Welcome to The Office of Barkley, Jacobs, & Pollard.
Today marks one week since three important players failed to agree to long-term deals with their teams. Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, and Tony Pollard will have two choices: to play on the franchise tag or sit out the season. Of course, sitting out the season means losing money. It may not be the best choice.
We know these three players are very similar. They play one of the most important positions in football: running back. Unfortunately, this position is also the most unfairly treated one in the sport. You know it’s bad when backup quarterbacks and kickers are getting paid more than players who actually touch the ball.
On Saturday, star running backs such as Nick Chubb and Derrick Henry led a Zoom call with other backs to discuss the state of their position.
BREAKING: #NFL star running backs Christian McCaffrey, Najee Harris, J.K. Dobbins, Nick Chubb, Derrick Henry, Jonathan Taylor, Josh Jacobs, Saquon Barkley, Aaron Jones, Tony Pollard, and Joe Mixon were in attendance for Austin Ekeler’s Zoom Meeting in collaboration with the NFLPA…
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) July 23, 2023
But, let’s face it. How important is it for the respective teams to reach long-term deals with Barkley, Jacobs, and Pollard next offseason? Let’s rank them, from least to most important.
3. Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys
I get it. Ezekiel Elliott is gone. Pollard steps in as RB1, and the Dallas Cowboys will make it back to the postseason and win the Super Bowl.
Not so fast.
Pollard has yet to reach 200 carries in his career. Of course, being the backup to Elliott is to blame. But, it took until late in the season for Dallas to finally give him more work in the backfield. Now as the starting back, can Dallas really trust Pollard to produce like he did in 2022?
Yes, he has the ability to make big plays and has great receiving ability. His burst definitely stood out last year. But, a lower-body injury he suffered in the playoffs last year required surgery this offseason. Though he’ll be ready for the start of training camp and the regular season, Dallas won’t trust him to give him 20 carries on a weekly basis.
Pollard is replaceable. He’s not the type of running back that you would sign to a long-term deal based on one semi-productive season last year. Rumors swirled that Dallas may bring Ezekiel Elliott back on a one-year deal to backup Pollard.
The former Memphis halfback is a good player. But, his playstyle and strengths are similar to other running backs out in the open market that could replace him either this season or the next (Dalvin Cook, Leonard Fournette, Kareem Hunt, etc.).
2. Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders
It was tough to decide between 1 and 2. But, here’s the thing. Jacobs’ production is going to go way down in 2023.
That may be a bit of an overreaction. Just let me explain.
With the exception of possibly Derrick Henry, no running back carries the ball 340 times and expects to maintain the same production from the previous season. 2022 was great for Jacobs, leading the league in rushing with 1,653 rushing yards.
However, for a player at such a young age to take the beating he’s gone through, the risk of having a short career is already a big one for running backs already. Continuing to give Jacobs 300 carries (if the team does so in 2023) will not be good for him or the team as a whole. He will suffer statistically, you can count on that.
It’s bad enough that Jimmy Garoppolo will be under center. The man barely throws touchdown passes and has an average amount of passing yards per game. That was all with a LOADED offense, and don’t even argue with me about that. Having him as the starting QB will only lead to more carries for Jacobs.
An argument could be made that all of the above just means that Jacobs is the whole Raiders’ offense and should be re-signed to the team because of how integral he is. I disagree because even with the numbers he put up, they still missed the playoffs.
The Raiders need more than just Jacobs. Maybe re-signing him to a long-term deal isn’t the most important thing in the world. Now, about that other running back…
1. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants
Sigh.
Saquon Barkley on the leverage he has if he decides to not play for the Giants this year (July 11th interview) pic.twitter.com/zPSC1RPXPn
— Bobby Skinner (@BobbySkinner_) July 19, 2023
I love his honesty. But, don’t give me the crap of “YES, JOE SCHOEN STOOD HIS GROUND”. Respectfully, shut up. Shut up.
The New York Giants are dependent on Saquon Barkley more than any team is with their running back. But, not in the way you think so.
First off, there’s no way New York makes the playoffs last year without Barkley. No chance. Even though he didn’t have as many big plays as we’re accustomed to seeing in the past, the attention he brought from defenses was undeniable.
It allowed Daniel Jones to keep the ball himself on option plays and gain a solid amount of yardage. Here’s an example of what I mean:
DANIEL JONES AGAIN ON THE GROUND! Tanner Hudson with ANOTHER great goal-line block, this offense is moving and the Bears refuse to adjust #NYG pic.twitter.com/p6Zh7Q63ae
— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM) October 2, 2022
The #Bears really sold out to stop Saquon Barkley here, healthy respect for the #Giants’ RB that allowed Daniel Jones to sprint for the TD. Great play design by Mike Kafka. pic.twitter.com/ffB2FNT0TG
— Matt Lombardo ? (@MattLombardoNFL) October 2, 2022
In both plays. the defense 100% thinks Barkley is getting the ball. All they’ve done is allow Daniel Jones to see nothing but open grass and six points twice
Yes, Barkley was handed the ball 295 times this past year. But, he only carried the ball 181 times in 2020 and 2021 combined. So, in a way, he’s sort of “fresh”.
His receiving ability helps in more ways than one. Not only does the defense have to attend to him as a receiver, but he’s the only back that can turn nothing into something.
This franchise selected him as the number two overall pick. He was an athletic freak who made many big plays during his time at Penn State. His skill set, body physique, and ability to evade defenders is something the Giants haven’t had in their backfield in forever.
Forget the James Robinson signing or the other players they have at running back. There is no replacing Saquon Barkley, not even with the other running backs on the open market.
Barkley is this team’s offense. But, not the entire offense where they have to give him the ball to succeed. Daniel Jones’s numbers go up when he’s on the field? Yes. Does this offense score more when he’s on the field? Yes. But, it’s all because of the attention he brings to opposing defenses. After all, when he does get the ball, he’s pretty dangerous.
That’s why after this 2023 season, the Giants better figure this out and sign him to a long-term deal.
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