Realistic Landing Spots for Top Free Agent RBs Before Training Camp
With OTAs wrapping up and training camp on the horizon, NFL rosters are largely set. However, a handful of veteran running backs are still looking for new homes.
A myriad of distinguished veterans signed new contracts this offseason, including former All-Pros and Pro Bowlers such as Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry and Austin Ekeler. Backfields around the league will look much different in 2024 than they did this past season.
Opportunities will inevitably arise for other free-agent running backs, though. Whether an injury in OTAs opens the door for an insurance option to compete or a team isn't feeling confident about its current platoon after witnessing some practice sessions, there's a good chance that some unsigned rushers will get a call before training camp begins.
With that in mind, we've come up with realistic landing spots for the best remaining free-agent running backs.
Cam Akers
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Cam Akers' NFL career has been a roller-coaster ride full of incredible highs and crushing lows.
The Los Angeles Rams took Akers in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. He played his way into the starting lineup as a rookie and looked unstoppable during the playoffs, amassing 272 yards and two touchdowns from scrimmage in two games.
That wound up being the high-water mark of Akers' career thus far, as an Achilles tear forced him to miss nearly the entire 2021 season. While he did return to help the Rams win a Super Bowl ring, he looked like a shell of the player who dominated his first postseason run.
Akers is still a free agent following a disappointing stint with the Minnesota Vikings last year. He rushed for only 138 yards and a single touchdown on 38 carries across six games before going down with another torn Achilles.
Akers' injury history is likely scaring away potential suitors, but he could be a steal on a low-risk, veteran-minimum contract.
Akers needed only five months to get back on the field in 2021, defying the traditional timeline of a full year to recover from an Achilles tear. After going down in early November, he should be able to get himself fully healthy in time for Week 1 this year.
The soon-to-be 25-year-old possesses a rare blend of upside and proven ability that no other available free-agent running back can offer. He'll be worth a dice roll for any team that can spare a roster spot for a high-ceiling backup.
The Dallas Cowboys would make sense as a landing spot for Akers after they declined to select any running backs in the 2024 draft. With a fading Ezekiel Elliott set to lead a backfield that largely lacks promise and experience behind the aging veteran, Akers could potentially take over as Dallas' top option as early as this coming season.
Realistic Landing Spot: Dallas Cowboys
Dalvin Cook
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Dalvin Cook is only one year removed from the last of his four consecutive 1,100-yard plus rushing campaigns and fourth Pro Bowl nod. But for the second straight years, he finds himself still looking for a team well past the start of free agency.
Cook signed with the New York Jets this past August and was projected to form one of the NFL's most dynamic backfields with Breece Hall. However, he rarely saw the field and hardly made an impact when he did.
In 15 games with Gang Green, Cook managed only 214 yards on 67 carries across 202 offensive snaps. He was released near the end of the year and caught on with the Baltimore Ravens for their playoff run, but he managed only 23 yards on eight carries in his divisional-round debut and was held out entirely during the squad's AFC Championship Game loss the following week.
Those performances may not inspire confidence, but Cook could still be an asset in the right situation. Any team willing to give Cook the type of volume he needs to succeed could get a strong return on a minimal salary investment.
The Indianapolis Colts could be the right spot for Cook to get back on track. While he'd have no chance of usurping Jonathan Taylor for RB1 duties, Cook could work as a serviceable depth option who can seamlessly step into a feature role if Taylor misses time.
Taylor has been sidelined for 13 games since winning the league's rushing crown in 2021, including a career-high seven games last season due to ankle and thumb injuries. Indy has a real need for veteran depth following Zack Moss' departure in free agency.
Cook would only need to beat out journeyman Trey Sermon (who has a mere 346 rushing yards across his first three NFL seasons) and inexperienced 2023 fifth-round pick Evan Hull to become the Colts' RB2.
Realistic Landing Spot: Indianapolis Colts
Kareem Hunt
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Kareem Hunt isn't a game-changing playmaker anymore, but the aging veteran showed he still has some tread left on his tires when he re-joined the Cleveland Browns following Nick Chubb's devastating knee injury early in the 2023 campaign.
Although he wasn't too dynamic on the ground—Hunt averaged only three yards per carry on his 135 totes—he did punch in an impressive nine touchdowns, ranking in the top 10 amongst his position for rushing scores. It marked the fifth time in his seven NFL campaigns that Hunt tallied at least five rushing touchdowns.
Aside from having a nose for the end zone, Hunt also showed he can still impact the game as a pass-catcher, reeling 15 of his 21 targets for 84 yards. He was an adequate pass protector and overall solid addition on a cheap contract for Cleveland last season, earning a respectable 68.7 Pro Football Focus grade for his efforts. Hunt has yet to finish with a PFF grade below 67.0 throughout his seven-year NFL career.
The 5'11", 216-pounder doesn't have the hulking size of a traditional goal-line back, but he offers some value in the red zone thanks to his penchant for punching in scores. Teams relying on younger, less experienced backs and those lacking a reliable goal-line ball-carrier could do worse than taking a flier on Hunt this year.
The Los Angeles Chargers stick out as a potential landing spot for Hunt, especially with the oft-injured J.K. Dobbins in line to lead the backfield. Hunt would be a great insurance option for the Bolts after he adequately assisted in replacing arguably the NFL's best running back last season.
Hunt could compete with fellow veteran Gus Edwards and dynamic rookie Kimani Vidal for a handful of touches per game while offering the ability to step into a larger role if Dobbins gets hurt again.
Realistic Landing Spot: Los Angeles Chargers
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Latavius Murray
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Latavius Murray may not be a full-time starter anymore, but at the age of 34, he still has something to offer NFL teams.
Heading into his 11th NFL season, Murray is greatly defying expectations at a position that averages a league-low career length of just 2.57 seasons. He told Ty Dunne of Go Long, that he'll be playing with a chip on his shoulder and is driven to prove doubters wrong as the NFL's oldest active running back.
"Why should I be the one outlier that's 34?" Murray said. "Why should it be so hard for us [running backs] to get a job? That's motivating to me."
The Buffalo Bills' depleted backfield benefited from Murray's reliable presence last season. He was available for 16 games and even started four of them, amassing 300 yards and four touchdowns on 79 carries. He finished the year as the team's second-most productive back behind starter James Cook.
Murray has now tallied at least 300 yards and four touchdowns on the ground for 10 consecutive seasons. He's done so while providing quality pass protection and value as a receiver, having notched at least 15 catches and 100 receiving yards in all but one season.
The Kansas City Chiefs may want to give Murray a call as they look to bolster their roster while chasing an unprecedented Super Bowl three-peat.
Thus far, Kansas City has opted against bringing back fellow veteran Jerick McKinnon following his three-year stint at Arrowhead. Without McKinnon in the mix, the Chiefs could use a steady hand behind starter Isiah Pacheco.
While Kansas City did re-sign tailback Clyde Edwards-Helaire this offseason, Murray's ability to grasp a new offense and meaningfully contribute might be invaluable to a team that will have a target on its back every week and can't afford to slip up in 2024.
Realistic Landing Spot: Kansas City Chiefs
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