3rd and Long

In our second installment  focusing on this years crop of free agents, we turn our attention to the Running Backs

Marion Barber, Restricted, Dallas Cowboys

Marion Barber established himself as a number one back this season,, despite sharing snaps with Julius Jones. He led the league in yards gained after initial contact and runs through and over defenders with a mean streak unseen in today’s crop of running backs. Dallas isn’t going to let him go anywhere and Barber will likely be the Cowboys feature back in the not too distant feature.

Julius Jones, Unrestricted, Dallas Cowboys

The more successful Marion Barber has become, the more expendable Julius Jones has become to the Cowboys. While starting out his career with decent numbers, those numbers have declined as Barber has gotten more playing time, especially when it comes to Touchdowns as Barber emerged as the Cowboys short yardage back. While Dallas has not publicly stated a direction in regards to their running back situation, it would come as no surprise top see Jones go somewhere else where he could be a number one back again.

Jamal Lewis, Unrestricted, Cleveland Browns,

Lewis was a big part of the Browns success this season as he rushed for 1,300 yards and 9 touchdowns this year .In addition to his good numbers, Lewis really helped the Brown with clock management in a couple of key situations this year , leading to wins. While it is unlikely Lewis will ever repeat the effort of his 2,000 yard season of 2003, Lewis still contributes at a high level. Expect the Browns to keep Lewis for a couple of more years.

Update: I just got word that Jamal Lewis has signed a new contract with the Clevelenad Browns. As mentioned earlier, this was an expected move - Al Davis

Michael Turner, Unrestricted, San Diego Chargers

Michael Turner is likely to be at the top of a number of teams free agent list this off season , despite being used almost exclusively as a back up back. But when you are backing up the best RB in the league in Ladainian Tomlinson, and you still manage to have a 5 yds per carry average, there should be a number of NFL teams knocking on your door, asking you to be their starter.

Other notable Free agents Running/Full Backs

T J Duckett, Unrestricted, Detroit Lions
Cedric Cobbs, Restricted, Denver Broncos
Tyson Thompson, Restricted, Dallas Cowboys
Travis Minor, Unrestricted, St. Louis Rams