NFL: 30 running backs who got better after leaving their first team

Technically, free agency has always been in the NFL. But various rules and restrictions gave players little ability to switch teams until the early 1990s.

Who knows how many talented players saw their careers stuck in gear since they couldn’t move on their own accord? But after guys were able to move around more freely, franchises had to operate differently, including making more trades to stabilize their rosters.

Gaston Green is a great example of this. He was drafted in the first round of the 1988 NFL Draft to the Los Angeles Rams, staying in the same area after a dominant college career at UCLA.

However, he was in a logjam on the running back depth chart with Greg Bell, the starter on the team. The Rams decided to use Green as the lead kick returner in 1990, highlighted by a 99-yard touchdown return.

Ultimately, Green was a running back through and through. He saw his promised fulfilled the following season with the Denver Broncos after getting traded to the AFC West team.

Finally as a starter, Green rushed 261 times for 1,037 yards and four touchdowns, playing a big role in the team making the playoffs. His best game was a 26-carry, 158-yard performance in a crucial victory over the Minnesota Vikings. He was awarded a spot on the 1991 Pro Bowl roster.

The Broncos went 12-4 in the regular season and had a shot at making a Super Bowl run, but fell in the AFC title game to the Buffalo Bills. Gaston had a decent, but non-memorable performance on the ground.

That was the same for him next season, where even though he remained the team’s starter, he ran for just 648 yards and two touchdowns. It ended up being Green’s last season in the NFL, finishing with 2,136 career yards over five seasons split between the Rams and the Broncos.