Top 10 free-agent running backs

NFL free agency begins March 14 - the first day of the new league year. Here is our list of the top 10 free-agent running backs.

Top Free Agents

• Quarterbacks
• Running Backs
• Wide Receivers
• Tight Ends
• Offensive Linemen
• Defensive Linemen
• Linebackers
• Defensive Backs

10. LeGarrette Blount

2017 Team: Eagles
2017 Salary: $900,000
2017 Stats: 766 yards rushing, 50 yards receiving, 3 TDs

Blount fell well short of his league-leading 18 rushing touchdowns while with the New England Patriots in 2016, but he averaged 4.4 yards per carry at the age of 31. He won't turn 32 until the end of the 2018 season and can fill a needed goal-line role for a variety of teams. He's unlikely to earn much more than he did on his one-year deal with the Eagles, serving as an inexpensive but effective veteran presence coming off of back-to-back Super Bowl victories.

9. Damien Williams

2017 Team: Dolphins
2017 Salary: $1,797,000
2017 Stats: 181 yards rushing, 155 yards receiving, 1 TD

Williams received his first real opportunity with the Dolphins in the wake of the trade of Jay Ajayi to the Eagles. The four-year pro had 34 carries and caught 12 of 15 targets while sharing the backfield with Kenyan Drake for his final four games, before a shoulder injury prematurely ended his season ahead of Week 13. He has age on his side at just 25.

8. Doug Martin

2017 Team: Buccaneers
2017 Salary: $7 million
2017 Stats: 406 yards rushing, 84 yards receiving, 3 TDs

Martin has a chance to get a head start on free agency, as he doesn't need to wait for March 14 to sign after being released by the Buccaneers. The former First-Team All-Pro running back has been limited to 19 games over the past two seasons, missing time due to injury and a suspension for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy. He averaged just 2.9 yards per carry over that time and hasn't scored double-digit touchdowns since his rookie season.

7. Frank Gore

2017 Team: Colts
2017 Salary: $3.5 million
2017 Stats: 961 yards rushing, 245 yards receiving, 4 TDs

Like Blount, Gore dispelled expectations of an age-related decline in 2017. He rushed for 961 yards and three touchdowns as a 34-year-old. He'll turn 35 in May, but he's still topped 1,000 yards in five of his past seven seasons - though just one of his past three. He can still handle a large workload to compensate for a declining yards per attempt average.

6. Isaiah Crowell

2017 Team: Browns
2017 Salary: $2,746,000
2017 Stats: 853 yards rushing, 182 yards receiving, 2 TDs

Crowell has started all 32 games over the past two seasons, but he's often given way to a more productive Duke Johnson Jr. at certain stages of games. He still had more than 400 carries at an average of 4.5 yards per attempt over the past two seasons, and is one of few true workhorse rushers that will be available.

5. Jerick McKinnon

2017 Team: Vikings
2017 Salary: $700,000
2017 Stats: 570 yards rushing, 421 yards receiving, 5 TDs

McKinnon will be hoping to find a larger role in free agency. He hasn't topped either 160 carries or 70 targets in a season, though he scored a career-best five total touchdowns in 2017. He's long been a favorite of the metrics - ranking as Pro Football Focus' No. 8 RB in 2017. He's a top dual-threat option who could shine in an expanded role.

4. Rex Burkhead

2017 Team: Patriots
2017 Salary: $1.8 million
2017 Stats: 264 yards rushing, 254 yards receiving, 8 TDs

Burkhead battled injuries while scoring a career-best eight touchdowns on a one-year deal with the Patriots. He twice scored multiple touchdowns in a regular-season game, but his role was greatly diminished upon return from injury in the postseason. He totaled just five touches in two games. Questions regarding his durability on a full workload could limit his market and eventual pay day, but he's an extremely versatile piece for nearly any system.

3. Carlos Hyde

2017 Team: 49ers
2017 Salary: $822,047
2017 Stats: 938 yards rushing, 350 yards receiving, 8 TDs

The 49ers may have already found their replacement to Hyde in 2017 undrafted free agent Matt Breida. The recently-turned 22-year-old averaged 4.4 yards per carry and 8.6 yards per reception while serving as the change of pace to Hyde.

Hyde will turn 28 years old early in the 2018 season, but he averaged a career-worst 3.9 yards per carry in 2017. He's averaged just 5.8 yards per reception for his career while catching 109 of 152 targets. Shining in his favor ahead of free agency is the fact he played all 16 games for the first time in his career in 2017.

2. Dion Lewis

2017 Team: Patriots
2017 Salary: $1.2 million
2017 Stats: 896 yards rushing, 214 yards receiving, 9 TDs

Lewis was graded by PFF as the No. 5 running back out of all 58 qualifiers for the season, making him the best of the soon-to-be free-agent backs. His role expanded later in the season amid injuries to Burkhead and James White, and Mike Gillislee's drop from the rotation. He'll turn 28 years old by the end of September and could land his first opportunity as a true No. 1 back away from New England.

1. Le'Veon Bell

2017 Team: Steelers
2017 Salary: $12,120,000
2017 Stats: 1,291 yards rushing, 655 yards receiving, 11 TDs

All but a guarantee to sign with the Steelers - via the franchise tag or more agreeable methods - Bell would be the No. 1 back available if he were to shockingly reach the open market. Still just 26 years old, he was named First-Team All-Pro for the second time in his career and led the league in rushing attempts in 2017, playing just 15 games.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)
(Contract figures courtesy: Over The Cap)