As the Philadelphia Eagles marched their way to a Super Bowl title behind one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL, a narrative began to emerge: The running back was back.
Powered mostly by an MVP-caliber season from running back Saquon Barkley – who became the ninth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards or more – the Eagles finished second in rushing yards per game (184.1) and fourth in rushing yards per attempt (5.0).
The only team to rush for more was the Baltimore Ravens (192.8), who got 1,921 yards from Derrick Henry on their way to a 12-5 record.
Third on the list was Detroit (149.4), thanks in large part to 1,412 yards from Jahmyr Gibbs, the 12th overall pick in the 2023 draft as the Lions went 15-2 before a stunning upset loss in the divisional round to Washington.
Gibbs’ total was fifth in the NFL. Among those just ahead of him was Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson at 1,456 yards, third overall.
Robinson was the eighth overall pick in 2023, joining Gibbs as the only two running backs taken in the first round of the draft since 2021.
It was enough to make people wonder again if running backs do, in fact, really matter.
“You’re not supposed to be (drafting) running backs in the first round,” Seahawks general manager and president of football operations John Schneider said this week in response to a question about the importance of the position. “I think Detroit and Atlanta would. Those guys (Gibbs, Robinson) are doing pretty good.”
It seems almost certain to happen again this year as Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty is generally considered one of the top 10 players available after rushing for 2,595 yards and 6.9 yards per carry.
Jeanty might be the only running back taken in the first round.
But at some point there will be a run on running backs as this is generally regarded as one of the better groups at that position in years.
“It’s a rare year with running backs in the draft,” Schneider said when he talked to reporters at the NFL scouting combine Tuesday. “I mean, I can’t remember this number of legit prospects at the running-back position in the draft. And I usually don’t talk about depth in the draft, but it’s just, it’s sticking out this year. It’s rare.”
That perception was only reinforced Saturday when running-back drills were held at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Those who ran the 40-yard dash clocked an average of 4.48 seconds.
According to the NFL Network, that was the fastest average for the running-back position since 2003.
Two of the bigger names in the class – Jeanty and Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo – did not run.
Before the combine, NFL Network draft expert Daniel Jeremiah said he anticipated the running-back class would prove to be one of the deeper in recent memory in the middle to late rounds.
“There is a bunch of backs,” he said. “Third-round type. … It’s a long list.”
That could give the Seahawks some interesting decisions on the second and third day.
The Seahawks don’t have an obvious immediate need at running back with Kenneth Walker III, Zach Charbonnet and Kenny McIntosh remaining on their rookie contracts.
“I think we’ve got three really good football players, good runners,” head coach Mike Macdonald said this week at the combine. “They can all do all three things (run, catch, block). Play all three downs for us. I think Ken and Zach’s styles complement one another. Kenny’s (McIntosh) shown the ability to run wide zone really well, too. So it’s going to be fun to see how the reps shake out throughout the year and the roles we have for him.”
But Walker is also entering the final year of his rookie deal and is now eligible for an extension.
Given their cap issues and other needs, the Seahawks probably won’t consider that a priority and could decide to just let Walker play out his deal and then address it next year, as they did with 2018 first-round pick Rashaad Penny.
The Seahawks could also simply look to add competition and depth, the latter more important than ever with the expansion to 17 regular-season games and teams then hoping they will be playing three or four more in the playoffs.
Walker, for instance, played just 11 games last season due to injury and he also averaged just 3.7 yards per carry (573 yards on 153 carries), lowest of his career. Charbonnet compensated by rushing for 569 yards on 135 carries (4.2 ypc) while McIntosh chipped in 172 on 31, 5.5 per attempt.
But there’s no proven depth behind those three.
There’s also Seattle’s history of taking running backs. The Seahawks have drafted 14 since 2010 and at least one every year since 2012 other than 2014, 2021 and 2024.
With eight picks this year – and potentially trading down to add more – Seattle could be tempted to keep that streak going in 2025.
But mostly, there’s Seattle’s stated desire to vastly improve its running attack in 2025 after averaging just 95.7 rushing yards per game in 2024.
The commitment to the running game – or perceived lack thereof – played no small part in the decision to fire Ryan Grubb as offensive coordinator and bring on Klint Kubiak as his replacement, as well as hiring Rick Dennison – who has 28 years experience coaching in the NFL – as run game coordinator and senior offensive advisor.
“Your ability to run the ball and condense the game and be able to stretch the field and throw the ball over the top – I think that’s never changed,” Schneider said of how he thinks a strong running game can help the entire offense. “You see with the technique standpoint, you see a lot of the tackling not being great, especially in college football. That’s something that you want to be able to have that (to call) into play wherever you can play – in Detroit, you can play at home, you can play in Philly. We want to be able to run the ball wherever you are. Having that physical run game just gets the defense rocking.”
Kubiak, Dennison and offensive line coach John Benton plan to install a new blocking scheme focusing on an outsize zone attack. The success of the line to pull that off figures to be the biggest factor in whether the Seahawks can improve on their anemic running game.
But Barkley, Henry, Gibbs, Robinson and others have showed that running backs still matter, too.