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The revolution of NFL running backs

Under the lights of SoFi Stadium on week 12 of the NFL schedule, the Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley ran through the entire Los Angeles Rams defence on the way to 255 yards and two touchdowns.

Over his six seasons on the New York Giants, Barkley totalled over 1,000 yards three times —  including the 2022 season where he was behind the Giants’ success in winning a playoff game. 

Saquon Barkley

The team’s quarterback, Daniel Jones, earned about $6.4 million in 2022 compared to Barkley’s just-shy-of $7.8 million. Across the NFL however running backs made less money compared to other positions because of the high workload and short peak of the players. Heading into the Giants’ 2023 season, Jones signed a four-year contract worth $40 million annually. Barkley, on the other hand, signed a one-year contract amounting to $10 million. During the 2023 season, Barkley played 14 games totalling 962 yards and six touchdowns, but the team only won six games. It was time for Barkley to negotiate a pay raise, or move on to a team with a worthy budget for his talent.

The Giants’ off-season was well documented as they were the first team ever to be filmed during their off-season decisions in the show Hard Knocks. The show saw the New York general manager Joe Schoen give Barkley’s agent Edward Berry an ultimatum where the Giants would allow Barkley to enter free agency and they would decide if the price was too high to pay. 

Schoen’s worst nightmare came true as National Football Conference (NFC) east rival Philadelphia Eagles paid Barkley. The running back signed a three-year contract worth $37.75 million. The Giants had to let Barkley join their rival: This deal was too pricey for them to match.

Schoen’s nightmare has only gotten worse as Barkley completely dominated the NFL while playing on the Eagles. 

The 27-year-old is having a career year. He has already passed his career rushing yards high as he has 1,392 yards through 12 weeks in the season. ESPN projects Barkley to surpass Eric Dickerson’s single season rushing record by the end of the season, as Barkley will finish with 2,151 yards, compared to Dickerson’s 2,105.

Only eight running backs have totalled over 2,000 yards in a single NFL season — Barkley is 688 yards away from crossing that threshold. Barkley has carried the Eagles to a new level with him in their backfield. Philadelphia has rocketed out to a 9-2 record and Barkley sits third in most valuable player odds while the Giants have fallen to be a dumpster fire of the league with a 2-9 record.

Derrick Henry

As good as Barkley has been, there is another running back who has been hot on his case all year. 

It was clear the Tennessee Titans were heading into a rebuild. But the question was, what should they do with 30-year-old running back Derrick Henry? 

Henry had been the outlier of a running back generation who did not compare to years past. A product of The University of Alabama, he has eclipsed 1,000 yards in six of his nine seasons in the NFL. Of those eight players to total 2,000 rushing yards in a season, Henry had done it in 2020. 

Henry’s play also led to playoff success as in 2019, the running back stiff-armed defenders all the way to the American Football final. The Chiefs ended the Titans’ Cinderella run however but Henry made his imprint in NFL history.

Tennessee had a winning percentage of under .500 in Henry’s last two seasons with the Titans and the organization decided to go in another direction. “King Henry” played his last game with Tennessee on Jan. 7, 2024 and headed to free agency to find his market. 

After not being able to get over the Chiefs hump in 2023, the Baltimore Ravens looked to make a change for the 2024 season. There was no better possible fit than pairing Lamar Jackson, the best rushing quarterback in NFL history with the best running back of this generation. 

Derrick Henry became a Raven on March 12 as every other 31 NFL franchises screamed out in fear at the sight of the new Baltimore back field.

Twelve weeks into the season, Henry has continued his dominance onto his new team as he has totalled 1,325 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. ESPN projects the 30-year-old to have his best season since 2020 and finish with 1,877 rushing yards.

As for team success after a slow start, the Ravens sit with a 8-4 record but everyone knows the most important part of their season waits for them in the playoffs. For Baltimore to slay their Kansas City demons King Henry will prove to be the catalyst to change history.

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