Showcasing the highest-impact players at a position whose value underwent a slight resurgence this offseason. Don’t call it a comeback, but the running back position underwent a resurgence in the London NFL 2024 offseason. Witness your favorite teams and star players live in thrilling matchups that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Secure your NFL London 2024 Tickets now to be part of this unforgettable experience.
In the 2023 offseason, running backs Josh Jacobs, Saquon Barkley, and Tony Pollard failed to secure long-term extensions, leaving the franchise tag. However, Christian McCaffrey, a San Francisco 49er running back, won the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award for the 2023 season. He led the NFL in rushing yards, scrimmage yards, and touchdowns.
San Francisco awarded him a two-year, $38 million extension, increasing his salary from $16 million APY to $19 million APY. The 2023 season demonstrated that a postseason run is possible when the right players are utilized. The rankings of the best running backs in football for the 2024 season consider past production and future projections.
Honourable Mentions:
Alvin Kamara (Saints), James Cook (Bills), David Montgomery (Lions), Najee Harris (Steelers), Rhamondre Stevenson (Patriots), Rachaad White (Buccaneers)
15. Tony Pollard, Titans
Despite having a leg fracture in 2022, Tony Pollard had a difficult season in 2023, finishing with a career-high 1,007 running yards on 193 carries as opposed to 1,005 in 2022. From 2019 until 2022, his average yards per touch from scrimmage was 5.7; however, in 2023, it fell to 4.3. Pollard, Derrick Henry’s replacement, ought to perform better.
14. Kyren Williams, Rams
Despite missing two games due to an ankle injury, Notre Dame fifth-round pick Kyren Williams exceeded expectations in 2023 with 1,144 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. With an average of 95.3 rushing yards per game, he led the NFL and became the first player to finish in the top three even though he missed four games.
13. Kenneth Walker III, Seahawks
Rushing yards decreased as a result of Kenneth Walker III’s yards per carry average falling by half a yard between 2022 and 2023. Walker still has promise; in 2023, he had nine fewer carries but evaded 76 tackles and had an 8.7% run rate. On a down-to-down basis, though, his consistency needs to be improved.
12. Raheem Mostert, Dolphins
Raheem Mostert, a 31-year-old who was selected for the Pro Bowl in 2023, led the NFL in touchdowns scored from scrimmage (18) and running (21). With a 4.6-yard average per carry and a 25.8% tackle avoidance rate, he amassed over 1,000 yards of total running yardage on 209 runs. Although he is performing admirably, it is unclear how long he will last.
11. Travis Etienne, Jaguars
The former NFL player Travis Etienne doubled his number of rushing touchdowns and recorded his second season of 1,000 yards rushing. However, in 2023, his yards per carry dropped from 5.1 to 3.8, indicating a loss in efficiency. Etienne’s poor blocking was partly caused by the Jaguars, who had the second-worst run-blocking grade in the NFL (40.6).
The Jaguars re-signed guard Ezra Cleveland and added centre Mitch Morse and the team may benefit from Walker Little and Anton Harrison’s internal improvement at right tackle. The run game threat could also be increased by a healthier Trevor Lawrence.
10. Aaron Jones, Vikings
Jones is the fourth-best running back in the NFL with 400 carries after setting a franchise record five straight games with at least 100 yards rushing. He did, however, play a career-low 11 games in 2023 as a result of lower body problems.
9. Josh Jacobs, Packers
Josh Jacobs, the 2023 NFL running champion, had a difficult season, averaging just 3.5 yards per carry for 805 yards and six touchdowns on 233 carries. In 2024, he inked a four-year, $48 million contract with Aaron Jones of the Green Bay Packers, a team that had a superior quarterback position than the Raiders. Jones was also close to the top in yards per run.
8. Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions
The Detroit Lions selected Jahmyr Gibbs 12th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, so he went into the league with high expectations. However, he lived up to the hype in the backfield with David Montgomery. Only eight rookies in the twenty-first century have amassed over 900 rushing yards (945) and at least ten rushing touchdowns (10).
He did so in 2023 while averaging at least five yards per carry (5.2, third most in the NFL among running backs on 182 carries). When it comes to NFL running backs who have made it to the Pro Bowl, Gibbs’ rookie-year productivity places them among the best. You may also like: Listing the Most Outstanding NFL London Matches
7. Saquon Barkley, Eagles
With an average of 1,242 scrimmage yards and ten scores on 288 touches, Saquon Barkley had a respectable 2023 season. The Philadelphia Eagles, who have the third-highest PFF run-blocking grade in the NFL, offered him a three-year contract worth $37.75 million. Barkley should be able to perform well once more in an offence that features Hurts, Brown, Smith, Goedert, and the Pro Bowl offensive line.
6. Breece Hall, Jets
After sustaining an ACL tear as a rookie, Breece Hall was able to regain his form in 2023, setting a record with 1,585 yards from scrimmage and 79 tackles evaded. In addition, he co-topped the NFL in touchdowns from Weeks 16–18 and led the league in scrimmage yards and touches.
5. Nick Chubb, Browns
Throughout his career, Nick Chubb who is regarded as the finest running back in the NFL had at least eight touchdowns and seasons with 1,000 yards of total yards. But in the second week of the 2023 campaign, he sustained a knee injury that required two surgeries. If Chubb bounces back from the setback, he has the potential to become one of the NFL’s top running backs again despite only being 29 years old.
4. Jonathan Taylor, Colts
Twenty-four-year-old Jonathan Taylor showed promise. He led the NFL in 2021 in both rushing yards and touchdowns. With a touchdown in each of the Colts’ final six games and season highs in running yards and carries, he closed 2023 on a high note. Taylor ought to rank among the top players in the NFL in 2024 with a healthier Anthony Richardson and proper offseason training.
3. Bijan Robinson, Falcons
Bijan Robinson, a rushing back for the Atlanta Falcons and the eighth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, had a great rookie season last year, finishing with 1,463 yards from scrimmage to rank sixth among running backs and 10th in the league. Robinson, who alternated between starting quarterback Desmond Ridder and quarterback Taylor Heinicke, evaded the sixth most tackles in football with 71.
Eighth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, Michael Penix Jr., the 2023 Heisman Trophy runner-up, and four-time Pro Bowler Kirk Cousins have signed with the Falcons. Zac Robinson, the new offensive coordinator who has worked with Sean McVay’s Los Angeles Rams coaching staff for the past five seasons, might be the source of Robinson’s greatest productivity boost.
2. Derrick Henry, Ravens
Four seasons in a row, King Henry—a four-time Pro Bowler—has finished in the top two of the NFL in carries and rushing yards. With 280 carries, he dominated the league and finished second in rushing yards in 2023. Henry finished with the lowest completion percentage in the NFL (58.4%) despite a career-worst 4.2 yards per carry. With a run-blocking grade of 67.9 on Pro Football Focus, the Baltimore Ravens are a formidable opponent in 2024.
1. Christian McCaffrey, 49ers
As stated in the introduction, it is widely believed that McCaffrey, the current NFL Offensive Player of the Year, will be the league’s best running back when the 2024 season begins. After having an incredible 2023 season, he became just the 10th player in NFL history to finish his first seven seasons with at least 80 career touchdowns (81) and 10,000 career scrimmage yards (10,505). Adrian Peterson will undoubtedly be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame upon his eligibility in 2027, as are six of the first seven players in this club.
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