| Andrew Perna. 13th March, 2008 - 11:15 am
 The Seattle Seahawks may not be ready to part ways with former NFL MVP Shaun Alexander just yet, but they are sending some not-so-subtle messages to the once-elite running back.
Already having signed T.J. Duckett to a deal earlier this offseason, the Seahawks added former Dallas runner Julius Jones to a four-year deal worth nearly $3 million per season on Friday. The team gave Duckett a five-year contract for $14 million to be their short-yardage option on the ground.
Jones played in all sixteen games for the Cowboys last season but ran just 164 times for 588 yards and two touchdowns. The production was by far the lowest of his four-year NFL career as the star of Marion Barber continued to rise in the Lone Star State.
Dallas was near the bottom of the league in rush attempts in 2007, but Barber gave Wade Phillips a tremendously efficient option in the backfield. Marion posted 975 yards on just 204 attempts, good enough for a 4.8 yard per carry average. Tony Romo and the fourth-ranked Cowboys’ passing offense have kept the running game from get any significant attention recently.
The Seahawks were in dire need of help in the ground. They ranked twentieth in the league in rushing last year, gaining just 101.2 yards per game. Seattle had been a mainstay in the top ten in recent years, including ranking as high as third in 2005 when Alexander busted out with 1,880 yards and 27 touchdowns.
From that point on, both Alexander and the Seahawks have seen a steep decline in their ground production. The signing of Jones and Duckett will help fortify their stable of running backs, but they aren’t going to dominate like they did just three seasons ago.
Both are talented runners, but there is a reason why Duckett has bounced around the league and the Cowboys let Jones go without any fight.
Alexander’s age, he’ll be 31 when the 2008 season kicks off, is one of the reasons he has struggled in the past two years. But the problems began in 2006 when guard Steve Hutchinson bolted for the Vikings.
Chester Taylor and Adrian Peterson are reaping the benefits that Alexander and the Seahawks used to enjoy, and Hutchinson’s absence is extremely obvious in the Northwest. Walter Jones helps clear the way for the Seahawks’ running game, but he can’t do it alone and is getting old himself.
If Alexander is still a member of the team this fall, Jones is expected to battle with the former MVP for the team’s starting gig. Duckett, meanwhile, will likely have the same role either way.
Jones did a decent job for Dallas in 2006, tallying 1,084 yards and four touchdowns. Aside from his rookie season, Julius has had Barber stealing attempts throughout his stay with the Cowboys, keeping him from having to shoulder a full load.
Should Seattle decide to cut Alexander, Jones would need to run the ball more than he has in his career thus far. Duckett will keep Julius from rushing more than 325 times, but even 280 would be considerably more than he has ever before.
The crop of free agent running backs was thin this offseason which put Seattle in a pretty tough spot. The decline of Alexander’s health and career seems to have forced them to retool their backfield earlier than they initially planned.
Considering the weak pool of talent, the Seahawks did a pretty good job of grabbing two of the better available options. They could have taken a chance and grabbed a runner in next month’s draft, but signing Jones and Duckett was a safer decision.
Grade for Seahawks: B
The Cowboys never seemed to have any intention of retaining Jones so losing him to the Seahawks didn’t faze anyone. Marion Barber will be getting the bulk of the carries in Dallas next season with the team’s first-round draft pick likely to pick up the scraps left behind by Barber.
Grade for Cowboys: A-
The only way the loss of Julius is going to hurt the Cowboys is if they can’t nab a top-flight rookie, or if Barber goes down in the early part of the season. There have been a host of rumors that Jerry Jones is trying to trade up in the draft to take Darren McFadden, who would more than fill the secondary role left behind by Jones.
Andrew Perna is a Senior Writer for RealGM.com. Please feel free to contact him via e-mail (Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com) with comments or questions. |
