Barry Sanders is one of the best running backs to have ever played in the NFL. He made the Pro Bowl in each of his 10 seasons in the league while rushing for 15,269 yards and 99 rushing touchdowns from 1989-1998. That’s a legendary career, to say the least. However, would he have excelled in today’s game?
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The landscape of football has changed significantly since the ’90s, with the game becoming much more pass-heavy. Quarterbacks like Jared Goff, Tom Brady before he retired, and Patrick Mahomes are all heavily used in the passing game, with each of their teams relying on their cannons. In the last five seasons, three quarterbacks recorded the most passes in a single season (Tom Brady in 2022, 2021, and Justin Herbert in 2022).
Goff and some of the other quarterbacks in football may not have needed to rely on Sanders’ talents as much as the Lions did in the ’90s. But a team like the Baltimore Ravens or Philadelphia Eagles, which are more focused on using one back, could be a better fit for Sanders. However, his blocking would need to improve.
To this day, most football fans would agree that Sanders is one of the most deserving players of being a Super Bowl champ, and is one of the best players in history without a ring. However, with the landscape of football having changed so much since the 90s, one Redditor couldn’t help but wonder whether Barry would’ve been able to have the same productive career as he did then.
“I’d seriously wonder if he’d get 20 carries a game. I’m not saying that because of his ability at all, hell you give Barry as many touches as possible imo. We’re just in a very past-happy era,” one user pointed out.
Another fan noted that while Sanders outshone the competition in the 90s, defensive players have gotten more athletic and quicker today.
“People say he would dominate today’s game because defences are made to stop the run like they were in the 90s. While this is true, defenders are so much more athletic and faster now.”
While some Redditors weren’t so confident in Sanders being a dominant running back today, the majority of Redditors showed their support for thinking that he would be. Some even predicted him to rush for over 2500 yards per season.
“If Barry Sanders came in as a rookie today and had a top-10 OL, he’d average 2600 yards a season for a decade.”
Meanwhile, another thought that Sanders would have been more dominant due to the Lions never having any good offensive lines or other playmakers. With a better supporting cast, one even predicted that the Lions could’ve won a Super Bowl with Sanders today.
“He played in an era that was a lot less focused on the pass without a stand out quarterback or receiver and he didn’t have a quality offensive line. Everyone knew the Lions were going to hand it off to him 30 times a game and he still put up huge numbers. If he was on today’s Lions? I can honestly see them with the Lombardi trophy.”
As many fans pointed out, oftentimes, defenses zeroed in on Sanders, and he still caused problems. Even though the game is more pass-heavy, the Lions, with their creative offense and schemes, would definitely figure out ways to give Sanders the ball and let him produce.
Sanders rushed for 1,000 yards or more in every season he played and scored over 100 touchdowns. As long as he remained healthy and dodged those defenders, he would thrive in the NFL today. Even if he started to wear down, the Lions would catch that soon, and would likely decrease his reps in a workload committee.
Sanders had the agility, quickness, and mental toughness to succeed back then. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him thrive today. What do you think? Could he do it?
