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+--- Thread: RBs as receivers (/thread-24486.html)
RBs as receivers - fredtoast - 08-10-2020
I have seen a lot of people talk about how we need to use our RBs more in the passing game. I agree that we did not seem to throw to our RBs a lot, but I just saw some interesting numbers on using RBs lined up outside of the backfield.
There are 50 RBs that had enough targets to qualify for FootBallOutsiders analysis of RBs as receiver. What they found was that other than the Bears Tarik Cohen and a couple of other smaller exceptions RBs get an overwhelming majority of their targets when they are lined up in the backfield instead of wide/tight/slot. For example Gio only got 23.3% of his targets (10 of 43) when he was lined up outside the backfield, but that was the 14th highest among the 50 qualifiers. Mixon got 17.8% and that was 18th. By comparison Gio's percentage was just one spot behind Kareem Hunt (25%) and Mixon was one spot behind McCafferty (20.4%). Many of the RBs known for their receiving numbers got a lower percentage of their targets when lined up outside of the backfield than Bernard and Mixon (Kamara 17.3%, Duke Johnson 17.5%, James White 16.8%, Le'Veon Bell 15.4%)
So we really are being "creative" in how we deploy our RBs in the passing game, but we just don't do it a lot. I am thinking that last year that had a lot to do with keeping the RB in the backfield to help block. A lot of fans think Bernard barely played last year but he actually was on the filed for 42% of the offensive snaps compared to 62% for Mixon. Gio played a lot on passing downs and stayed in to block.