Since the turn of the century, no position has become more devalued than running back. The position was often the focal point of an offense throughout the early 2000s. However, with teams increasingly deploying a committee approach, the workhorse running back is largely a thing of the past.
Six players had 300 or more carries last season, and that was actually more than the previous three years combined. However, it was also a far cry from 2000, when nine players eclipsed the benchmark (with five more in striking distance with >290 attempts).
There are a variety of factors that come into play when attempting to gauge how impactful a player is in today’s NFL as opposed to someone who played 20 years ago. Countless backs are deserving of a mention on a list like this. Honestly, narrowing this list down was a difficult task, and not everyone will agree with my findings.
I need to preface this list with the caveat that some current players have enough talent to land near the top of this list if they continue playing at a high level for a few more seasons. With that said, since I based the list on how dominant they are/were in their prime and sustained success, many active players have found themselves on the outside looking in.
10. Chris Johnson
Everyone knows Chris Johnson’s 2009 season was one for the ages. He became the sixth player in NFL history to eclipse the 2000 rushing yards mark and set an NFL record with 2509 yards from scrimmage. Some people consider him to be a one-year wonder, but that just isn’t true. While his peak might not have been as long as some of the other big names on this list, he still eclipsed the 1000-yard mark in each of his first six seasons (including four seasons with more than 1200 yards and one season where he played the entire year with a torn meniscus). He was great for quite a long time.
The speed demon could take over a game at a (literal) moment’s notice. He turned every matchup into a track meet and was gone anytime defenses gave him space to run.
9. Frank Gore
While some might scoff at the addition of Frank Gore, I would argue that few players in NFL history were as good as he was for as long as he was, and the fact that he played running back makes the accomplishment even more impressive. He had over 200 carries in TWELVE consecutive seasons and wasn’t held below four yards per attempt until his age-32 season. Remarkable consistency.
Gore sits at third on the all-time rushing leaders list with 16000 yards. I know there’s some debate about whether he belongs in the Hall of Fame, but I think he’s absolutely deserving of the honor.
8. Jamaal Charles
What’s the best word to describe Jamaal Charles? Electric. Few backs possessed his combination of (truly) game-breaking speed, vision, and contact balance. Oh and if that weren’t enough, he also had surprising power for a player of his size. He made the most of every opportunity and had defenses on their heels virtually every time the ball was in his hands. If you’ve ever seen him play, you wouldn’t be surprised to learn that his 5.4 yards-per-carry leads all RBs.
The wildest aspect of Charles’ game is the fact that I actually think he was underutilized as a pass-catcher. He could’ve had a rocket-boosted Alvin Kamara-like impact if he came around ten years later.
7. LeSean McCoy
While LeSean McCoy might not have been the biggest, strongest, or fastest, he was undeniably one of his era’s best. The aspect of his game that did stand out was his ability to make defenders miss on a dime, and he made a career out of it. Many thought his best days were behind him after Chip Philadelphia traded him to Buffalo in 2015, but he made them (most notably Chip Kelly) eat those words by having one of his best seasons, when he had 1500 total yards and 14 touchdowns, a year later.
McCoy took on a lesser role later in his career as, like many in that position, he prioritized Super Bowl contenders over other situations where he might get more opportunities. That worked out pretty well for him, as he won the Super Bowl in his final two seasons with the Chiefs and Eagles. Unlike Kelly, he knew how to pick ’em.
6. Edgerrin James
The Colts selected Edgerrin James fourth overall in 1999 with the hope he would make life easier for Peyton Manning, whom they selected with the top pick the year prior. It’s safe to say that James, who had over 2100 and 2300 total yards in his first two seasons, accomplished that goal. While Manning and his top receiver Marvin Harrison garnered most of the headlines, James was quietly the engine that made the engine go.
While his massive workload began to take its toll, he still had over 1500 yards from ’03 to ’05. He may have lost a step after joining the Cardinals the following season, but still managed to eclipse 1300 yards during his first two years in the desert. Few players were as well-rounded as James, and he would have been an absolute star in any era.
5. Shaun Alexander
A running back winning the MVP Award in today’s NFL is like a silent film getting nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. It probably won’t happen ever again. However, unlike the film industry, the league was a vastly different landscape 20 years ago, and Shaun Alexander cashed in with one of the best seasons we have ever seen from a running back. It’s safe to say the bruising runner was more than deserving of the honor with nearly 1900 yards on the ground and a then-record 28 total touchdowns.
While Alexander only played two more years from there, that doesn’t take away from all he did leading up to his record-breaking season. Five straight years of eclipsing the 1600 total-yard mark and double-digit touchdowns. Want to know what makes the accomplishment even more impressive? He didn’t miss a single game over that five-year period despite putting the team on his back throughout that span. Unreal.
4. Marshawn Lynch
Speaking of Seahawks running backs who put the team on their back… Marshawn Lynch was very good at football. He eclipsed 1200 rushing yards and double-digit touchdowns every season from 2011 to 2014 and was every defender’s worst nightmare in one-on-one tackle situations. While he might not have been the biggest runner at ~215 pounds, his strong legs and brute strength allowed him to generate incredible power. He packed a PUNCH felt by every defender who played Seattle during his prime (because it took just about every defender on the field to take him down).
Considering how great his run in Seattle was, it’s easy to forget that he actually began his career with two 1000-yard seasons in Buffalo before they shipped him off to the PNW. For what it’s worth he also had 970 rushing yards throughout his 13 playoff games with the Seahawks. I bet Pete Carroll wishes he had 971 (sorry Seahawks fan but people don’t forget).
3. Derrick Henry
While Lynch might not have looked the part of a player with a generational power-back skillset, Derrick Henry, who stands at 6’3″ and nearly 250 lbs., was never going to catch anyone off guard in that area. His long speed is pretty otherworldly for someone of his size though. Henry took some time to establish himself as one of the league’s elite runners, as it took him three years to eclipse the 1000-yard mark. However, he never looked back after doing so (and he put countless players on their backs in the process), and he has been unstoppable since midway through the 2018 season.
He has led the league in rushing yards twice and touchdowns three times. He became the eighth member of the 2000-yard club in 2020 and was only 79 yards away from achieving the incredible accomplishment again last year… at the dreaded age of 30. When everyone expected his best days to be behind him, he showed that he’s still got some gas left in the tank. There is a reason he is the only active player on this list and, as crazy as it sounds, he actually has a chance to move up a spot or two before it’s all said and done…
2. LaDainian Tomlinson
LaDainian Tomlinson was an absolute phenom in every aspect of the word. He wasted no time announcing his presence, as he eclipsed the 1500 total-yard mark and scored 10 touchdowns as a rookie. He somehow only got better from there, as that marked the first of eight consecutive seasons where he reached both of those marks.
Few players were as efficient at reaching the end zone as LT, and his 145 rushing scores rank second in NFL history. 28 of those scores came in his record-breaking 2006 season when he also led the league with 1815 yards and was named MVP. On top of his rushing prowess, he was also an elite pass-catcher out of the backfield. He eclipsed the 400 receiving yards mark seven times and ranks sixth all-time in yards from scrimmage with 18,456.
1. Adrian Peterson
Adrian Peterson’s 2012 season, when he eclipsed the 2000-yard mark after suffering a torn ACL and MCL the previous year, is one of the most impressive single-season performances in NFL history. He somehow looked even stronger and faster than he had been (which is saying a lot). The remarkable accomplishment solidified his status as a full-blown mutant and won him the MVP and Offensive Player of the Year Award for his efforts.
While that season might be his biggest flex, it had a minor impact on his place on this list. He was the best running back and one of the league’s most unstoppable weapons of his generation. Peterson even had a late-career revival in Washington and there is a real chance he would have been the all-time rushing leader if injuries didn’t take a toll between 2014 and 2017. A truly generational talent.
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