Why everybody hellbent on getting a RB? Zeke is the best and only dynamic player on the offense. Taking him off the field makes you worse. Runningbacks aren't worth 2nd contracts because of the rate at which they break down. Work him to the ground for the next 3 seasons (Maybe a 4th on the tag) and let someone else pay him for past production. Rod Smith showed enough last year to spell Zeke when needed. Spending a 4th round pick for a handful of snaps when there is such a lack of depth on defense is insanity.
I think it's a little more nuanced than that. You're right that the only snaps Zeke's backup will get (barring Goodell) are like 2 dives up the middle when Zeke takes his customary 3rd drive off. It's a huge waste to spend any valuable draft pick for that.
But late round RBs tend to hit at a lot higher rate than other positions, and if they stick, you get a guy for 4 years who is playing for peanuts. Alfred Morris got $1.5 million a season, and that's about the going rate for a veteran backup. A 3rd day rookie has a 4 year deal that pays him about $600K a season, so you save almost a million dollars a year every year he's on the roster. The hit rate for starters late in the draft is like 10% and everyone's just throwing darts at that point anyway. Might as well see if you can find a cheap backup.
