Phoenix – Set up the chairs. Bring in the running backs. Start the music.
For reasons of money and preference, expendability and necessity, NFL teams played an old-fashioned game of musical chairs this offseason with their running backs. Not the elite backs. The Larry Johnsons and LaDainian Tomlinsons stayed out of play. But the next tier of backs was fair game.
In all, eight starting running backs in 2006 will have new teams in 2007, including Tatum Bell, who went from the Broncos to the Detroit Lions, and Travis Henry, who went from the Tennessee Titans to the Broncos.
“I guess that shows that when teams don’t have them, they want them,” said Dallas coach Wade Phillips. “And teams that have them think there’s better out there.”
Talk about one team’s garbage becoming another team’s treasure. The Cleveland Browns dumped Reuben Droughns after the team learned it could sign Jamal Lewis. The Baltimore Ravens released Lewis after they found out they could acquire Willis McGahee.
Lions coach Rod Marinelli said his top priority this offseason was to improve team speed and thought Bell was the top fast back for the money. The Broncos didn’t like the way Bell succumbed to the punishment between the tackles and had him traded well before the trading period opened March 2.
“Shanahan knew that Tatum Bell wasn’t his guy,” said running back Marshall Faulk, who formally announced his retirement this past week. “He needed a guy who, regardless of stature, was going to pound it up in there and get those tough yards. Tatum is more of a home run hitter.”
To replace Bell, the Broncos decided Henry was worth a $12 million guarantee because he’s tougher to bring down yet has enough speed to break off a 50-yard run. But the Titans, who lost Henry to a drug suspension in 2005, cut him rather than pay an $8.4 million roster bonus.
“I don’t know if any team has lost a player that they really wanted to keep,” said John Madden, a former Oakland Raiders coach widely considered the NFL’s top TV analyst. “Any time you look at players who change teams, they’re always guys their old team really didn’t want to keep.”
Void at running back
Perhaps it’s worth noting that none of the eight backs who switched teams finished among the NFL’s top nine in rushing last season. Henry led the eight-back exchange by ranking 10th with 1,211 yards.
“I think we’re devoid of great running backs right now,” Ravens coach Brian Billick said. “Who would you say is the best running back in the league?”
Larry Johnson.
“Who’s No. 2?”
LaDainian Tomlinson.
“Who’s No. 3?”
Uh, let’s see. Tiki Barber is retired so …
“So when you’re talking about the best running backs in the league and you stop at two and have to think – the league was that way with quarterbacks a few years ago,” Billick said. “But the void was filled. And it will be filled with running backs. But I would say right now, compared to previous years, there’s a void of the quote-unquote great running backs.”
Then again, said Bears coach Lovie Smith: “I still think if you have a great running back, you’re going to keep him. I think that’s a trend.”
Look at the teams that beat the Broncos last season. Kansas City held onto Johnson, San Diego didn’t dare depart with Tomlinson, St. Louis wrapped its arms around Steven Jackson and San Francisco not only kept Frank Gore, it just gave him a $28 million contract extension.
They all finished in the top five in rushing last season. Another back who helped beat the Broncos, Seattle’s Shaun Alexander, won the rushing title the previous year. And people think the Broncos’ biggest defensive problem last year was their pass rush?
The Broncos also lost to the Indianapolis Colts, who utilized a two-back rotation of rookie Joseph Addai and journeyman Dominic Rhodes. Wanting to get more carries for Addai and not wanting to pay Rhodes lead-back money, the Colts released the veteran. The Bears did the same with Thomas Jones, who was dealt to the New York Jets mostly because they believed highly paid, fresher-legged Cedric Benson deserved a chance.
“It’s one of the most identifiable positions,” Buffalo Bills president Marv Levy said. “You know this guy has talent and this guy doesn’t. That may factor into this merry-go-round. It’s a position where you rotate more than others so you get to see the backup more.”
Rotation means exposure
More and more, backs such as Johnson, Tomlinson, Gore and Jackson are exceptions for reasons other than their ability to gain yards. Once a fullback-halfback league, the NFL has evolved into a rotation of tailback A and tailback B. At least two-thirds of NFL teams now share carries with a rotating tailback system.
More tailbacks mean more opportunities, but also greater expendability.
“I think when this whole running back thing started, you had teams saying, ‘Hey, there’s going to be other guys available, maybe we can fix another situation and then use one of these other options at running back,”‘ San Diego coach Norv Turner said.
Indeed, there was a financial component involved with all eight running back switches. Ahman Green, Henry, Rhodes and Lewis were free agents while Jones, McGahee and Bell were traded before their contracts expired after this season. Cleveland decided to deal Droughns rather than pay his $1.75 million roster bonus.
There is a salary cap, after all, even if it is ballooning. The original teams of those eight backs all reached a point where they felt their money would be better spent elsewhere.
“Money is what they use to blame when they get rid of a guy,” Madden said. “But with running backs, I think people look at the longevity. It’s like a car that starts with a full tank of gas. You try to figure when it has half a tank, is it worth filling back up or is it going to run out of gas?”
Where they stop, no one knows other than at destinations elsewhere.
Running back shuffle
This offseason sent eight starting running backs – five of whom rushed for at least 1,000 yards in 2006 – to new teams:
TATUM BELL
Broncos to Lions
2006 rushing: 1,025 yds
REUBEN DROUGHNS
Browns to Giants
2006 rushing: 758 yds
AHMAN GREEN
Packers to Texans
2006 rushing: 1,059 yds
TRAVIS HENRY
Titans to Broncos
2006 rushing: 1,211 yds
THOMAS JONES
Bears to Jets
2006 rushing: 1,210 yds
JAMAL LEWIS
Ravens to Browns
2006 rushing: 1,132 yds
WILLIS MCGAHEE
Bills to Ravens
2006 rushing: 990 yds
DOMINIC RHODES
Colts to Raiders
2006 rushing: 641 yds
Mike Klis can be reached at 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com.
