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When telling the story of the 2024 NFL season, it’s hard to begin anywhere but with the league’s most maligned position.
This past offseason saw a resurgence of the running back market in free agency, with five different veteran running backs signing multiyear deals that pay at least $7 million per season, with two of them exceeding $12 million per year. For context, consider that between 2018 and 2023, only three free agent running backs signed multiyear deals for a $7 million AAV or more.
Fast forward to the season itself, and two of them, in particular, have retaken the league by storm, using their new surroundings to reach a level we haven’t seen them hit in several years. The NFL’s two leading rushers are 27 and 30 years old, respectively, operating in the best offensive environments of their respective careers.
Saquon Barkley heading to the Eagles to play alongside Jalen Hurts and behind the Jeff Stoutland University offensive line has allowed his skill set to shine through in a way it never did even early in his career with the Giants. And Derrick Henry playing with Lamar Jackson and the Ravens has allowed him to recapture his Offensive Player of the Year form.
If you take a look at their rushing stats, you see that they have put together almost identical performances this year. Rushes, yards, yards per rush, yards before and after contact (via TruMedia), rush yards over expected (via NFL Pro), success rate … everything is within a very narrow band.
Rush223221Yards1,3921,325Yards/Rush6.246.00YBCO/Rush2.762.45YCO/Rush3.483.55RYOE/Att1.992.02RYOE %45.7%46.0%Success %44.8%45.7%
It’s only once you dip under the hood a little bit that you start to see slight differences. Henry has been tackled at or behind the line of scrimmage less often. He’s created first downs and explosive runs more often. He’s converted in short yardage more often. And he’s done it while facing stacked…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/why-eagles-saquon-barkley-and-ravens-derrick-henry-are-enjoying-resurgence-thanks-to-perfect-free-agent-fit/
Author : Jared Dubin
Publish date : 2024-11-27 16:17:00
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