Any news on a Free Agent Running Back?

Different time and Offense. Look at those numbers that Derek Henry has put up and tell me Najee Harris doesn't need a great season this year to get his 5th year option picked up.

Derek Henry has never had a single season under 4.0 yards per carry. Is Najee ready to be in Derek Henry's class?

Like I said, anything below 4.0 yards per carry and you may have to start using the BUST word for Najee. FYI, I may not be a fan of Warren, but he averaged 4.9 YPC last year running behind the same O-Line as Harris.

 

He made the pro bowl in 21

And you want to use the word bust

Exactly how long were you under water without air

 

I don't think bust is fair. Najee is a good back that has had any level of success in spite of his O-Line. His rookie year we had the worst O-Line in the league and last year we were better (but still not good), but struggled up until the bye. Teams for his whole career thus far have been loading the box and daring us to throw with Ben on his last leg, Trubisky, and rookie Pickett.

This year will be a tell. If Harris isn't better with a significantly improved O-Line, then you can say what you want about him. But the way he has been used hasn't been very beneficial to his YPC stat. I don't think anyone is putting him in Henry's league (and him and Chubb have been in a league of their own for a while IMO), but Najee is a top 10 back IMO and he brings leadership qualities to a side of the ball that has little to none of that elsewhere.

Post bye last year he averaged 4.1 per carry and scored 6 TD's in 9 games. Warren averaged 4.9 for the year but was bolstered by low volume and a really good last two games. Warren had 6 games over 4.1 YPC for the year (1 of which was a 1 carry for 5 yards game) and carried 18 times for 112 yards the last two games (which had a single carry in each of those games account for 53 yards). He had 4 carries account for nearly a quarter of his total yards gained rushing for the year... I think Warren is a solid back and a good #2, but its not like he's been showing out ahead of our top runner.

Either way I think we have a good RB room, and I'm excited to see what they can do this year with an offense that should be a lot better with the additions of Jones and Seumalo and a (hopefully much) improved KFP.

 

Harris finished with over 1,000 yds despite being less than 100% for the first 4 or 5 games.
And despite an offense that just didn't click in the beginning.
Harris is widely accepted as a top running back and defenses know they must focus on him.
He is far from a bust.
One might call the offense a little inept... but not Harris.

I would go with a different angle, like 'there is 17 games, you need two RB's'
Though Warren has shown he can too can run.

 

He was probably the best RB in the league until the video of him knocking a teenage girl to the floor and stomping on her gave the Chiefs no choice but to release him immediately. The Browns were the only team that would take him after that but he had to play a secondary role to Nick Chubb in Cleveland. He still doesn't have a lot of milage on him so he probably is going to demand a lot but that video will make a lot teams think twice about signing him.

 

I wouldn't sign Him. I believe 100% in 2nd, and 3rd chances, but I would not bring that look to our team. I seen that video, and it was disturbing.

 

I didn't know that happened.

 

Yeah, he had a great start in KC. He ran for over 1300 yards and 8 TD's on the fround and over 450 yards and 3 TD's through the air. In his first 11 games the next year he had over 800 yards and 7 TD's rushing with over 350 yards and another 7 TD's receiving. He was killing it and was viewed as a bona fide top 5 guy who might be the best in the league. He got released in November of that season after the video came out. Signed on with the Browns the following year and has been in rotation with Chubb ever since.

 

If you are wondering Najee's 3.8 YPC from last year has him ranked at #46 in the NFL for yards per carry.
https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/player-stat/rushing-yards-per-attempt

He is going to have to show something this year if he wants that 5th year option.

I keep telling myself and everyone else, that Najee is going to rush for 2,000 yards this season!

 

In His first two years in the NFL ....Najee has 2930 yards(air/ground), and 20 Tds, and You are bringing bust into it. LoL

 

Good thing for Najee that YPC isn't the only stat that matters for RB's. He was T10 in total TD's by RB's in 2022, and that was on an offense that was 3rd worst in offensive TD output for the whole league.

There are outside factors holding him back in the YPC category (running behind really bad O-Lines, being the workhorse for a poor scoring offense, etc.). You can argue those points just as much as you could argue that he only scores TD's because of volume.

 

The way backs are used makes a difference. It is often easier to average more per carry in the backup/third-down back role that Warren played. He's not better than Harris. I don't know how you watch him the second half of last season and even consider the word bust.

 

The first half of last season he was playing through a significant foot injury, which is a killer for a running back. Harris broke tackles and carries tacklers once he got healthy.

 

How to tell the world you know nothing about statistics

 

It is misleading at times. 4 ypc was once thought be the least a good back should have. The Bus had a 3.9 career and I remember people stating that was terrible, lol I'll take that and the success he brought in closing games any time.

 

Plus that 3.9 for the Bus wasn’t skewed by long runs

He didn’t/couldn’t make long runs

Run him twice and it 3rd and 2

I’ll take that all day

 

PFF has Najee ranked as the 19th best RB currently in the league. One GUESS as to exactly what stat they singled out?

19. NAJEE HARRIS, PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Harris has been solid throughout his NFL career. He’s rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons but did so with a sub-4.0 yards-per-carry average. So far, he’s been a product of his volume more than efficiency. We’ll see if he can take that next step in 2023.
PFF Running Back Rankings: Top 32 ahead of the 2023 NFL season | NFL News, Rankings and Statistics | PFF

 

There is a reason they got rid of Claypool, resigned Gentry, and brought in Seumalo, Washington, Jones.

Najee averaged a dismal 2.1 yard before contact, 4.3 ypc outside zone and 3.6 ypc inside zone. They are primarily using zone runs. He did average 4.1 ypc in the second half of the season after getting rid of the plate in his shoe.

I do think Warren will get a higher share of the load this year.

And hopefully there are more carries to go around, meaning that the offense overall is more effective.

I hear they are comfortable with McFarland so if he stays healthy it negates the need to sign someone who can step in.

 

Benny attending mini camp in Denver, hoping to get picked up for training camp.
Denver Broncos news: 5 players invited to try out at minicamp (usatoday.com)

 

I didn't think Benny was that bad that he has to go to a mini camp just in the hope of being invited to training camp but that is where his career is now.

 

He'll never have that high of an average because he's much too slow. I'll say it again, he has two runs of over 20 yards in 600 carries.

I don't know that a another starting RB in league history, with that many carries in two seasons, has had less explosive runs. You're not gonna have a 4.5 YPC if you can't occasionally break a big one. Which, statistically, he can't.

 

Why did we waste 3 pages on this subject?

 

Make

 

that

 

how many