Andrew Brandt and Robert Klemko of TheMMQB.com published a pair of interesting articles today on the devaluation of the running back position. Brandt’s piece attempts to explain why the value of running backs is in decline, while Klemko spoke to recent Browns signee Ben Tate about the trend. Asked if he’d have chosen a different path if he’d been able to foresee the drop-off in contract value for rushers, Tate admitted he likely would have.
“I would’ve been something else, for sure. I’d have been a safety,” Tate said. “I had the opportunity to play it in college, but I wanted to be the guy to get the ball. I had no idea the position would be devalued, but hopefully I can break that trend.”
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NFL:
- Eagles quarterback Nick Foles, who still has two years remaining on his rookie contract, isn’t thinking about a new deal after his breakout 2013 season, as Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News details (via Sulia). “I enjoy playing this game, whatever my contract is, or not,” Foles said. “I don’t even know how much I make this next year — I just love playing this game with my teammates.”
- New York governor Andrew Cuomo has hired a law firm to help keep the Bills in the state, writes Tom Precious of the Albany Bureau. That firm will help Cuomo & Co. help convince the team’s new owners to keep the Bills in Western New York rather than move them to Toronto or another destination.
- Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff told reporters today, including D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, that he still doesn’t regret trading away five picks for wide receiver Julio Jones in the 2011 draft. Earlier today we asked Pro Football Rumors readers what they think Atlanta will do in the 2014 draft and most of you said the team would trade up.
- Linebacker D’Qwell Jackson couldn’t be happier to be a member of the Colts, writes Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star. Jackson inked a four-year, $22MM deal with the Colts in March and says that he’s happy to get as far away from “the Cleveland situation” as possible.
- Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press looks at possible quarterback targets for the Lions. Of course, with Matthew Stafford under center and Dan Orlovsky on a one-year deal to back him up, Detroit doesn’t have a huge QB need, but they could draft someone in the later rounds to give Kellen Moore a run for his money.
- Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com surveys the Raiders‘ defensive line possibilities in next month’s draft, including Pittsburgh tackle Aaron Donald. Even though he’s undersized at 6’1″, he has a high motor, great speed, and agility for the defensive tackle position.
- This year’s deep draft can yield some serious gems for the Ravens, writes Bo Smolka of CSNBaltimore.com. At the Ravens’ pre-draft news conference earlier today, assistant GM Eric DeCosta said the Ravens have identified about 180 players they view as draftable, up from 140 or 150 in past years.
Rob DiRe contributed to this post.