When the NFL season comes to a close, another begins. It may be called the offseason, but as any fan knows, the NFL is a year-round sport that doesn’t end when the games cease to be played.

Among the notable attractions of the offseason is free agency. It’s where teams will rebuild before the draft and some can become almost instant winners by acquiring the right set of playmakers on offense and defense or else fill needs with veteran players.

Whatever your team needs, it starts with free agency. With that in mind, here are the top running backs who will be either unrestricted free agents (UFA) or restricted free agents (RFA) following the 2007 season.

The Top 5

This is an article from last year. If you’re looking for 2009’s Free Agent Quarterbacks, click the link.

When the NFL season comes to a close, another begins. It may be called the offseason, but as any fan knows, the NFL is a year-round sport that doesn’t end when the games cease to be played.

Among the notable attractions of the offseason is free agency. It’s where teams will rebuild before the draft and some can become almost instant winners by acquiring the right set of playmakers on offense and defense or else fill needs with veteran players.

Despite initial reports stating Bill Parcells will be joining the Atlanta Falcons franchise to aid in finding a head coach, the latest from ESPN is that he will instead be on his way to Miami in a similar capacity. The deal with Atlanta fell through when Parcells noted that the Dolphins were interested in him.

“We gave it our best shot, and it didn’t work out. We will continue down the same overall path, proceeding with plans to hire a general manager and a head coach. We will identify and consider every strongly viable candidate for these positions, with the goal of hiring the best,” Atlanta’s Arthur Blank said, according to a statement.

According to reports from ESPN and now the AP, Bill Parcells is considering a position with the Atlanta Falcons which would basically give him the power to hire a new head coach for the Atlanta Falcons after Bobby Petrino walked out on the team last week. Parcells would likely be a fine candidate because of his experience and his network of resources is fairly widespread.

Interestingly, Parcells could, if he wanted, name himself the head coach. But given the nature of the team — its talent — it would be surprising if he did so. Besides, being let go by the Dallas Cowboys probably left a bitter taste in his mouth and, while coaching there, he didn’t appear to enjoy the work. At his age, rebuilding a team from scratch — which is about where the Falcons are at this point — may not be the best idea.

Many draft experts are calling Darren McFadden a carbon copy of Adrian Peterson. Some are going further than that. But regardless of how he compares to 2007’s rookie of the year, the ultimate consensus is that McFadden is a playmaker and the most electrifying player in the 2008 NFL draft.

The Jets, meanwhile, have a running game that limped through the 2007 season, ranking 28th in rushing touchdowns. The offseason addition of Thomas Jones can unofficially be considered a failed maneuver as he averages 3.6 yards per carry this season and has scored only one touchdown.

But does Eric Mangini believe the position needs improving? Not necessarily. In fact, he doesn’t mind the idea of a three-back system featuring Jones, Leon Washington, and Brad Smith.