Best free agent running backs still available before Week 1 of preseason

NFL rosters are about four weeks from being finalized as coaches look for the best 53 players to complete their rosters. While the focus will be on those on the field, NFL franchises won’t be forgetting about the free agents still floating around the market as we head into the first week of preseason.

Saints and others in need of a RB

To think that each of the 32 teams in the NFL are set at the running back position a month before Week 1 of the regular season starts would be an incorrect assumption. There are teams who are plenty thin at running back at the moment. Just take a look at the New Orleans Saints who saw RB1 Alvin Kamara suspended for the first three games of the season, and lost Eno Benjamin to a ruptured achilles tendon over the weekend.

The Saints aren’t the only team that could use a bit more depth at the running back position. It’s a taxing position to play that just about every team will be needing a bit more security in the back field, and they have some fantastic options in the free agent pool as we go inching our way to Week 1.

Ezekiel Elliott

The Dallas Cowboys let Ezekiel Elliott walk after seven season with America’s team. There was a time when he was regarded as one of the best, if not the best running back in the league. Those days have come and gone. Even over the last season or two his grip on the starting role in Big D began to slide. Tony Pollard is in Dallas which means the 28 year old running back will most likely be looking for a new home this season. Last year Zeek had the least amount of carries (231), yards (876), and lowest yards per carry average of his career (3.8), but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have plenty more in the tank. He may not be up for the RB1 role on a team, but he can still produce out of the backfield.

Dalvin Cook

Dalvin Cook battled through injuries for each of the last two years, but once he was healthy enough to get back on to the field he helped the Vikings win 13 games and win the NFC North for the second time since 2010. Cook ran for almost 1,200 yards on a shortened season but Minnesota looks to be moving on and that could cost them dearly. Cook has had all offseason to get that shoulder healthy and after six years wearing Vikings purple he could be looking for a change of scenery. He doesn’t seem to mind playing the field and waiting until a juicy offer comes calling.

Kareem Hunt

Kareem Hunt was the lightening portion of the Thunder and Lightening package that the Cleveland Browns used to dominate the NFL on the ground. For the last three years the Browns didn’t finish lower than 6th in the league in total rushing yards. They made the choice to keep Nick Chubb and release Hunt this offseason, and now Hunt will look to step out of the shadows of Chubb and make an impact on a different team. He is currently in talks with the Saints, but a number of teams will be interested in the free agent RB.

Leonard Fournette

It’s not just Tom Brady who has set sail from Tampa Bay this offseason. Their workhorse running back for the last three years is cutting ties with the Bucs and is now a free agent scanning through teams looking for the best deal he can get. He was the man in his first three years in Jacksonville, but understandably when you have Tom Brady as your QB, he didn’t get to see too much of the ball in his time in Tampa. He is a tough, physical, beat-you-down running back who should still have plenty to offer.

J.D. McKissic

NFL teams most likely won’t be knocking down McKissic’s door to offer him a starting job, but he is a seasoned veteran who can catch the ball out of the backfield and add a different dynamic out for a team that has a ground and pound, down hill running back. He has never gained more than 400 yards in a season on the ground, but in 2020 he caught 80 passes for the Commanders which went for almost 600 yards receiving.