With the recent debate on running backs, is the position actually undervalued by the NFL despite talent like Jonathan Taylor, Dalvin Cook, Derrick Henry and Christian McCaffrey gracing the field?
Adam Epstein discussed it on Thursday (June 15) on the Fan.
"Isn't running back the most sexy position in all of sports?" he asked. "Quarterback gets a lot of hype, but running back -- for me -- was always the coolest. You get more opportunities to make a play, they're gonna give you the ball first and second down, and then expect the quarterback to get the first down [on] third downs.
"Nowadays, it's tough to be a running back. There were eight running backs in the NFL with contracts averaging $12 million last year -- now there's only five [since] Dalvin Cook and Ezekiel Elliott were released, [and] Aaron Jones had to take a $5 million pay cut to stay in Green Bay. Is it even worth it financially to play this position anymore?"
With stars like Aaron Rodgers, Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen at the forefront of the league -- the latter on the cover for Madden 24 -- it begs the question of undervalued cogs in the ground game and who's to blame for the downturn.
"[CBS] put some blame on some people and I think it's kind of funny," he said. "Number one, Todd Gurley ruined it for running backs around the league. He signed that major contract -- no production. How about David Johnson? Does anybody even remember David Johnson, who signed that major contract with the Cardinals, did nothing, got traded?
"And then, Le'Veon Bell furthered the dramatic reset, signing a huge contract with the Jets after sitting out the season. And you know what? He was not good enough for the Jets. So in conclusion, I feel like we should've seen this coming. [...] We have seen the last of the days where you see multiple running backs come off the board in the first round."
Listen to more of the segment below.