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The RB position is not one that sees long careers free of injuries in the NFL. It's important to avoid contact and cash out before father time catches up with those playing one of the most physically grueling positions in sports. Second to perhaps playing on the offensive/defensive line, at the very least.
Several rushers have a make-or-break season this upcoming fall that might determine where their careers are headed.
These five contract-year QBs must deliver in 2022 NFL to still be considered top backs and worthy of a big contract.
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#1 - Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers
Injuries have robbed Christian McCaffrey of staying at the top of the NFL's RB totem pole. From 2017-2019, the Panthers star averaged over 4.5 yards per carry and scored 24 touchdowns in his first three seasons.
Since 2020, though, McCaffrey has been injury prone, suiting up in less than 33% of his team's games. There have been talks of moving McCaffrey out of the backfield and into the slot more permanently, but Carolina coach Matt Rhule sounds resistant to making that a reality:
“We can always move him around and utilize him, but at the end of the day, he’s a back. You can do a lot of things with Christian, but to take him out of the backfield, to me, is taking him out of what he does best. We’ll keep him at tailback.’’
McCaffrey needs to have a signature season, or else all 32 NFL teams will question whether or not he can be anything resembling an RB1 ever again.
#2 - Kareem Hunt, Cleveland Browns
Quite frankly, it was surprising to see Kareem Hunt picked up so quickly following his release from the Kansas City Chiefs. When video surfaced in November 2018 of Hunt striking a woman in a Cleveland hotel, it was assumed that Hunt was going to need years to rehabilitate his image.
The Cleveland Browns picked him up anyway in 2019, though, and integrated him into their depth chart by Week 10 of that season. He's been a valuable asset to the Browns backfield, collecting 11 TDs in 24 games in the past two seasons.
That said, an ankle injury derailed his 2021 campaign. If he can't shake that injury, Hunt might not find another team that would be willing to look past his checkered history.
#3 - Kenyan Drake, Las Vegas Raiders
Kenyan Drake broke out on the Arizona Cardinals during the COVID-19 pandemic-stricken 2020 season, collecting double-digit touchdowns for the first time in his NFL career.
That momentum didn't carry over into his first season with the Las Vegas Raiders, though. Drake collected just 545 scrimmage yards in 12 appearances before a season-ending ankle surgery.
He restructured his deal in the offseason. Drake will need to show more value to stick with Ameer Abdullah, who is now competing for snaps behind Josh Jacobs in the Raiders backfield.
#4 - Raheem Mostert, San Francisco 49ers
It's possible that Raheem Mostert will end up reciting the chorus of the Counting Crows' hit "Big Yellow Taxi" following his departure from the San Francisco 49ers this past offseason:
"Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you got 'till it's gone"
Mostert was a career journeyman that couldn't last a week on the New York Jets before he found a five-year home on the San Francisco 49ers. While he never approached true RB1 status, Mostert became an asset in the Niners backfield, finding the endzone eight times in 2019 en route to an NFC Championship.
In order to avoid regretting leaving the team that put him on the map, Mostert will need to make good on the one-year 'prove it' contract he signed with the Miami Dolphins. Otherwise, he may not have an NFL home in 2023.
#5 - Saquon Barkley, NY Giants
No running back has as much pressure on his 2022 NFL performance as Saquon Barkley. The Giants running back's performance, along with Daniel Jones', will determine whether or not the current New York backfield is one worth building around.
Barkley has, by and large, not been the same since an ankle injury kept him out of action for Weeks 4-6 in September-October 2019. Once considered a slam dunk No. 2 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Barkley is likely making the Giants regret passing on Buffalo Bills franchise QB Josh Allen, who went five picks later at No. 7.
Rumors of Barkley being shopped this offseason have been raised ahead of the 2022, but assuming he's a member of Big Blue's roster come September, the Penn State product is facing the biggest make-or-break year of any NFL RB.
