The Pittsburgh Steelers have a decision to make with James Conner after the 2020 season, but here’s why Leonard Fournette shows what the NFL thinks of running backs.
Unless you have an elite running back or your name is Bill O’Brien, NFL management doesn’t think of running backs in the same light that they used to. It used to be that washed up running backs could play 12-15 seasons in the NFL based on their reputation alone, but that that is no longer the case. The Pittsburgh Steelers need to take notes.
Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert selected James Conner with a compensatory third-round draft choice back in 2017 – making a unit that landed T.J. Watt and JuJu Smith-Schuster in the same year an iconic draft class. Though Conner made a Pro Bowl with the team in 2018, the Steelers may want to think twice before handing him a rich new contract.
Recently, Leonard Fournette was cut by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Though Fournette has had some off the field issues with the team, this really makes you think about how the NFL values running backs.
At just 25 years old and coming off his best sesaon in which he compiled 1,674 all-purpose yards in 15 games, Jacksonville reportedly could get nothing out of a trade for Fournette – not even a seventh-round draft choice. This shows you how the NFL views the running back position.
It used to be that a respectable running back could play in the NFL and get paid for as long as they desired. Emmit Smith is a great example of this. Despite his record-setting Hall of Fame career, Smith was washed up for the last four seasons of his career. But despite playing well into his 30s and averaging between 2.8 and 3.9 yards per carry over his last four seasons, Smith was still able to be a starting running back for the Cowboys and Cardinals when his career should have been over with.
Now, teams are finally wising up. Though Fournette had loads of talent coming out of LSU in 2017 and has proven to be an every-down back in the NFL, teams just don’t value that like they used to. They see a running back who has been mostly inefficient through his first three seasons in the league and are ignoring his former draft status.
Though there’s little doubt that an NFL team will make Fournette an offer to play this year, the fact that 31 teams were unwilling to part ways with a seventh-round draft choice for a young running back who was the 4th overall pick just a few years back tells you everything you need to know.
The Saints are the latest team experiencing running back drama. Alvin Kamara has had three consecutive unexcused absences with the team that are reportedly contract related, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Though Kamara is a superior football player to Fournette, teams are becoming less willing to overpay running backs then they have in the past.
James Conner should be no exception. Though Conner has proven to be a solid, well-rounded running back for the Steelers, giving him a sizable extension seems out of the question when you consider his injury history and modest efficiency numbers.
James Conner is one of the most likable players on the Steelers, but a more talented player like Leonard Fournette has been completely devalued in the NFL. Running backs truly are a dime-a-dozen in the NFL, and Conner doesn’t break the mold.