Derick E. Hingle/USA Today Sports, via Reuters (left), Bruce Kluckhohn/Associated Press (right)
Paying a running back is a lot like buying a bottle of wine. The difference between a $20 box wine and a $100 vintage is often neither flavor nor subtlety, but simply 80 bucks. Similarly, the difference between an established All-Pro running back and an unheralded youngster is rarely quality or potential, just the amount of money and cap space that is squandered.
N.F.L. teams went on a running back spending spree over the weekend. The New Orleans Saints and Alvin Kamara agreed on an extension reported to be worth $77.