6 BEST AVAILABLE FREE AGENT RUNNING BACKS

BY ADAM GREENE

With the NFL Draft over and Week 1 of the regular season on the horizon, teams need to shore up their rosters with summer free agents. The guys that, for whatever reason, weren’t scooped up before the draft, but can fill gaping post-draft holes on a squad.

Normally, I would start these lists with the quarterback position, but there’s just no real, quality back up QBs available. While there are plenty of guys worth a look as a reseerve (Sean Mannion, Robert Griffin III, Matt Barley), there’s no point in listing them out. Running back is a different story.

So as teams open their workouts and rookie camps to see what they have, here are some guys that can be added to a roster without spending a lot of cash to do it.

6. BRYCE LOVE (formerly of The Washington Football Team)

2020: Did not Play

While I have Love ranked sixth, I’d be most interested in giving him a flyer. Before he tore his ACL in his final college game at Stanford, he was a sure fire second round pick and probably a future NFL starter. The WFT took him in the fourth round in 2019 and then activated, but did not play him, in 2020. In between, he dealt with some knee swelling issues and the team decided to cut bait.

Perfect fit: San Francisco 49ers

Bring him back to NoCal. Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan has taken cast-off running backs to new heights before. As a college player, Love was explosive. In 2017, rushing for 2,118 yards and 19 touchdowns while averaging a ridiculous 8.1 yards per carry for the Cardinal. He would cost next to nothing to add to a roster, so if you could get 10-11 elite games out of his knee, I don’t see the downside.

5. LESEAN MCCOY (formerly of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

2020: 10 rushes, 31 yards, 15 catches, 101 yards

McCoy was an afterthought in Tampa’s Super Bowl run, but still showed up, especially on third downs and in the passing game. He’s just four years away from his last 1,000 yard season, but could still step into a larger role if called upon. Two years ago, in Kansas City’s Super Bowl run, he averaged 4.6 yards per carry, rushed for 465 yards and scored five touchdowns.

Perfect fit: Philadelphia Eagles

It’d be nice to see the Eagles bring McCoy home after his post Chip Kelly exodus. Philadelphia has one of the shallowest running back rooms in the country, with Miles Sanders (867 yards, six touchdowns) leading the way. Breaking in a second year QB, McCoy could work as a nice safety valve on passing downs.

4. FRANK GORE (formerly of the New York Jets)

2020: 187 carries, 653 yards, two touchdowns, 16 catches, 89 yards

As a man that’s nine years older than Gore, it always irks me to hear him described as “ageless.” In NFL running back terms, however, he’s Methuselah. In 15 game appearances last season, Gore averaged 3.5 yards per carry for the worst offense in the league. He was one of the few weapons that worked and, with a better offensive line and, well, everything, he can still be a key contributor.

Perfect fit: New York Jets

Gore was a rare bright spot for a Jets team living in perpetual darkness. Their running back room, as of this writing, is led by Tevin Coleman, who rushed for all of 53 yards for the 49ers last season. A rookie QB like Zach Wilson needs a vet around that he can lean on and Gore can be that guy. I like Coleman, but he’s coming off an injury and hasn’t been dangerous since he left the Falcons after the 2018 season.

3. ADRIAN PETERSON (formerly of the Detroit Lions)

2020: 156 carries, 604 yards, seven touchdowns, 12 catches, 101 yards

Five years after Peterson finally hangs up his cleats, he’ll be inducted into Canton. When that clock begins depends probably on what happens this offseason. Peterson was still a factor in 2020, averaging 3.9 yards per carry in Detroit and was good enough to force a split in time between him and rookie RB D’Andre Swift.

Perfect fit: Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons are another team with a dumpster fire of an RB room, led by former Panthers RB Mike Davis. They did nothing in the draft to upgrade the position and really need someone to power the ball into the end zone in short yardage situations.

2. LE’VEON BELL (formerly of the Kansas City Chiefs)

2020: 82 carries, 323 yards, two touchdowns, 16 catches, 138 yards

Bell should be a cautionary tale for any running back. The position is undervalued for a reason. There are too many good running backs coming out of college every season and you can’t think you’re getting Emmett Smith and Barry Sanders money anymore, even if you deserve it. After getting cut from the Jets last season, Bell landed in Kansas City and ended up playing in a Super Bowl. He played well when he got in for the Chiefs, averaging 4.0 yards per carry and 7.6 yards per catch.

Perfect fit: Kansas City Chiefs

I’m sure Andy Reid is waiting to see how everyone’s rosters shake out in the preseason, but Bell can play for him and proved it last season. First round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire should be the feature back, but he didn’t emerge that way last season. No reason not to add a little insurance in Bell, especially when the price is so low.

1. TODD GURLEY (formerly of the Atlanta Falcons)

2020: 195 carries, 678 yards, nine touchdowns, 25 catches, 164 yards

Gurley’s first year away from the Los Angeles Rams looked a lot like his last year with the Rams. His knee has obviously cost him explosiveness, but his ability to find the end zone remains elite. Inside the red zone, the man has a nose for the paint. He averaged 3.5 yards per rush and the Falcons, ironically, didn’t use him much as a receiver, which remained a strength for the Rams even as his knee betrayed him. He can run tight end routes and is one of the best pass blockers at RB in the game.

Perfect fit: Detroit Lions

And all of that is exactly why the Lions should bring Gurley in to reunite him with Jared Goff. Goff relied on Gurley heavily in his best years with the Rams and, if Detroit wants to maximize its chances with the former first round quarterback, there’s no reason not to bring in a guy who made his life so much easier during the team’s Super Bowl run.

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