bulldozer with underrated open field agility. Carolina's main loss behind McCaffrey was veteran back C.J. Top 5 Running Backs in the NFC South. A year without Drew Brees will ultimately be the telling chapter of Kamaras career. A lot has changed since the end of the 2020 season, when Watson led the league in passing yards (4,823). 10 after earning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2020. * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). The 2 rookies to keep am eye on are Javian Hawkins-Atlanta and Chuba Hubbard-Carolina. By all accounts, Elliott has looked great during training camp. Nick Chubb is arguably the NFLs most elusive ball carrier. 1 focus is this season. . Atlanta to tack on more money to their cap savings in 2023 with the release of the veteran quarterback. 4 spot on this list, but his career is currently in limbo. Below we rank the running backs from the NFC West, starting with the best. 19. For his career, the bruising back out of Ohio State now has 6,384 rushing yards and another 1,957 receiving yards with 56 total touchdowns. The Panthers' crown jewel. 50 percent of the Panthers offensive plays went through him the prior season and when a player starts getting injuries from overuse, they generally don stop or go away. NFL Network's 'Top 100 Players of 2022' has been unveiled. Which 10 players make up Nos. Stevie Scott, Saints RB Alvin Kamara Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports. What everybody is missing from Mike McCarthys recent comments about the Cowboys offense, Kellen Moore. The 27-year-old had the most productive season of his career in 2020 with the WFT, rushing for 365 yards and hauling in an impressive 80 catches for 589 yards and two touchdowns. Ito Smith carried the ball 90 times for 315 yards and four scores during his rookie season, and Brian Hill ran wild in a Week 16 game against the Panthers, gaining 115 yards on just eight carries. A: . An injury decreased his role late in the season and in the postseason but he still averaged 4.0 yards per carry and rushed for 544 yards. The top running backs in the NFL are big names, those that you must watch on Sunday. A surprisingly large player for his size at 59, 208, Jones lowers the boom just the same as hell skirt by second-level defenders with speed. It was Thomas and he's solid. Rodney Smith You won't want to miss a moment of the 2022 season! 1. He now will share carries with Carlos Hyde but should still be the Seahawks main runner and biggest producer. So far, there are has been a wide array of veterans (and rookies) electing to take advantage of this new rule. His production will depend on his usage this coming season. Its usually the hot hand that will get a majority of the carries in a specific game, so its hard to project their totals. 26. Qadree Ollison And you nailed it, RoJo comes back every year improved. In 2020, it looks a little different as Todd Gurley and David Johnson are no longer in the division. They also look for improved play from their young offensive line to establish their running game and have a more balanced offensive attack. They have CMC and then a bunch of question marks. Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports. falcons. 4 on this list. Dec 29, 2019; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey (22) runs after a reception in the third quarter. Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas We'll continue our NFC South positional rankings today with running backs. Drake has yet to put together a great full season, but will get his chance as the Cardinals No. In his last fully healthy season (2019), the Panthers' running back led the league in touches (403) and scrimmage yards (2,392, third-most in NFL history) and tied for first in scrimmage TDs (19). Hes totaled 2,692 yards and a whopping 29 touchdowns over the past two seasons while also chipping in with 880 yards out of the backfield. Atlanta Falcons. Seattle won 28-26. That's his 10th on the year and it is 27-16 #WashingtonFootball up on the Cowboys in Dallas. Alvin Kamara is a ridiculously talented RB more than deserving of his place on the list of top running backs. Ranking NFL divisions by running backs: Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Alvin Kamara and Christian McCaffrey have been stars since entering the league in 2017, and Devonta Freeman should be healthy after missing much of the 2018 season. Ill be honest. 6-keys: media/spln/nfl/reg/free/stories, at Oops. I stand by that, but after the CMC gap, Alvin Kamara is in the next tier. An asset in both the run and pass games, Chubb racked up 1,217 scrimmage yards and 12 touchdowns last season. Jackson is the most electrifying player in the league. The Cowboys get to pair Elliott with one of the better backup running backs in football in Tony Pollard. If you cough it up and give it to the other team, youre letting everyone down so I mean thats the No. Which team has the most wins as home dogs since 2016? With the start of the 2021 NFL regular season less than a month away, we take a stab at ranking the NFC East position groups. Which team boasts three representatives? The 2019 third-round pick was an intriguing player entering the NFL and ideally would have been more impactful, especially when Todd Gurleys knee became an issue. Having a player like Chubb in the backfield makes life a lot easier for Baker Mayfield and the rest of the offense. 1 running back in 2020. Nelson might miss the start of the 2021 regular season as he recovers from foot surgery, but that doesn't change the fact that he's a three-time first-team All-Pro. Which team had the most players ranked? Mandatory Credit: Derick Hingle-USA TODAY Sports. It would not be the same as drafting a RB with the fourth overall pick. AS you noted, McCafferty was injured most of last season and I believe his imjuries were attributable to overuse. He had just under 700 yards rushing and just under 400 yards receiving. Dwayne Washington It seems like Tony Pollard will be with the Cowboys at least through 2023. Carolina was held below 100 yards rushing seven times last season and went 2-5 in those contests. Fresh off signing a new contract, Allen will be well on his way to becoming one of the great quarterbacks of his era if he continues on this trajectory. NFC South Bucs Falcons Panthers Saints NFC West Cardinals 49ers Rams Seahawks Colleges ACC Clemson UNC Big Ten Iowa Michigan Michigan St. Nebraska Ohio St. Penn St. Rutgers Wisconsin Big 12. Darius Clark Say what?! 11. // This is it. His 643 rushing yards in eight games put him on a pace for nearly 1,300 yards. 40-31? 40 and 31. Melvin Gordon, Denver Broncos, 22. Who has the best running backs in the NFC East? Check out all the features Fantrax has to offer, and we think youll be singing a different tune for next season. Continuing my NFC South position group rankings, I've dug into each team's current crop of running backs to determine how they stack up. Atlanta hopes to limit Gurley's touches by finally getting a full season from Ito Smith, a promising power back who has been plagued by injury over his first two seasons. New Orleans Saints. 2:23 pm ET, Jerry Jones believes Cowboys can keep Zeke and Pollard, NFL combine measurements for DBs: Full list of results, Jerry Jones believes Prescott can progress like Brady, NFL combine 2023 results tracker: Top performances, NFL combine 2023: Winners and losers from DB workouts, Report: Pollard to get franchise tag if deal isn't done, Tracking NFL players who switched jersey numbers, NFL combine: Winners and losers from DB workouts, Mock Draft: Panthers, Colts trade up for QBs, Rodgers' trade value, logistics, best fit, Top QB in draft: I definitely don't want to play for 1 team, Jerry Jones: Dak can get better with age like Brady, Report: Daniel Jones actually wants more than $45M per, Ex-Patriots star McGinest facing 8 years in prison, Jerry Jones: Cowboys can find way to keep both RBs. His value to this offense can't be matched. Covers the New Orleans Saints as contributing writer for Saints News Network. When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. Nov 22, 2018; New Orleans, LA, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Ito Smith (25) is tackled by New Orleans Saints strong safety Kurt Coleman (29) in the second half at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. We'll continue our NFC South positional rankings today with running backs. Akers almost enters the NFL in these rankings above Coleman but not quite. Which RB enters the season atop the list? It is important to note that Los Angeles Rams running back Cam Akers will not be on the list, as he tore his Achilles and will not play this coming season.