2024 NFL Free Agency predictions - RB edition: Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry headline a loaded class

The 2024 NFL free agency period is set to kick off on March 13 when the new league year officially begins. All teams will have until then to negotiate new contracts with their pending free agents. Failure to do so will result in all of those players being free to sign with any team that offers them a new contract.

Running backs represent one of the strongest positional groups in this year's free agency class with some of the top players in the NFL potentially hitting the open market this year. While some believe that this position has lost some of its overall value in recent years, the top options in the 2024 NFL free agency class are certainly capable of making a major impact next season.

NFL Free Agency: Top RBs available this year

Saquon Barkley

Running backs have struggled to receive the massive contracts they have been seeking in recent years. Teams have been reluctant to give out long-term deals to the position due to the short peaks of their careers, even for some of the top players in the position.

It will be interesting to see what happens to the running back market during the 2024 NFL free agency period, considering the strength of this year's class. The option this year includes some of the same names as last season at this time. Some of them include Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, and Tony Pollard, who all received a franchise tag for last season.

Now that their one-year deals have expired, they are all pending free agency once again. They join a loaded class of strong options that have served as starting running backs during last season.

Here are the top ten free-agent running backs who have yet to sign a new contract with their current teams:

1. Saquon Barkley
2. Derrick Henry
3. Josh Jacobs
4. Austin Ekeler
5. Tony Pollard
6. D'Andre Swift
7. JK Dobbins
8. Ezekiel Elliot
9. Gus Edwards
10. Devin Singletary

NFL Free Agency Predictions 2024

Derrick Henry

The 2024 NFL free agency period could realistically result in a major realignment of some of the best running backs in the entire league. Many of them can provide excellent value for contending teams looking to make a splash.

Here are some predictions for where the top ten options could land:

1. Saquon Barkley - Houston Texans
2. Derrick Henry - Dallas Cowboys
3. Josh Jacobs - Los Angeles Chargers
4. Austin Ekeler - Buffalo Bills
5. Tony Pollard - Minnesota Vikings
6. D'Andre Swift - Philadelphia Eagles
7. JK Dobbins - Cincinnati Bengals
8. Ezekiel Elliot - Las Vegas Raiders
9. Gus Edwards - Baltimore Ravens
10. Devin Singletary - New York Giants