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The running back position in dynasty football is volatile. Value becomes the focus as the position progresses. There may be immediate production while value fluctuates. There is a preconceived notion that running backs have a shorter lifespan. This means running backs will only give your team production for the shortest time compared to other positions. This article will examine total career touches in college and the NFL and identify the age-out season for running backs. I will define this by the last season under 200 touches (without significant injury).
Does high-volume exposure in college directly relate to the career length of an NFL running back? Time to go back to school.
College and NFL Touches for Elite Running Backs
Accumulating high volume in college coincides with their College Dominator rating, which is the player’s percentage of the team’s offensive production. In theory, the higher volume for a running back results in superior wear and tear on the body. The more a college running back produces, the more touches they are getting. I decided to go with ten running backs from different eras of the NFL. This accounts for respective changes in football over the years. Here are the running backs and their college touches:
Regardless of the number of years the running backs spent at their colleges, the total touches are being examined. Having looked at ten running backs who many consider at the top of their position.
- The average college touches for these legendary running backs is 730.
The running back position is the lowest career-long position in the NFL at 2.57 years, with the league average being 3.3 years. Does this mean the repeated exposure to the running back position during their college career will generate a shorter NFL career? Time to dig into the data.
Despite college wear and tear, these running backs provided extraordinary NFL value. This study intentionally focused on players with top-tier career finishes. Every running back had over 2,500 touches in the NFL, with the most being 4,924:
The shortest career was Barry Sanders, who played 10 seasons. Here are their age-out seasons, the last season under 200 touches:
The average age for the 10 running backs studied is 32.6. This age does not address the running back position. This age addresses the running backs who are the best at their position who have a combination of talent mixed with high volume. The asterisk indicates the running backs who retired for an age-out season, not because they did not receive the volume.
- Emmitt Smith had 282 touches (age 35)
- Curtis Martin had 244 touches (age 32) - in 12 games before a career-ending injury
- Barry Sanders had 380 touches (age 30)
Notable Injuries
Injuries are common in every sport, and it would not be surprising a position accumulating high amounts of touches per game acquires injuries over their career. Were the ten running backs that I picked not vulnerable to injuries, or did I just get lucky and find the perfect cases? Common injuries for running backs are ACL/PCL strain and tears, high-ankle sprains, and hamstring and Achilles injuries. The injuries of concern from the sample are:
- Ricky Williams – torn chest muscle
- Marshall Faulk – double-digit knee surgeries
- Steven Jackson – knee injury and additional surgery rookie year
- Adrian Peterson – torn LCL, ACL, meniscus
- Barry Sanders – torn ligament, left knee
- Frank Gore Sr. – torn ACL
- Fred Taylor – on record saying, "NFL doctors never told me about shoulder injuries."
- Curtis Martin – degenerative bone-on-bone condition; career ending
I found that eight out of 10 running backs had notable injuries. The injuries may be significant, given that running backs must have the agility and ability to make cuts and accelerate at any given time. The average career length of this group was 12.3 years (low of 10, high of 15).
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