It used to be a glamorous position in the NFL, one at which stars were made and had long careers that often ended up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
That’s not the case for the running back position in the NFL anymore. Running backs are becoming more and more fungible as the shelf life gets shorter and shorter overall due to age and health brought on by wear and tear.
The surprising release of Dalvin Cook — who has four straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons and is just 27 years old — by the Minnesota Vikings was the latest example of the running back position being greatly devalued, which has really opened the eyes of third-year Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris.