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A different look at the free agent running backs Seahawks could pursue

NFL Pro Bowl Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images

On Tuesday Field Gulls own Mookie Alexander took a look at how the Seattle Seahawks might address the running back position over the course of the offseason. With that in mind, there are several attractive candidates for the team, both in free agency and the draft, with fans clamoring for their favorite names from both the draft and free agency. Whether it’s Derrick Henry, Melvin Gordon or Carlos Hyde as free agents, or Jonathon Taylor, Cam Akers or Zack Moss following their performances at the combine in Indianapolis last week.

In any case, with so many options to choose from, it’s likely that Mookie was right in that while the team will certainly address the position, hopefully they won’t overdo it. That said, with most fans recognizing that the team should be okay with Chris Carson as the starter, and with Rashaad Penny able to pick up some slack later in the season, here is a quick look at some of the free agent running backs using non-traditional statistics.

Non-standard statistics for free agent running backs

Rusher Median Success Mode
Rusher Median Success Mode
Derrick Henry 3 40.3% 2
Carlos Hyde 3 38.8% 1
Frank Gore 3 29.1% 2
Melvin Gordon 3 37.0% 3
Peyton Barber 3 29.9% 1
Damien Williams 3 35.1% 3
LeSean McCoy 3 40.6% 3
Bilal Powell 3 31.0% 3

Obviously, one of the things that jumps out from that table is that all of the running backs in that list have a median carry length of three yards. Is that normal or is that randomness? To answer that, here’s a look at the median rush attempt for players with 50 or more rushing attempts during the 2019 season.

Median rushing gain for players with 50+ attempts in 2019

Player Name Median Rush Rush Attempts
Player Name Median Rush Rush Attempts
Lamar Jackson 5 114
Kyler Murray 5 53
Aaron Jones 4 236
Raheem Mostert 4 137
Bo Scarbrough 4 89
Tony Pollard 4 86
Jordan Wilkins 4 51
Dion Lewis 3.5 54
Derrick Henry 3 303
Ezekiel Elliott 3 301
Nick Chubb 3 298
Christian McCaffrey 3 286
Chris Carson 3 278
Joe Mixon 3 278
Leonard Fournette 3 265
Dalvin Cook 3 250
Marlon Mack 3 247
Sony Michel 3 247
Carlos Hyde 3 245
Le'Veon Bell 3 244
David Montgomery 3 242
Josh Jacobs 3 241
Phillip Linsay 3 224
Todd Gurley 3 223
Saquon Barkley 3 217
Adrian Peterson 3 211
Devonta Freeman 3 184
Miles Sanders 3 178
Ron Jones 3 172
Alvin Kamara 3 171
Kenyan Drake 3 169
Frank Gore 3 165
Melvin Gordon 3 162
Peyton Barber 3 154
Devin Singletary 3 149
Latavius Murray 3 146
Gus Edwards 3 133
Austin Ekeler 3 132
Royce Freeman 3 131
Matt Breida 3 123
Jordan Howard 3 119
James Conner 3 115
DeAndre Washington 3 114
Kerryon Johnson 3 114
Damien Williams 3 111
LeSean McCoy 3 101
Alexander Mattison 3 100
Benny Snell 3 79
James White 3 66
Rex Burkhead 3 65
Rashaad Penny 3 65
Tarik Cohen 3 63
Ty Johnson 3 63
Chase Edmonds 3 60
Boston Scott 3 59
Bilal Powell 3 58
Justice Hill 3 58
Mark Walton 3 53
Nyheim Hines 3 52
Brian Hill 2.5 78
Tevin Coleman 2 137
Kalen Ballage 2 73
Malcolm Brown 2 68
Jaylen Samuels 2 66
Giovani Bernard 2 53
Patrick Laird 1 60

So, with that in mind and free agency just two weeks away, the question becomes how large of a contract Henry or Gordon will command, when there may be better values available.