There was a story yesterday that Tampa Bay might be interested in bringing in Adrian Peterson. Maybe I'm overly sensitive because I've got both Ronald Jones and Peyton Barber in a dynasty league, but I really hope it's an agent-driven story. I just can't fathom why a team with a couple of young options with some upside would be considering bringing in a washed-up fossil.
Peterson has been a great back for a lot of years. Hall of Famer, no question. But it's over. He had his shot destroying the value of better running backs in New Orleans last year, and thankfully the Saints spared us that painful exercise within a month. He moved onto Arizona and got another, uncontested shot at leading a backfield. And that was awful too.
At the end of the year, Peterson averaged just 3.4 yards per carry, one of the worst figures in the league. Maybe that would look good to Tampa Bay, which had Doug Martin out there crashing into the backs of his blockers to the tune of 2.9 yards per carry. But why not go for the unknown upside of the rookie you drafted in the second round or even Barber, who actually played well last season, than Peterson?
On his 156 carries last year, the guy that's been one of the best backs for the past decade broke free for 2 runs over 20 yards. Among the 47 runners with 100-plus attempts a year ago, that was one of the worst rates in the league. Far, far worse than New Orleans' other two backs; worse than Arizona's Kerwynn Williams, too.
| RUNNING BACK 20-PLUS YARD RUNS, 2017 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Att | Yds | Avg | TDs | 20+ | Pct |
| Kenyan Drake, Mia. | 133 | 644 | 4.8 | 3 | 7 | 5.3% |
| Bilal Powell, NYJ | 178 | 772 | 4.3 | 5 | 9 | 5.1% |
| Mark Ingram, N.O. | 230 | 1,124 | 4.9 | 12 | 11 | 4.8% |
| Giovani Bernard, Cin. | 105 | 458 | 4.4 | 2 | 5 | 4.8% |
| Kareem Hunt, K.C. | 272 | 1,327 | 4.9 | 8 | 12 | 4.4% |
| LeSean McCoy, Buff. | 287 | 1,138 | 4.0 | 6 | 12 | 4.2% |
| Alvin Kamara, N.O. | 120 | 728 | 6.1 | 8 | 5 | 4.2% |
| LeGarrette Blount, Phil. | 173 | 766 | 4.4 | 2 | 7 | 4.0% |
| Dion Lewis, N.E. | 180 | 896 | 5.0 | 6 | 7 | 3.9% |
| Tevin Coleman, Atl. | 156 | 628 | 4.0 | 5 | 6 | 3.8% |
| Orleans Darkwa, NYG | 171 | 751 | 4.4 | 5 | 6 | 3.5% |
| Alfred Morris, Dall. | 115 | 547 | 4.8 | 1 | 4 | 3.5% |
| Latavius Murray, Minn. | 216 | 842 | 3.9 | 8 | 7 | 3.2% |
| Ameer Abdullah, Det. | 165 | 552 | 3.3 | 4 | 5 | 3.0% |
| Jay Ajayi, Mia.-Phil. | 208 | 876 | 4.2 | 1 | 6 | 2.9% |
| Todd Gurley, LAR | 279 | 1,305 | 4.7 | 13 | 8 | 2.9% |
| C.J. Anderson, Den. | 245 | 1,007 | 4.1 | 3 | 7 | 2.9% |
| Derrick Henry, Tenn. | 176 | 744 | 4.2 | 5 | 5 | 2.8% |
| Alex Collins, Balt. | 212 | 973 | 4.6 | 6 | 6 | 2.8% |
| Devonta Freeman, Atl. | 196 | 865 | 4.4 | 7 | 5 | 2.6% |
| Carlos Hyde, S.F. | 240 | 938 | 3.9 | 8 | 6 | 2.5% |
| Isaiah Crowell, Clev. | 206 | 853 | 4.1 | 2 | 5 | 2.4% |
| Marshawn Lynch, Oak. | 207 | 891 | 4.3 | 7 | 5 | 2.4% |
| Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 242 | 983 | 4.1 | 7 | 5 | 2.1% |
| Matt Breida, S.F. | 105 | 465 | 4.4 | 2 | 2 | 1.9% |
| Jordan Howard, Chi. | 276 | 1,122 | 4.1 | 9 | 5 | 1.8% |
| Wayne Gallman, NYG | 111 | 476 | 4.3 | 0 | 2 | 1.8% |
| Melvin Gordon, LAC | 284 | 1,105 | 3.9 | 8 | 5 | 1.8% |
| Kerwynn Williams, Ariz. | 120 | 426 | 3.6 | 1 | 2 | 1.7% |
| DeMarco Murray, Tenn. | 184 | 659 | 3.6 | 6 | 3 | 1.6% |
| Leonard Fournette, Jac. | 268 | 1,040 | 3.9 | 9 | 4 | 1.5% |
| Jerick McKinnon, Minn. | 150 | 570 | 3.8 | 3 | 2 | 1.3% |
| Adrian Peterson, N.O.-Az. | 156 | 529 | 3.4 | 2 | 2 | 1.3% |
| Joe Mixon, Cin. | 178 | 626 | 3.5 | 4 | 2 | 1.1% |
| Matt Forte, NYJ | 103 | 381 | 3.7 | 2 | 1 | 1.0% |
| LeVeon Bell, Pitt. | 321 | 1,291 | 4.0 | 9 | 3 | 0.9% |
| Peyton Barber, T.B. | 108 | 423 | 3.9 | 3 | 1 | 0.9% |
| Chris Ivory, Jac. | 112 | 382 | 3.4 | 1 | 1 | 0.9% |
| Christian McCaffrey, Car. | 117 | 435 | 3.7 | 2 | 1 | 0.9% |
| Doug Martin, T.B. | 138 | 406 | 2.9 | 3 | 1 | 0.7% |
| Jamaal Williams, G.B. | 153 | 556 | 3.6 | 4 | 1 | 0.7% |
| Javorius Allen, Balt. | 153 | 591 | 3.9 | 4 | 1 | 0.7% |
| Samaje Perine, Wash. | 175 | 603 | 3.4 | 1 | 1 | 0.6% |
| Jonathan Stewart, Car. | 198 | 680 | 3.4 | 6 | 1 | 0.5% |
| Lamar Miller, Hou. | 238 | 888 | 3.7 | 3 | 1 | 0.4% |
| Frank Gore, Ind. | 261 | 961 | 3.7 | 3 | 1 | 0.4% |
| Mike Gillislee, N.E. | 104 | 383 | 3.7 | 5 | 0 | 0.0% |
About all you can say is he was a little better than Tampa's two runners a year ago, Martin and Barber. So if you're aiming to make a slight improvement, rather than actually get noticeably better, by all means, the team should sign a veteran back who's best years are well behind him. Let Ronald Jones watch from the bench. Good plan.
--Andy Richardson