With the value of the NFL running back currently at an all-time low, it’s no wonder so many talented veteran rushers are still unsigned with just over a week to go until the pads come on for training camp.
Each of these remaining runners would immediately offer an instant upgrade to most NFL depth charts, but the daily debate continues to rage about how these important offensive playmakers should be valued and paid in the modern game.
Today we take a look at the seven best running backs still available in free agency entering the 2023 NFL season…
Dalvin Cook
Cook was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft after a dominating career at Florida State, where he finished as the school’s all-time leading rusher despite only playing three seasons of college football.
The former Seminole star spent six years in Minnesota with the Vikings and earned Pro Bowl honors four consecutive seasons before being cut outright by the team last month.
Going over 1,100 rushing yards in each of his last four campaigns, Cook has proven to be one of the games premier lead backs but was released this offseason in an apparent attempt to save salary as the Vikings move forward with the younger and cheaper Alexander Mattison in the backfield.
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Since his release, Cook has been linked to presumed 2023 contenders such as the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets but has yet to sign a deal as his likely asking price is seemingly much higher than what the market is currently dictating for the position.
Cook will almost assuredly be on a roster come Week 1, as the former Seminole speedster provides instant electricity to any offense he ends up on and is far too talented to be unemployed for long.
Ezekiel Elliot
After earning All-American honors during a standout college career at Ohio State, Elliott was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys with the fourth overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Over seven seasons with the Cowboys, the three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro selection twice led the league in rushing yards.
The explosive playmaker was fed early and often behind a dominant offensive line unit in Dallas, racking up four seasons with over 1,000 yards rushing while scoring 80 total touchdowns during his Cowboys tenure.
Elliot inked a six-year, $90 million contract extension with Dallas in 2019 but was released this offseason due to his overinflated pay not aligning with his rapidly declining play.
The Cowboys will move forward with a less experienced and less expensive option in Tony Pollard–leaving Elliot to search for the setting of his second act as the long-time three-down workhorse ponders greener pastures.
Wherever he ends up, the former Buckeye bruiser will more than likely be reduced to a part-time rotational role for an NFL team in need of backfield depth in 2023.
Leonard Fournette
Fournette played collegiately for the LSU Tigers, and was one of the most hyped superstars in all of college football before being drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the fourth overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Upon reaching the professional ranks, Fournette enjoyed continued success, immediately rushing for over 1,000 yards in his rookie season in Jacksonville.
However, the burly running back struggled with several injuries and suspensions, eventually leading to his release after just three seasons with the team.
Fournette signed with the Buccaneers in 2020 and played a crucial role in Tampa Bay’s playoff run that culminated in a Super Bowl LV victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
After serving as the Bucs’ lead back for most of the 2021 season, a late-season injury held the former number four overall pick out of the last 3 games of the regular season, and into the playoffs.
Likely due to problems with a mounting list of injuries, Fournette’s numbers continued to decline throughout last season and Tampa Bay released the veteran ball carrier after the conclusion of the campaign.
Fournette’s best days are undoubtedly behind him, but the imposing runner could still serve as a competent change of pace option and short yardage back for any franchise in need of some running back beef in the backfield this season.
Kareem Hunt
7 Best Running Backs Still Available In NFL Free Agency
Hunt burst onto the scene as a rookie for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017, making the Pro Bowl after leading the entire league in rushing during his first NFL season.
Hunt was released by the Chiefs mid-way through the next season, after a videotape of him physically assaulting a woman surfaced.
The running back was never charged with any crime, and joined up with the Cleveland Browns following the conclusion of the 2018 season–immediately being placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt list after signing his contract.
After concluding their own investigation, the NFL announced that Hunt would be suspended for the first eight games of the 2019 season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
Since his infamous incident and subsequent suspension, Hunt has served as the main backup to superstar Nick Chubb in Cleveland over the last four seasons.
Hunt requested a trade before his final campaign in Cleveland but finished out his contract with the Browns and is now contemplating his currently limited choices before committing to a new franchise for 2023.
James Robinson
Earning a starting role as an undrafted rookie is nearly unheard of, but Robinson managed to do just that in his first year in Jacksonville.
One of the surprise storylines of the 2020 slate, the Illinois State product ended up starting fourteen games for the Jags–racking up 1,070 yards and 7 touchdowns rushing while also catching 49 passes during his breakout rookie season.
Robinson was solid again in 2021 despite the Urban Meyer disaster but was traded to the New York Jets in the middle of last season after the emergence of first round running back Travis Etienne made the veteran rusher expendable.
Oddly, Robinson only appeared in four games for a Jets team in need of juice at the running back spot after starter Breece Hall went down with injury.
Apparently due to a mismatch in scheme fit, Robinson could not find the field in New York and signed with the New England Patriots this offseason.
However, not three months after inking the two year pact, Robinson was surprisingly released by the Pats and is again a free agent, leaving the one-time 1,000 yard rusher looking for yet another opportunity in 2023
Kenyan Drake
The journeyman pass catching specialist started his career with the Miami Dolphins as a third round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Drake spent most of his four seasons in Miami as a backup and rotational piece out of the backfield.
In 2019, Drake was traded to the Arizona Cardinals where he got his first and only chance as a full-time starter.
Drake produced 955 yards and 10 touchdowns rushing over thirteen starts in 2020 before again changing teams and changing roles, again serving as mostly a backup fill-in and third down option for the Raiders and Ravens respectively.
Last season, Drake appeared in twelve games for Baltimore and started five contests, compiling 482 yards and 4 touchdowns on 109 rushes while also catching 17 passes and another score through the air.
Justin Jackson
Jackson was a seventh round pick out of Northwestern by the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2018 NFL Draft.
After playing for four years in LA as mostly a backup and special teamer, Jackson spent 2022 as a member of the Detroit Lions in a similar role.
Through five NFL seasons, Jackson has averaged an admirable 4.9 yards per carry in extremely limited reps, and represents a solid option for a team with a need for a backup runner with some upside.
