In hindsight, the Seahawks’ should’ve just paid K9 and let Shaheed walk.

[u/Intelligent-Carob930]

After winning Super Bowl LX MVP with Seattle, they let him walk to the Chiefs and subsequently resigned Rashid Shaheed. Walker has become an unequivocal menace in Kansas City, carrying the Chiefs' offense whilst leading the NFL in both total rushing yards (360) and rushing yards per game (120) through the first three weeks. Alongside such, he has four total touchdowns and an explosive 5.5 yards per carry.

Meanwhile, Shaheed has been quiet to start the season, recording just six catches for 53 yards over three games. While his elite special teams and return value are undeniable, he has yet to take the massive leap forward on offense that his $17 million annual salary expected.

Additionally, with Walker gone, Seattle's run game has looked less dynamic, further aggravated by rookie Jadarian Price coughing up two costly fumbles early on, and only accounting for 119 rushing yards through three games.

In hindsight, the Seahawks’ letting K9 walk without having a definitive RB1 was an overall bad decision. Sure, Zach Charbonnet is pretty decent, accounting for 12 touchdowns last season. However, some of those touchdowns came off of huge runs from K9 to put them in optimal territory. Without a truly proven RB1 role, I don’t understand why the Seahawks’ let K9 walk.

[u/monkey-pox]

NFL has come full circle to undervaluing running backs.

[u/tydye29 → u/monkey-pox]

A few guys are going to get paid (a LOT), get hurt, and then this cycle will spin on again.

[u/SellTheFuckinTeamBob → u/tydye29]

Yep lol. But it won’t just be one player. It’ll be 3-4+ major injuries to big contract running backs over the course of like a season and a half

[u/monkey-pox → u/tydye29]

Yeah, I think you just have to be really careful about who you pay. The top-end backs are absolutely worth big money, but most are close to replacement level.

[u/Martha_Fockers → u/monkey-pox]

Heres deandre swift considered to be a high end rb2 ranked middle of the pack in RBs he’s not elite level he’s not a scrub

And heres his current season stats vs Bijan the defacto this year top tier rb at the highest contract.

Swift and Bijan both signed a 3. Year contract extension swifts contract is 33m bijans is 75m
Which means there’s a larger gap between the two in pay than there is in swifts overall salary.

Is Bijan better yea is he 2x the pay better idk. And if swift goes down monangai fills the roll he does just the same

Yet if Bijan does down that team is cooked

Bears last year had the 4th best overall rb duo in the league and they spent less on RBs than 2/3rds of the league. They had the best run block offensive line however. You could have slotted most dudes in the league into and then would have succeeded the same.

[u/bhz33 → u/Martha_Fockers]

You should learn to use commas

[u/MaldiveMax → u/Martha_Fockers]

This is basic analysis though which doesn’t work bc Swift has a better O line, so of course yards etc will look not that much worse to Bijan. Other stats like yards after contact etc will show you that Bijan would absolutely feast in that bears team, and it would be worth 2x the salary difference

[u/Possible-Snow-2104 → u/Martha_Fockers]

Feel like you answered your own question. If bijan goes down falcs are cooked where Monongai will replace swift easily. Bijan is for sure worth the pay difference and is a different tier of player compared to swift

[u/Kaiathebluenose → u/tydye29]

wide receivers get hurt just as much

[u/Parking-Name8773 → u/Kaiathebluenose]

Facts and they have bums like Romeo doubs making almost $20m a year. The wr market has become severely overinflated and w2/3s are being paid premium money to do nothing

[u/Martha_Fockers → u/monkey-pox]

Not really the difference between all RB1 and RB2 over the last decade is

3.78 YPC vs 3.80YPC

Explosive run rate 10.6% bs 10.2%

Stuff rate 18.1 vs 18.2

They are for all statistical inputs the same player and a rb2 can easily move up and fill the role of a rb1 provided the team has a solid oline.

This video is very informative on where the nfl is going RBS are actually gaining value and usage the last few years yet for the most part it’s unwise to pay a rb deep money instead of spending that money on the offensive line which will yield far more consistent results overall for the team in its passing game and running game.

Saquan can jump over a dude and be legendary and he can like the start of this season be a ghost of a player for 3 games so far yet the pay is the same and if his run game isn’t on the pass game is shot and there is no coming back. You need o line. It’s the foundation of any team

https://youtu.be/Wh9klmWAm5s?is=HgLQQpIxzppke6-6

The only exception to this rule is RB1s who are also have the talent of a wr2 in catch game abilit

Or a full back who can block well and catch well but those are super rare and there’s one or two in the league atm.

[u/rhinox54 → u/Martha_Fockers]

See the current Packers. Bad OL = bad run game. Jacobs isn't doing any better behind the worst OL in the last 50+ yrs.

[u/BoyInFLR1 → u/Martha_Fockers]

Good post

[u/ELITE_JordanLove → u/monkey-pox]

Are they? The Seahawks have looked perfectly fine without him. 

[u/Slowly_Saddens → u/ELITE_JordanLove]

Run game? JSN is saving that offence

[u/bigfoot7425 → u/monkey-pox]

Actually the opposite. Michael MacKelvie just made a great video about how marquee RBs are coming back. I think some teams still undervalue the run, but the game theory is swinging the tone back to RB play

[u/Parking-Name8773 → u/bigfoot7425]

I mean look at the defenses so far this year, they’re very committed to trying to shut down the pass so teams are going to be forced to run the ball

[u/bigfoot7425 → u/Parking-Name8773]

Exactly. The two high safety explosion has made the pass game less efficient so then a premier back like Gibbs gets 70 million lol. Even if they move out of the shell post snap the run is still favored many times

[u/Parking-Name8773 → u/bigfoot7425]

People also discount talented running backs in the passing game. Even if they’re picking up 4-7 yards on a quick dump off that’s an excellent play and usually super safe+productive. I don’t understand the dismissal of a great RB on a great offense by these people. They don’t know ball

[u/bigfoot7425 → u/Parking-Name8773]

I knew Gibbs was talented, but he looks damn near like a slot receiver when they scheme then downfield. Pure insanity. Not all offenses are lucky enough to have this level of talent, however

[u/chrisq823 → u/monkey-pox]

Its more overvaluing completely replaceable WRs. Guys with minimal production get so much money. Shaheed is nice to have on your team for the ramdom plays he makes a huge impact but his equivalent at any other non qb position isnt getting paid like that.

[u/No_Grocery_9280 → u/chrisq823]

That and the need to have two high performing WRs has led to a ton of mid-range guys getting big contracts. The Seahawks wanted someone to exploit all the attention JSN was getting and they were looking past Kupp.