This off-season, we’ve seen three running backs all sign with new teams. Adrian Peterson tested the free agency market and ended up signing with the New Orleans Saints and now, he’ll be on the same team with another future Hall of Famer in Drew Brees, Jamaal Charles was released by the Kansas City Chiefs and signed with the rival Denver Broncos to remain in the AFC West then, we have the biggest move of them all, Marshawn Lynch came out of retirement and because the Seattle Seahawks still owned his rights, he was traded to the Oakland Raiders and will play for his hometown team. Here, I’ll look at each back and give the breakdown of the situations they’re coming into along with who will succeed with their new team.
1. Beastmode– When you feed him the football and I mean literally feed him the ball consistently, he has the ability to truly wear defenses down and it truly takes more than three guys to bring him down. We’ve seen the runs and how he can fit through any space for a man of his size and he can turn what looks to be a short run for a touchdown which can give your team a spark. He was more important than people gave him credit for while with Seattle. Latavius Murray was good, but this is a tremendous upgrade for the Oakland Raiders and he brings a veteran presence and championship savvy to this Raiders offense. He’s back on the field and simply out of retirement, boss.
2. Adrian Peterson– For years, he held the title of the best running back in the business while he was with Minnesota. I’ll never forget the year when he blew out his entire knee on Christmas Eve in 2011 and a year later, he carries the Minnesota Vikings to the playoffs and wins league MVP. The talks were up in the air for years if he would spend his entire career with the Vikings. He’s now a member of the NFC South and he signed a two-year deal with the New Orleans Saints and I still have questions on how this will work because when this first happened, I remember stating that Drew Brees is a volume passer and he needs to throw it at least 45-50 times and AP is a volume runner meaning he needs at least 30 touches to make an impact. I don’t see him being a contributor touching the football five times per game.
3. Jamaal Charles– You better have game if you have two first names and when he’s healthy, Jamaal is as explosive as they come and the two-name rule applies. He has the mindset to score anytime he touches the football and only needs a certain amount of space to break through, turn on the burners to accelerate and burst further into the open field. Injuries have been an issue for him as of late. He returned from a torn ACL in 2015 and had a setback on that same knee. The Chiefs decided to part ways with him and now, he’ll suit up for a rival in the division, the Denver Broncos.
All three of these guys at one point were considered to be elite running backs in the league. So the question is, who will have more success out of the three next year? I’ll say Marshawn Lynch and that’s because he comes into a really good situation in Oakland. They have nice weapons on the perimeter in Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree, a nice quarterback in Derek Carr and the second best offensive line in the NFL behind the Dallas Cowboys. He’s also a good receiver out the backfield and can pass block. The way things will be in New Orleans is up in the air and with the Broncos, their offensive line is hit or miss but if everything works out in Denver, Charles will have success.
