the injuries helium was coming backmost from.

Late successful the year, Dobbins proved that helium is the make-or-break portion successful the Los Angeles crushed game. You cognize what they say, "You ne'er cognize what you person until it's gone."

When Dobbins was sidelined from Weeks 13-16, the Chargers knew precisely what they were missing. With Dobbins connected IR, the Los Angeles backfield struggled mightily, and the team's starring rusher cracked 40 yards conscionable erstwhile successful 4 games.

Dobbins is steadfast for the playoffs, and he'll request to reclaim his early-season signifier if the Chargers are going to propulsion disconnected an upset oregon two.

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Austin Ekeler: Washington Commanders

After an illustrious vocation with the Chargers, Austin Ekeler near the squad to motion with the Washington Commanders this offseason. He joined Brian Robinson Jr. successful the backfield, making up 1 of the much versatile RB tandems successful the NFL.

This has been Ekeler's archetypal clip playing a complementary relation successful respective years, but he's made the astir of each accidental he's received ... literally. Ekeler is averaging 6.5 yards per interaction this season, the astir of immoderate moving back.

He's the cleanable spouse for Robinson, who isn't the astir talented receiver. When Jayden Daniels opts to cheque the shot down alternatively of scrambling, Ekeler has made for a reliable information broad who has been productive with the shot successful his hands.