With the NFL Combine on the horizon it’s easy to forget that we’re just a few weeks away from the start of NFL free agency. For whatever reason, this year’s free agent class is uncharacteristically deep at every position with starters hitting the market at the right time. The running back position isn’t considered as important as it used to be before the new millennium, but the value of a running back couldn’t be more clear. Not a single team had success in the playoffs this season without some sort of running game and the two teams that relied on it the most, the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos, happened to meet in the Super Bowl.
If a running back is going to be a free agent at this point, there’s no question he’ll hit the open market. None of these guys are Adrian Peterson or Todd Gurley, but they are game, team and culture-changing running backs that bring multiple tools to the table. And it doesn’t hurt that not even one of them is older than 27.
I’ve already hit the quarterbacks in this free agent period. Part one is here. Part two is here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06_5EBHzIeo
6. Ronnie Hillman, Denver Broncos
Age: 24
2015: 207 carries, 863 yards, 4.2 yards per carry, seven touchdowns, 24 catches, 111 yards
Hillman is so under-appreciated in Denver that no fan even bothered putting together a solo highlight reel for the kid. Both he and C.J. Anderson are free agents and the Broncos won’t keep both. They also have other players that will get paid first, namely Von Miller who will be franchised and Brock Osweiler, who won’t, but could likely be signed to a long-term contract at any time before free agency hits.
Not only those two guys, but the Broncos really need to keep Malik Jackson and Danny Trevathan on that championship defense if at all possible. Hillman is a solid running back that has always put up good numbers. The Broncos even gave him more touches this year than Anderson. The problem for Hillman is that Anderson had all the big moments, the game-clinching runs, the overtime game-winning plays.
On the bright side for Hillman, all that makes Anderson more expensive to keep. Hillman could probably be had in the $1.5-to-$2 million a year range and that makes a lot more financial sense for the Broncos with so many other players to sign.
5. Chris Ivory, New York Jets
Age: 27
2015: 247 carries, 1,070 yards, 4.3 yards per carry, seven touchdowns, 30 catches, 217 receiving yards, one touchdown
Ivory picked the right time to have the best year of his career. While the Jets didn’t make the playoffs, it wasn’t because of Ivory who has been an underrated player since the New Orleans Saints drafted him in 2010.
All Ivory ever needed was the carries. He’s never once in five seasons averaged less than 4.1 yards per carry. Ivory was part of a deep backfield in New York , but only Zac Stacy is under contract next season and he’s coming off a season-ending ankle injury.
The Jets will definitely want Ivory back, but he’ll probably demand about $4 million a year to keep and they’ve got other priorities to sign first, namely quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and linebackers Demario Davis and Calvin Pace. Ivory could get a real look from the Dallas Cowboys, the New England Patriots, the Seattle Seahawks and the Tennessee Titans and the Jets can’t really get in a bidding way with any of them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=su0chPAVAsk
4. C.J. Anderson, Denver Broncos
Age: 25
2015: 152 carries, 720 yards, 4.7 yards per carry, five touchdowns, 25 receptions, 183 yards
Of all the guys on this list, I have the toughest time seeing Anderson changing teams, but reality may make it happen. First off, you have Hillman who is just as productive and will cost less to keep. Second, of course, you have a Pro Bowl list of free agents the Broncos have to value more than either running back. If Anderson is looking for a $3 million a year deal, the money just might not be there in Denver.
But Anderson has made a name for himself when it counts. He’s delivered huge, game-clinching plays when his team needed them the most. He’s been there in the clutch and made specific, game-defining plays that helped his team win a Super Bowl. Does that matter? You better believe it does.
Who might step up to the plate for Anderson? How about the Green Bay Packers? I also like they way he’d fit in with the Houston Texans or the Chicago Bears.
Next: 3-1
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