The 2020 NFL offseason has begun and teams are already making key decisions. Here are the top running backs that could hit the open market on March 18.
While quarterbacks will likely always garner the biggest headlines in the National Football League, 2019 proved to be a pretty impressive year for those guys who they share the backfield with.
There were 16 players who ran for at least 1,000 yards in 2019. That’s the most since the same number was put up seven seasons ago. Of course, one of the 16 was Baltimore Ravens’ quarterback Lamar Jackson, who set a new league record for rushing yards for a player at his position.
But here the talk is running backs and who are the best that could become free agents come the afternoon of March 18. That includes the league’s top rusher in ’19, along with a few other intriguing names as well.
5. Jordan Howard (Philadelphia Eagles)
In each of his first three seasons in the league, then-Chicago Bears running back Jordan Howard total at least 250 carries. The 2016 fifth-round pick from Indiana University was the league’s second-leading rusher in his rookie season behind Dallas’ Ezekiel Elliott. Howard ran for 1,313 yards and six scores on 252 attempts for the club. A year later, he finished with 1,122 yards on the ground and nine scores on a career-best 276 carries. In his final season in the Windy City, Jordan ran for 939 yards and nine more TDs on 250 attempts.
Last offseason, he was dealt to the Philadelphia Eagles but was limited to a career-low 10 games. Howard ran for 525 yards and six touchdowns on 119 carries. The team has a lot of young and talented runners in Miles Sanders and Boston Scott so Howard’s future with the team is certainly up in the air. Could he play a bigger role with another club or will be return to the Birds after all?