Entering this year’s free agency and draft cycle the one position the Carolina Panthers seemed to need the least amount of work was running back. After all, conventional wisdom holds that running back is one of the last valuable, most easily replaceable positions in football. On its face that’s a somewhat bizarre statement given that running backs can impact the game so much by carrying the ball about 25 times per game, on average.
But there’s a reason why running backs are rarely drafted in the first round in the modern NFL and even the best players in the league can’t seem to land long-term second contracts.