The NFL free agent period is still weeks away and with rumors coming out from teams before Match 11, names like Knowshon Moreno, Darren McFadden, Maurice Jones-Drew, Ben Tate, LeGarrette Blount, Rashad Jennings and Donald Brown will be in high demand on the market, as they are the best running backs heading into free agency this spring.
The NFL season is not even two weeks old yet and the Seahawks have barely been able to finish celebrating and already everyone is heading towards the draft and 2014. The NFL has the least amount of games of the four major sports, but the offseason turnaround is fast and scouts, coaches and execs are all working towards next season once Week 17 ends and sometimes even before that and one of the biggest periods is the start of free agency.
The Oakland Raiders, New York Giants and Miami Dolphins could be active at the RB position, as those teams have free agents coming off the books and also struggled rushing the ball last season. McFadden was injured once again and that likely signals his departure from the Oakland Raiders, while Jennings could stay with the team after stepping up and rushing for over 700 yards. The Raiders would have loved for McFadden to have had a great season and then have to question whether keeping him or not, but he made it easy and now they could try to keep Jennings or sign someone like Tate or Maurice Jones-Drew.
Tate came in for Arian Foster and was impressive this season and that's the second time in his Texans career that he has stepped to the plate and put up good numbers. Tate could take the path of Michael Turner, who went from backup to starter with the Falcons after playing with the Chargers and a team like the Giants or the Dolphins could try and sign him. The Giants have Andre Brown as a free agent and with David Wilson a question mark going forward, they will need to make a move in free agency or in the draft and someone like Andre Williams could be available for them.
Blount showed his skills towards the end of the season with the Patriots and while they were smart to acquire him for a late pick, it's unlikely they will keep him if he asks for too much as a free agent. Blount should be able to get a decent contract after the way he played, while Donald Brown was also impressive and he should be in demand. Jones-Drew should be able to find work somewhere as well, as he showed he still has something left in the tank. Moreno will be the top free agent on the market after he had a great season and he put up double digit touchdowns and over 1,000 yards for the first time in his career and he may be out of the price range for the Broncos.
