The Titans selected Henry in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Week over week, Henry has proven to be a valuable member of the Falcons. During Week Four, he rushed 100 yards on 27 carries, Week Seven brought a 90-yard rush and a touchdown, Week 10 saw a 188-yard rush and two touchdowns – you get where we’re going. That last one even earned him FedEx Player of the Week.
Henry consistently proves his worth, including Week 17, when his 211-yard rush and three touchdowns earned the Titans a spot on the AFC Wild Card Game in the NFL Playoffs against the Baltimore Ravens. Henry finished the 2019 season setting career-highs with 303 carries, 1,540 rushing yards, and 16 rushing touchdowns. He had 16 receptions, 206 receiving yards, and two receiving touchdowns. Henry was named to the All-Pro for both the running back and flex position, behind Christian McCaffrey.
Total Yards: 1,540 Total TDs: 16 Fumbles: 5
The Browns drafted Nick in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. In the 2019 season, when the Ravens played the Browns in Week Four, Chubb ran for 165 rushing yards and landed a career-high three touchdowns. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week. By Week 14, Chubbs had his sixth 100-yard game, and these accomplishments just kept coming.
In a disappointing season for this franchise, Chubb was one of the few bright spots. Cleveland fired Head Coach Freddie Kitchens so the Browns could build up their offensive team in the 2020 season. Chubb finished the 2019 season with 1,494 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns. Plus, he also had 36 receptions for 278 receiving yards.
Total Yards: 1,494 Total TDs: 8 Fumbles: 2
The Raiders drafted Josh in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. During Week One, Jacobs already proved his worth by rushing 23 times for 85 yards and scoring two touchdowns. Jacobs has shown that he’s one of the best running backs in the game, even in early 2019, but the hits just kept on coming.
During the Chiefs game, Jacobs became the first running back in Raiders history to rush for 1,000 yards in a Rookie season. Even if Jacob’s missed three of the last four games of the 2019 season due to a shoulder injury, he still finished his 2019 Rookie season with 1,150 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. He also earned Rookie of the Year for his accomplishments.
Total Yards: 1,150 Total TDs: 7 Fumbles: 1
The Carolina Panthers drafted McCaffrey in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. During the 2019 season, he played every offensive snap and became the first player to post 10+ receptions and 120+ rushing yards in two career games. McCaffrey continuously proved his worth, like in Week Four, when he generated 179 yards of offense while the rest of the team only generated 118 yards of offense.
Then, in Week Five, he bested his career-long rushing touchdown record with an 84-yard touchdown run, which also set a Panthers record. As if that weren’t enough, he broke LaDainian Tomlinson’s record for most catches by a running back in an NFL player’s first three seasons. McCaffrey finished the 2019 season with 1,387 rushing yards, 15 rushing touchdowns.
Total Yards: 1,387 Total TDs: 15 Fumbles: 1
The Cowboys drafted Elliott in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. After his first season, Elliott was named Rookie of the year as NFL’s top rusher with 1,631 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. The 2019 season wasn’t any different. Early in the season, people were already calling him the most dominant running back in the NFL.
By the end of the season, Elliott finished with 1,357 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, plus 54 receptions for 420 receiving yards. The only problem is the Elliott hasn’t performed as well as he had in the past, but we don’t think it was all him. This year, the Cowboys performed poorly...to say the least. Elliott recognized he didn’t perform well, as per an interview with Dallas Morning News, but his stats speak for themselves. That’s exactly why he’s on our “best” list.
Total Yards: 1,357 Total TDs: 12 Fumbles: 3
The Seattle Seahawks drafted Chris Carson in the 7th round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Early on in the season, the Seahawks weren’t anything to write home about, but now? That’s all changed, and part of that is thanks to Carson’s hard work and determination. This running back has become one of the most productive running backs in the NFL.
By the end of the season, Carson carried the ball 1,230 yards with seven touchdowns. He’s also gone over 100 yards six times in 2019 alone, including one game where he had 133 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Unfortunately, Carson is now on injured reserve thanks to a fractured hip.
Total Yards: 1,230 Total TDs: 7 Fumbles: 6
The Minnesota Vikings selected Cook in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft. In the 2019 season, Cook proved his skill by rushing 21 times for a total of 111 yards and landing two touchdowns in the season-opener against the Falcons. Then, during Week 10 against the Cowboys, he rushed 26 times for 97 yards and landed a touchdown. He also had seven receptions for 86 yards. Cook was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for this performance.
Unfortunately, he was sidelined for some of his games due to a chest injury. That hurt his stats, but they’re still pretty impressive. By the end of the season, Cook finished with 1,135 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. He also had 53 receptions for 519 receiving yards in 14 games.
Total Yards: 1,135 TDs: 13 Fumbles: 3
Aaron Jones is finally free! In all seriousness, Jones has had an amazing year. If it wasn’t for the meme, Aaron Jones likely never would have been in the conversation, but he was finally given a chance to shine. Many fans are saying that’s all thanks to Matthew Berry calling out for the Packers to free him.
Now that he was given a chance, he really destroyed the competition. This year alone, he rushed a total of 1,084 – this is his first year to rush over 1,000 yards. He also landed 16 touchdowns with 4.6 rushing yards per attempt on average. Thanks, Matthew Berry!
Total Yards: 1,084 Total TDs: 16 Fumbles: 3
We’re going to be honest here. We’ve had sky-high expectations for Leonard Fournette over the last few years, but he’s just let us down. Well, this year? That tune changed dramatically. It was a pretty good year for Fournette. He was on the field more than his previous year, actually playing every game of the season.
Sure, he was hurt in 2018, and we can’t blame him for not being on the field. But this? This is how you come back strong. Finishing out the year, he had a total of 1,152 total rushing yards with 4.3 rushing yards per attempt on average. With three touchdowns, he didn’t score as many as 2017, but it’s certainly better than last year. Some folks wondered if he could play the whole season, and he showed them up.
Total Yards: 1,152 Total TDs: 3 Fumbles: 3
The New York Giants drafted Barkley in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. After Barkley’s successful Rookie season, he was ranked #16 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2019. In addition to that, his teammates chose him as one of the team captains for the 2019 season, an honor rarely bestowed on players after only one year on the team.
Despite an ankle injury, Barkley rushed a season-high 19 times for 64 yards, as well as received a season-high eight receptions for 79 yards. It just kept on coming when he rushed for a career-high 189 yards with 22 carries during his game against the Redskins. Barkley won the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance, something that was well-earned. This running back finished his sophomore season as the only running back in Giant’s history to have 1,000 rushing yards in their first two seasons.
Total Yards: 1,003 Total TDs: 6 Fumbles: 0
We were on the fence about Alvin Kamara, so we had to list him as an honorable mention. This year has been a quieter year for Kamara, but no one can deny his ability to impact the game as both a runner and a catcher. Granted, he did seem to miss Mark Ingram in the backfield, but maybe it was just different offensive schemes from coach Payton.
One thing’s for sure, we know we’d take Kamara as the running back on our team any day and twice on Sunday. Alvin Kamara ended the season with pretty decent stats. He had a total of 797 yards with 4.7 rushing yards per attempt on average. He scored one touchdown and four fumbles. There’s room for improvement, but we’re excited to see where he goes.
Total Yards: 797 Total TDs: 1 Fumbles: 4
Talk about taking advantage of opportunities! Thanks to Melvin Gordon’s hold out for more money, Ekeler was given a chance to prove himself as a running back in the league, and you know what we saw? A star that shined bright. He helped the Chargers, and we can’t wait to see what he can do next year.
What we have to note, in particular, is Ekeler’s seamless adjustment without Gordon on the field. This year, he ended with 557 total yards with 4.2 rushing yard per attempt. He also had eight touchdowns and three fumbles.
Total Yards: 557 Total TDs: 8 Fumbles: 3
The Detroit Lions drafted Ty Johnson in the sixth round of the season. The Lions started off with a little bit of promise, but all that changed after Kerryon Johnson got a knee injury. Then, it was up to Ty Johnson. In his defense, Johnson isn’t a terrible runner. He’s got good hands, and that’s why he doesn’t have a lot of fumbles.
Still, his stats are pretty bad. During his season, he didn’t get a single touchdown, and that disappointed tons of fans. While he may have blown his first shot, maybe things will change next season. Johnson is signed on with the Lions until 2022. He ended the season with 273 yards and zero touchdowns.
Total Yards: 273 Total TDs: 0 Fumbles: 1
Peyton Barber was undrafted in 2016 before he signed onto the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Since then, he’s struggled, and that’s putting it lightly. While he’s a big guy, size doesn’t make a good running back. Many fans are even calling him one of the worst starting running backs in the league. We have to look at his stats, which aren’t great.
At the end of the day, Barber just doesn’t have the talent necessary to be a quality running back. Some may think that Ronald Johnson, another Buc running back, has talent, but we think it’s pretty bad when you’re comparing one running back to another that ranks pretty low. Peyton Barber ended the season with 470 rushing yards and six touchdowns.
Total Yards: 470 Total TDs: 6 Fumbles: 1
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Ronald Jones in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He was the fifth chosen, which makes you wonder – why? While some fans think that Jones was thrown into his position too quickly, we’re going to argue that he just isn’t that great. While the Bucs offensive line is terrible, Jones hasn’t proven himself to be incredibly talented.
After his latest performance, Jones seems to be getting a little better, but we’re not holding out hope. Jones’s finishing stats sit at 724 rushing yards and six touchdowns, but we also want to bring up the fact he has three fumbles this year.
Total Yards: 724 Total TDs: 6 Fumbles: 3
The Dolphins are a huge mess, but we want to look at Mark Walton. Walton has never been that great of a player. Historically, he’s struggled to catch the ball, and he’s overall a poor player. Could it be because he has a bad attitude? We’re guessing that’s a good possibility.
We have to remind everyone that he was waived by the Bengals after being arrested for the third time during the offseason. When he got to the Dolphins, it wasn’t much better. Most recently, he was arrested and charged with aggravated battery of a pregnant woman. He ended this season with 235 yards with zero touchdowns.
Total Yards: 235 Total TDs: 0 Fumbles: 1
We have a lot to say about Kenyan Drake. Recently? He’s been pretty good, but what was all that at the beginning of the season? It was like he didn’t care, but then he got traded to the Cardinals. A few great games can’t change what we’ve seen in the past.
Kenyan Drake has to prove he doesn’t belong on the worst list. Maybe next season we’ll remove him or even boost him up to the best, but for now, he’s going to stay in the cellar. We’re just not buying it. Drake ended the season with 817 rushing yards with 4.8 rushing yards per attempt on average. He scored eight touchdowns and had two fumbles.
Total Yards: 817 Total TDs: 8 Fumbles: 0
Oh, man. TJ Yeldon. This running back is just a bust. He came out of Alabama, and we expected more. In 2019, Alabama led colleges in players on NFL rosters. So, what happened with TJ Yeldon? There’s just nothing there.
Honestly, we believe that Yeldon just isn’t NFL-worthy. We know that’s a controversial statement, but he hasn’t proven otherwise. Yeldon rushed a total of 63 yards with 3.7 rushing yards per attempt on average. He didn’t score a single touchdown and fumbled once.
Total Yards: 63 Total TDs: 1 Fumbles: 1
There isn’t a lot to say about Kerryon Johnson. He got hurt, but availability is the best ability you can have in the NFL. Even before he got hurt, he wasn’t really spectacular or anything to write home about. He was alright at best.
Because he got hurt, he wasn’t on the field much. His stats reflect that, but we’re not sure he would have played any better if he hadn’t been hurt. He rushed a total of 403 yards with 3.6 rushing yards per attempt on average. He fumbled twice and only got one touchdown.
Total Yards: 403 Total TDs: 1 Fumbles: 1
Duke Johnson is a veteran running back, and he can play a role in passing downs. That being said, he isn’t the guy you want to rely on when you need to get yards on the ground. While he’s playing for the Texans, he won’t be on the team much longer.
Recently, the Browns got an offer from the Texans they couldn’t refuse. Duke Johnson was traded, so we’ll just have to see how he does next year. This year, Johnson’s stats were 410 rushing yards with a 4.9 rushing yards per attempt on average. He had two touchdowns and one fumble.
Total Yards: 410 Total TDs: 2 Fumbles: 1
Davonta Freeman is pretty bad. He had a low average rushing stat at 3.6 per carry. That’s at the bottom of a starting running back’s list, and it’s also well behind some of the top running backs in the business. They can average four to four and a half yards per carry.
Some years, his pass-catching ability might’ve saved him from this list, but not this year. He landed himself on the “worst” list for a reason. This gives him some chance to improve, but we’re not going to hold our breath. His ending stats are 656 rushing yards, 3.6 rushing yards per attempt on average, two touchdowns, and three fumbles.
Total Yards: 656 Total TDs: 2 Fumbles: 3
Guice comes out of LSU, which is known for great running backs, but this is another year and another injury. This guy is absolutely loaded with talent, but you can’t count on him. As we said before, availability is the best ability. You have to stay in the game if you want to show everyone that you’re a shining star.
Look at his history, though. In 2018, he tore his ACL and missed the whole season. Then, in 2019, he spent most of the season on IR while recovering from a torn meniscus. He’s literally played five games in the two years he’s been in the NFL. Even though he’s been impressive, he’s clearly not the guy you can count on. His final stats are 245 rushing yards with 5.8 rushing yards per attempt on average. He also scored two touchdowns this season.
Total Yards: 245 Total TDs: 2 Fumbles: 0
Melvin Gordon is one of those guys we didn’t think belonged on the “worst” list, but he was certainly disappointing. Melvin held out for a contract and came back not-so in shape. He had difficulty getting back into the flow of the game. It’ll be interesting to see what happens in free agency.
For a guy that was at the top of this list in previous years, we were honestly surprised where he ended up. Guess it goes to show how much can change in a year. Melvin Gordon ended the year with 612 rushing yards with 3.8 rushing yards per attempt on average. He did have eight touchdowns but also four fumbles.
Total Yards: 612 Total TDs: 8 Fumbles: 4
Todd Gurley is another dishonorable mention. While 2018 was an amazing season, it was like he disappeared in 2019. Late in the season, the Rams finally remembered he could run the ball, and they stopped treating him like he was made of glass.
Sure, he had a knee injury, but you can’t pay someone all that money and then not use them. We expected him to come back and make this year as good as the last, but the joke was on us. At the end of the season, he had 857 rushing yards with 3.8 rushing yards per attempt on average. He also had 12 touchdowns but also three fumbles.
Total Yards: 857 Total TDs: 12 Fumbles: 3
