“Balance.” The key word that keeps teams guessing. Forcing an opposing defense to play on their heels rather than their toes has merit.

We’ve all heard arguments for pass heavy attacks because they have higher yardage totals per play. Missing from many of those arguments is that the clock keeps spinning when you run the rock.

The longer you can keep an opponent’s high powered O pinned to their own sidelines, with long, time consuming drives utilizing a balanced attack, the fewer opportunities they will have to score.

Running the ball also opens up all of the play action passing concepts, while at the same time allowing your own defense time to rest.

The glory and accolades that “genius” OCs have heaved upon them come from pass heavy attacks. This has been the case going back decades.

Balance helps teams WIN.

It’s a great article, Cory! I’m not going to get into the pay scales like you did, but agree the position has been devalued in favor of the sexy passing game numbers.

For years I’ve felt the Packers were making the game of football much harder than it needed to be, because we were always passing.

Winning games is all that matters. Scoring the most points in a game is all that matters. Running the ball - augments - explosive plays in the passing game. Plus, OL love teeing off on opposing DL in run blocking.

I want it all, unapologetically, and we can have that by giving our RBs a combined total of 25-30 rushing attempts per game. At a minimum.

The smart play for GB in 2023 is to prevent the forever ears-pinned-back pass rush of our opponents we’ve known for years from occurring at all with a balanced run-pass game for Jordan Love in his first year at QB1.

How many games have the Packers lost with Jones & Dillon (or Williams) splitting fewer than 20 touches? A lot.

Balance.

Game Changers will always be in demand.
Balance won't have anything to do with that.
If a guy can't be stopped, you feed him.
The 2 minute drill; is why we've gotten away from Rbs.
Clock management has more to do with running game.
Then wearing down a defense now.
And you just can't go pass, with a yard to go.
So who cares about Balance.
The secondary's can't cover everyone.
And thats pretty obvious on how much a WR makes.

I think that if a running back is figured in the passing game as a legitimate receiving threat, not just an emergency dump-off or extended running play, they should be considered for the franchise tag like a receiver. Doesn't the same thing happen to outside linebackers and edge rushers?

The NFL and the union screwed these guys. I get why the NFL doesn't want to guaranty big contracts to the position because of injuries, but because of their shortened careers, running backs should get paid up front to begin with. How many don't make it to their second contract due to injury or the comity system?

I wrote this before in pretty good detail, so I summarize here.

The NFLPA isnt doing the players as a group much good at all.

The huge mega contracts for just a handful of their members while there is a salary cap in place just guarantees that some players - a significant number - will be forced to be under valued.

The union should be working towards a max contract system to free up salary cap monies for more of their members. You know, kinda like working for everyone instead of supporting a system that uber rewards QBs and undervalues other important members of a team.

The hard cap is a fact of life and is just plain economics, the percentage allocated to players is negotiated tooth and nail, the total take is always scrutinized and allowed for. There is a floor that teams MUST spend. Somewhere in the near future there needs to be a team/position based compensation plan that pays starters allocated portions of the cap. I just do not like the hybrid socialist/capitalist mechanisms that the NFLPA operates under.

In an era where top QB's are making $50 mil/yr and WR/LT's are making $30 mil/yr, cuts have to be made somewhere. Unfortunately, running backs have become the sacrificial limb.

I think another factor is that there are so many good ones available in the draft, and teams do not necessarily have to spend an early choice on them. Jones was a 5th. Kamara was a 3rd, Pacheco from KC was a 7th.

When it comes time for a second contract, teams have to consider paying big $ for a proven guy who’s probably taken a beating, or drafting a young, inexpensive healthy running back.

Don’t get me wrong: I am a big fan of running backs. I saw Billy Sims dang near single handedly transform Detroit from 2-14 to 9-7 and a playoff berth. All my buddies and I worshipped Earl Campbell. I miss that era a lot!

GB is in great shape with 33 and 28 and whichever RB they keep as a #3 will be at least “pretty good” as well. GB does a decent job avoiding overuse by splitting the workload. IF 28 does NOT get a second contract, I think it’ll have more to do with the whole $ vs value issue rather than a negative on his play.

And yet there are plenty of RB’s who come into the league. The supply is there. Unless that number dwindles, or the quality drops (good ones become hard to find), we will see this trend continue.

What gets underrated, IMO, is the ability of our RBs as pass catchers. Yes, pounding the rock with Jones and Dillon is great, especially in the red zone, but how much of that has been done lately? I want to see more running the ball in the red zone.I want us to use up as much clock, as we can, by running the bal, when we have the lead. I want to see more wheel routes from our RBs and then I want to see more of them used in pass protection, as well. We have two great backs in GB. Let's use them to move the chains and to score points when the play calls for it. Our OL can open up holes, so let's use that to our advantage. We drafted one RB, this past draft, in Lew Nichols,III. We drafted 5 WRs and TEs, in the same draft and picked up 4 more WRs and TEs as UDFAs. That might tell you something.

The real enemy of running backs are the quarterbacks. QB's don't get the silly-ass league MVP award handing the ball off. 2nd enemy is the league & union are getting away from the much despised basic tackling. Shoulder pads optional. Sickening.

The NFL had made a conscious effort to make the passing game the key to the offense. The rules changes that have made it more difficult for DB's to cover WR's was a start. Then, when tackling, you have to be very precise about where you hit a QB, or you get called for "roughing." The OL now can pretty much legally hold the DL, with only the most blatant infractions being called. And, as noted, RB's are a position that takes a terrible beating. Add in the effect of Todd Gurley and Zeke Elliott getting big contracts, and then getting hurt, and teams are very wary of paying too much for a position that, also as previously noted, can be filled with cheaper alternatives through the draft. The game has changed, and it's not likely to be reverting to "three yards and a cloud of dust" in the future.

People make too much of this and it isn't complicated. It is all about supply and demand along with who is really important in the run game. We just saw Philly let their RB go who had a very good year because they knew they can replace him and would rather keep the OL together. RBs are a dime a dozen. You can draft them late and teams replace big name guys all the time and barely miss a beat. Paying Jones and drafting AJ high wasn't the best move for the Packers, to many top resources in a position that can be replaced on the cheap. With the money and the high pick they still don't dominate in the run game.

RBs get hurt a lot and can be easily replaced, why would any GM pay them?

" The Packers have earmarked 5.77, good for ninth in the league. They are only one of 11 teams that are over the league average. "

This sentence illustrates why it's important to know the difference between mean (average) and median, and how understanding which concept to use in a given context can add clarity as opposed to muddying the waters.

I think there are a lot of reasons why RB salaries are depressed and individual RB are devalued compared to other positions...some are alluded to above. Just to to throw some out...
1. High injury rate
2. Short average NFL careers
3. High supply (replaceable)
4. Low use (most teams don't put more than one on the field)
5. Lack of bell-cow runners and use of situational/rotational players limit snaps
6. High dependence on OL play (OL play tends to make or break the RB)
7. Passing-oriented offensive schemes

What drives tag numbers and average contract value by position is the ability of players to get past that rookie contract and start making big money. The beating RBs take (short careers) and the point of good RB being held up by good OLs (and--as a result--the backups look good, too, as most FFL-ers know) leads to a lack of desire to invest big $$. Remember that the setting of tag numbers is dictated by the highest-earning guys at those positions...so it's a self-sustaining cycle.

"Teams have to decide between paying over $50 million a season for an elite quarterback or saving some of that cash to spend it on a running back that does multiple things. "

If you need to buy your teenage kid a car to drive to school, you don't pay $40k just because the more expensive cars available are $40k--you look for the most economical way to meet your needs knowing your kid's probably going to beat the crap out of the car. The more your kid needs to drive, the better and more reliable (more expensive) car you get. That might be mitigated by your ability to service the car yourself. The salary cap creates a zero-sum game for teams. I would argue RBs are not on life support, it's figuring what your offense needs and supports...needs are being balanced by what modern play looks like. They aren't going away--certainly the Red Gun and Silver Stretch offenses of the 80s and 90s couldn't push them out of the game. An elite RB is still an important weapon, but the economics of football and modern play have made them more "plug-and-play" than in the past.

I don't think the importance of the running back position itself is being diminished. A balanced attack will always be an integral part of offenses in the NFL. It's just that running backs themselves are so easily replaceable. It's probably the easiest position to go from college to the pros, but also has the shortest shelf life in the NFL. There will always be young, cheaper options available, which allows teams to spend less on the position.

RB's are more vital to a team whose Defense can stop the pass, or at least hold it to a reasonable limit. If you can't stop the pass, your run game is essentially moot, as running the ball cannot compete with the speed of the passing game.

The Packers defense has an above average success against the pass, so the run game is valuable. The value of the run game for Love, and the team as a whole on Offense, will depend on the success against the pass by the Defense. A run game simply cannot go toe-to-toe with a quick play scoring pass game. There just isn't enough time or plays to make it a contest, in the NFL of today. The odds for run use, and success, is against an opponent of the same ilk, whether Offensive mindset or pass game deficiency of players.

I find it hard to listen to fans complain about what they help create at the expense of the RB position. You wanted and cheer for the pass, a video game. Can't complain when a team pays average QB's, and lesser, high dollar to throw the ball, and not pay the RB.

It's pure economics. When you can get similar production out of lower priced players, it only makes sense to do so. For example, AJ Dillon and Kahlil Herbert combined for roughly the same rushing yards as Derrick Henry. Their combined salaries for 2022 were about $2 million. Coaches and GMs know they can get solid backs out of any draft (even late in the draft) or off the scrap heap who will at least be able to get a high percentage of that star RB production without the star RB price. Would I take 85-90% of the $14 million RB's production for only $2 million? All day, every day. RB is one of the few positions where this is true, which is unfortunate for the star running backs. If I were a veteran RB, I would come to the table with a moderate contract that included a ton of incentives to push the value way up given a monster performance.

Aaron Rodgers makes about $50 million. Kirk Cousins about $35 mil. Dalvin Cook is a free agent looking to get paid. Will J Jefferson get A $30 million contract next year? Might as well keep running backs for a max 4-5 years (Fran. tag), and keep paying qb’s, offensive and defensive linemen. Look at the LA Rams. They suck after buying a Super Bowl team for one year. It seems a team needs a top 10 qb, lots of luck, and the team’s best players are in their prime to get the trophy. Excellent coaching helps.

"For the upcoming 2023 season, Derrick Henry has a cap hit of $16.3 million — 13.8 percent of the salary cap. Aaron Jones has a cap hit of $8.1 million this year — 3.6 percent of the cap "

Yes, Cory has done it again!
I thought every team has the same CAP limit. Looks like the Titans are limited to $118 million, while the Packers are allowed a CAP of $225 million..... at least, by Cory's math.