The contracts can’t be signed until Wednesday, but free agents are agreeing to deals. The first two big movers at running back are both of the pass-catching variety – Chase Edmonds and J.D. McKissic.
Per reports, Edmonds will sign a two-year deal with Miami that’s worth $12.6 million. That one was a surprise to me, in that the Dolphins already have a smaller pass-catching back (Myles Gaskins). I was thinking they’d be going after more of a larger back who’s a traditional runner.
The Dolphins hired Mike McDaniel to be their new coach. Despite his nerdy looks and personality (he comes across as Mike from Accounting) he supposedly played a huge role in all the good things the 49ers have been able to do on the ground (he was their run-game coordinator. But Edmonds is more of a third-down type back (a smaller back who’s done his best work in the passing game). Miami might still be bringing in another back, of course.
The Bills have gone pass-heavy the last two years, and I suppose they’ll continue in that direction with McKissic added to their backfield. He’s a much more accomplished pass catcher than any of the running backs they have coming back. I would think that Devin Singletary will continue to start and Zack Moss maybe gets in for some power running, but McKissic could see plenty of action in obvious passing situations. McKissic could be their primary back when their four-minute offense is on the field.
Per reports, McKissic signed a two-year deal worth $7 million, with another $1 million available in incentives. With him on Buffalo’s roster, I would think Matt Breida will be gone.
Over the last two years, only 12 backs have caught at least 90 passes, and two of them are on the move. Washington and Arizona lost those backs, so they’ll need others to pick up some of that slack. Antonio Gibson and James Conner will be the opening day starters on those teams, but I would think those teams will need to each add a back with some ability to contribute.
| RUNNING BACKS WITH 70 CATCHES (last 2 yrs) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD |
| Alvin Kamara, N.O. | 130 | 1,195 | 9.2 | 10 |
| Austin Ekeler, LAC | 124 | 1,050 | 8.5 | 10 |
| J.D. McKissic, Was. | 123 | 986 | 8.0 | 4 |
| D'Andre Swift, Det. | 108 | 809 | 7.5 | 4 |
| Leonard Fournette, T.B. | 105 | 687 | 6.5 | 2 |
| Nyheim Hines, Ind. | 103 | 792 | 7.7 | 5 |
| Mike Davis, Car.-Atl. | 103 | 632 | 6.1 | 3 |
| Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 99 | 625 | 6.3 | 4 |
| Aaron Jones, G.B. | 99 | 746 | 7.5 | 8 |
| Chase Edmonds, Ariz. | 96 | 713 | 7.4 | 4 |
| David Montgomery, Chi. | 96 | 739 | 7.7 | 2 |
| • Myles Gaskin, Mia. | 90 | 622 | 6.9 | 6 |
| Josh Jacobs, L.V. | 87 | 586 | 6.7 | 0 |
| James Robinson, Jac. | 80 | 566 | 7.1 | 3 |
| Dalvin Cook, Min. | 78 | 585 | 7.5 | 1 |
| Devin Singletary, Buff. | 78 | 497 | 6.4 | 1 |
| Antonio Gibson, Was. | 78 | 541 | 6.9 | 3 |
| Jonathan Taylor, Ind. | 76 | 659 | 8.7 | 3 |
| Najee Harris, Pitt. | 74 | 467 | 6.3 | 3 |
| Cordarrelle Patterson, Chi.-Atl. | 73 | 680 | 9.3 | 5 |
| James Conner, Pitt.-Az. | 72 | 590 | 8.2 | 3 |
| Giovani Bernard, Cin.-T.B. | 70 | 478 | 6.8 | 6 |
—Ian Allan