1 day ago
In our last installment of the series "Old faces in different places," we looked at the quarterbacks. This time, we will take a look at the running back position. Running backs are at a premium this season, as they are every season, and with a slow turnover occurring at the position, some names did switch area codes, just not very many. Here's a breakdown.
Kenneth Walker III - Kansas City Chiefs
The reigning Super Bowl MVP was brought in to help stabilize the run game, which has been inconsistent of late. With Patrick Mahomes' injury last season, he will also provide security and get plenty of work.
Tyler Allgeier - Arizona Cardinals
Allgeier left the Atlanta Falcons to be a featured back and will now be a backup after the team drafted Jeremiyah Love out of Notre Dame.
#season #allgeier #position #kansas
Kenneth Walker III - Kansas City Chiefs
The reigning Super Bowl MVP was brought in to help stabilize the run game, which has been inconsistent of late. With Patrick Mahomes' injury last season, he will also provide security and get plenty of work.
Tyler Allgeier - Arizona Cardinals
Allgeier left the Atlanta Falcons to be a featured back and will now be a backup after the team drafted Jeremiyah Love out of Notre Dame.
#season #allgeier #position #kansas
10 days ago
The Arizona Cardinals reported to training camp on Wednesday. They had their first practice on Thursday and fans will get to see practice for the first time on Friday.
The Cardinals have many important position battles to watch. One is at running back — who will be the starter and No. 1 back?
The Cardinals made big changes to the running back room. They signed Allgeier in free agency, giving him a two-year, $12.25 million contract after he spent four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, three of which he was the backup to Bijan Robinson.
Then they used the third overall pick in the draft to select Love.
Love is the highest-drafted running back since Saquon Barkley was taken second overall by the New York Giants in 2018.
#wednesday
The Cardinals have many important position battles to watch. One is at running back — who will be the starter and No. 1 back?
The Cardinals made big changes to the running back room. They signed Allgeier in free agency, giving him a two-year, $12.25 million contract after he spent four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, three of which he was the backup to Bijan Robinson.
Then they used the third overall pick in the draft to select Love.
Love is the highest-drafted running back since Saquon Barkley was taken second overall by the New York Giants in 2018.
#wednesday
23 days ago
The Seattle Seahawks underwent significant changes at running back this offseason. They lost Super Bowl 60 MVP Kenneth Walker III to free agency and replaced him by drafting Jadarian Price. The NFC West has some very competitive backfields throughout the division. Heading into the 2026 NFL season, we've ranked all four backfields in the division from best to worst.
A healthy Christian McCaffrey is still arguably the best running back in the league. The dual-threat playmaker has been a cheat code for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. When available, McCaffrey is an annual Offensive Player of the Year candidate.
The rebuilding Arizona Cardinals wouldn't rank highly on most division-based lists, but their running back room is undeniably in good shape. Veteran James Conner is still impactful. The Cardinals drafted Jeremiyah Love at No. 3 overall. Love was arguably the best overall prospect in the 2026 NFL draft. Before drafting him, they also signed Tyler Allgeier in free agency. This backfield has three-headed monster potential.
Kyren Williams has firmly established himself as a top-10 back in the NFL. The former Notre Dame standout has rushed for 1,000+ yards in three straight seasons. Blake Corum rushed for 746 yards and six touchdowns last year, proving he's one of the better handcuffs in the NFL.
The unknown factor surrounding the Seahawks' backfield has them currently ranking last in the division. Will Jadarian Price be an effective rookie? When will Zach Charbonnet be healthy and available? How involved will George Holani be? The Seahawks have questions at running back heading into camp.
A healthy Christian McCaffrey is still arguably the best running back in the league. The dual-threat playmaker has been a cheat code for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. When available, McCaffrey is an annual Offensive Player of the Year candidate.
The rebuilding Arizona Cardinals wouldn't rank highly on most division-based lists, but their running back room is undeniably in good shape. Veteran James Conner is still impactful. The Cardinals drafted Jeremiyah Love at No. 3 overall. Love was arguably the best overall prospect in the 2026 NFL draft. Before drafting him, they also signed Tyler Allgeier in free agency. This backfield has three-headed monster potential.
Kyren Williams has firmly established himself as a top-10 back in the NFL. The former Notre Dame standout has rushed for 1,000+ yards in three straight seasons. Blake Corum rushed for 746 yards and six touchdowns last year, proving he's one of the better handcuffs in the NFL.
The unknown factor surrounding the Seahawks' backfield has them currently ranking last in the division. Will Jadarian Price be an effective rookie? When will Zach Charbonnet be healthy and available? How involved will George Holani be? The Seahawks have questions at running back heading into camp.
1 month ago
After Kyle Pitts got his three-year, $54 million deal signed on Tuesday, the next man in line to get paid by the Atlanta Falcons is likely star running back Bijan Robinson. Contract talks are reportedly ongoing and when they have concluded Robinson is expected to be the highest-paid running back in the NFL, even ahead of Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey.
There's good reason for that, because Robinson is probably on the verge of a statistical explosion in 2026. With Tyler Allgeier now in Arizona, Robinson should be on-pace for a heavier load of carries and touches than he had been getting the previous three years.
The latest evidence for this comes from Josh Kendall at The Athletic, whose latest roster projection for this coming season has the Falcons only carrying three running backs (Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson Jr., plus Tyler Goodson), which is great news for Bijan's fantasy owners, among other things.
"The Browns only kept two running backs on their initial 53-man roster last year under Stefanski, but the idea of having just two feels light for this team. The top two are set and in order, with Bijan Robinson expected to get the lion’s share of the carries and Brian Robinson stepping into the Tyler Allgeier fill-in role. Goodson is a three-year veteran with 304 special teams snaps in the last two seasons. That special teams experience gives him an edge on Nathan Carter."
Three running backs may sound a little bit light given how important the run is against the heavy trend of two-safety sets, but the Falcons can always elevate one from the practice squad if they need to.
There's good reason for that, because Robinson is probably on the verge of a statistical explosion in 2026. With Tyler Allgeier now in Arizona, Robinson should be on-pace for a heavier load of carries and touches than he had been getting the previous three years.
The latest evidence for this comes from Josh Kendall at The Athletic, whose latest roster projection for this coming season has the Falcons only carrying three running backs (Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson Jr., plus Tyler Goodson), which is great news for Bijan's fantasy owners, among other things.
"The Browns only kept two running backs on their initial 53-man roster last year under Stefanski, but the idea of having just two feels light for this team. The top two are set and in order, with Bijan Robinson expected to get the lion’s share of the carries and Brian Robinson stepping into the Tyler Allgeier fill-in role. Goodson is a three-year veteran with 304 special teams snaps in the last two seasons. That special teams experience gives him an edge on Nathan Carter."
Three running backs may sound a little bit light given how important the run is against the heavy trend of two-safety sets, but the Falcons can always elevate one from the practice squad if they need to.
2 months ago
The Atlanta Falcons did not re-sign running back Tyler Allgeier in free agency, instead signing veteran Brian Robinson Jr. to back up Bijan Robinson in 2026. Allgeier, a former fifth-round pick out of BYU, landed a two-year, $12.25 million deal with the Arizona Cardinals in free agency.
However, Allgeier soon found himself in a similar situation to the one he departed in Atlanta. The Cardinals selected Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love third overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, and by doing so, significantly limited Allgeier's potential upside on his new team.
Allgeier will now have to compete with Love, James Conner and Trey Benson for carries in Arizona. ESPN ranked the Cardinals' running back unit as the NFL's most improved position group heading into 2026. ESPN's Ben Solak went on to suggest that Allgeier could be traded due to Arizona's logjam at running back.
"With the drafting of Love, Allgeier becomes an interesting trade candidate," wrote Solak before listing a few possible teams. "Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving is out for the summer and potentially into the fall with lingering shoulder issues. And the Jaguars' RB room, featuring Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez Jr., is still mighty thin. If the Cardinals want to trade Allgeier, despite signing him to a multiyear free agent contract just months ago, they should have suitors."
The Falcons saw what Allgeier could do in a lead-back role during his rookie year in 2022. He rushed for 1,035 yards and eight touchdowns on 4.9 yards per carry. Atlanta still couldn't resist taking Bijan with the eighth overall pick in 2023, though, and the rest is history.
However, Allgeier soon found himself in a similar situation to the one he departed in Atlanta. The Cardinals selected Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love third overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, and by doing so, significantly limited Allgeier's potential upside on his new team.
Allgeier will now have to compete with Love, James Conner and Trey Benson for carries in Arizona. ESPN ranked the Cardinals' running back unit as the NFL's most improved position group heading into 2026. ESPN's Ben Solak went on to suggest that Allgeier could be traded due to Arizona's logjam at running back.
"With the drafting of Love, Allgeier becomes an interesting trade candidate," wrote Solak before listing a few possible teams. "Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving is out for the summer and potentially into the fall with lingering shoulder issues. And the Jaguars' RB room, featuring Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez Jr., is still mighty thin. If the Cardinals want to trade Allgeier, despite signing him to a multiyear free agent contract just months ago, they should have suitors."
The Falcons saw what Allgeier could do in a lead-back role during his rookie year in 2022. He rushed for 1,035 yards and eight touchdowns on 4.9 yards per carry. Atlanta still couldn't resist taking Bijan with the eighth overall pick in 2023, though, and the rest is history.
2 months ago
Early in OTAs, rookie running back Jeremiyah Love, the Arizona Cardinals' first-round pick, was seen practicing returning kicks. That was surprising, especially since he didn't do it in college. He is expected to have a big role in the offense, which usually cuts out such roles on special teams.
So why was he getting work in as a returner?
New special teams coach Michael Ghobrial explained.
"You know, at at the end of the day, we will do anything it takes to win," he told reporters on Thursday at the conclusion of OTAs. "He's obviously very gifted when the ball is in his hands. He's got tremendous run skill. He's got great ball skills, too. So, if the opportunity presents itself to where he can take care of the football back there and we're keeping the volume of snaps depending on what he does offensively, you know, it's something we'll certainly work at."
With the Cardinals running back room including Love, veteran James Conner and free agent addition Tyler Allgeier, he might have to share the offensive load.
So why was he getting work in as a returner?
New special teams coach Michael Ghobrial explained.
"You know, at at the end of the day, we will do anything it takes to win," he told reporters on Thursday at the conclusion of OTAs. "He's obviously very gifted when the ball is in his hands. He's got tremendous run skill. He's got great ball skills, too. So, if the opportunity presents itself to where he can take care of the football back there and we're keeping the volume of snaps depending on what he does offensively, you know, it's something we'll certainly work at."
With the Cardinals running back room including Love, veteran James Conner and free agent addition Tyler Allgeier, he might have to share the offensive load.
