With the new league year just around the corner, it's time for all 32 NFL teams to turn their attention to free agency in a bid to improve their rosters for a new campaign.
Here are the top free agents at running back, taken from PFF's free agency rankings.
Editor's note: For up-to-the-minute updates based on everything we’re hearing around the NFL, go to PFF's free agency rankings, where you can sort by position, team needs, and more all offseason long.
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QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | iOL | DI | EDGE | LB | CB | S
1. RB Josh Jacobs
Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings
*Franchise-tagged
Jacobs became just the 11th player in NFL history to record 300-plus yards from scrimmage in a single game, capping an overtime victory in Week 12 with an 86-yard touchdown dash. His 303 yards are tied for the eighth most ever and stand alone as the fourth most by a running back. He was a force for a struggling Raiders team in 2022.
Jacobs’ 91.9 rushing grade in 2022 ended up as the top mark at the position, and his cumulative 93.2 rushing grade over his first four seasons ranks behind only Nick Chubb, with his 267 missed tackles forced over the span ranking first and his 118 explosive rushes coming in at fourth. All the while, he's picking up 71.4% of his rushing yards after first contact — a top-25 figure among qualifying running backs.
While he’ll never be known as a receiver or pass blocker, he’s a net positive in both facets for his career, giving him true workhorse value like we saw this past season in Las Vegas.
2. RB Saquon Barkley
Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings
*Franchise-tagged
When healthy, there is no question Barkley is a difference-maker on the ground and through the air. That may be understating things, as he was a significant chunk of the Giants' offense in the 2022 regular season. Barkley accounted for nearly 30% of New York's total yards on offense in 2022. His usage appeared to have caught up with him at times, but that illustrates how much he did for the team in every conceivable way.
While we’re a few years and injuries removed from Barkley’s historic rookie campaign in 2018, during which he racked up more than 2,000 all-purpose yards and a staggering 91 receptions, Barkley will be just 26 for the 2023 season and has a very high floor. His 32 explosive rushes this past season tied for the fifth most among running backs, and while the upside of him breaking off a big gain is where a lot of his value lies, it’s also notable that he dropped his rate of stuffed runs down to 6.8% in 2022 compared to 9.2% over his three healthy seasons.
3. RB Tony Pollard
Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings
*Franchise-tagged
Pollard slowly but surely ate into Ezekiel Elliott’s workload this past season as the back who clearly had way more burst and ability to break off explosive plays, with his 31 explosive rushes the sixth most in the NFL despite him working as the No. 2 back for the most part. He’s also a dynamic receiving weapon, with five explosive receptions landing him in the top 15. Clearly, he’s a big play waiting to happen every time he steps on the field, but the one knock — if you wanted to find one — would be occasional negative plays, with his 9.3% stuff rate ranking 20th highest among 67 backs with at least 50 carries.
Dallas still trusted Elliott more in short-yardage situations and at the goal line, which is completely understandable, but we’re nitpicking here. Pollard deserves the opportunity to lead a backfield, and that opportunity may come in Dallas in 2023.
4. RB Miles Sanders
Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings
Sanders had a bounce-back 2022 campaign, staying healthy and setting career highs almost across the board. His 1,271 rushing yards, 34 explosive rushes, 4.9 yards per carry and 11 rushing touchdowns were all top-10 marks at the position on the season.
The strangest thing about Sanders’ career arc is he came into the league as an above-average pass-catching back with the ability to track the ball downfield and not just rack up yards after the catch via checkdowns, but that element to his game has all but disappeared. Sanders had 53 receptions, 517 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns as a rookie but hasn’t reached 30 receptions, 200 receiving yards or even a single receiving touchdown in any season since. Furthermore, he doesn’t appear to have earned much trust as a pass protector.
The other question is if Sanders benefited from running behind arguably the best offensive line in football. Jeff Stoutland is perhaps the best run game coordinator in the NFL, and Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts commands so much attention in the run game from opposing defenses.
5. RB David Montgomery
Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings
Montgomery is a reliable three-down back who is as tough as any player in the NFL, returning to the lineup from injury faster than expected several times over his career and never showing signs of weakness. Beyond rushing and receiving, Montgomery is also a reliable pass protector.
As a playmaker, the former third-rounder can routinely shake off tacklers and make defenders miss in a phone booth, with his 185 missed tackles forced over the past four seasons the fifth most in the NFL. His biggest knock is his lack of top-end speed to break off big gains, as he has recorded just 21 rushes of 15-plus yards (tied 39th) on 915 carries (sixth).
6. RB Devin Singletary
Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings
7. RB Jamaal Williams
Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings
8. RB D'Onta Foreman
Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings
9. RB Kareem Hunt
Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings
10. RB Damien Harris
Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings
11. RB Jerick McKinnon
Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings
12. RB Jeff Wilson Jr.
Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings
13. RB Rashaad Penny
Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings
14. RB Alexander Mattison
Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings
15. RB Raheem Mostert
Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings
16. RB Samaje Perine
Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings
Perine clearly earned a lot of trust from the Bengals' coaching staff and became a key third-down running back for Cincinnati despite the presence of the highly-paid Joe Mixon. Last season, Perine garnered 47 targets and earned a 72.7 pass-blocking grade that was nearly double that of Mixon.
The six-year veteran takes care of the ball — he hasn't fumbled since his rookie season and has dropped just four passes in the past two seasons despite seeing 78 targets. On a smaller sample size, Perine did better to work through contact in 2022, with his 2.96 yards after contact per rushing attempt also besting Mixon's mark.
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