2026 NFL Running Back Rankings, All 32 Teams

As a feature in the 2026 Sharp Football Preview Book, the Sharp Football Analysis team ranked positional units across the league for the 2026 season, including the best and worst NFL running back rooms.

The ranking guidelines were specific to the voter, with the only requirement that the focus be on the upcoming season only, not the future outlook.

With a combination of numbers, film, and projections, the rankings were averaged for quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers/tight ends, offensive line, defensive front seven, defensive secondary, and head coach.

Next up: 2026 NFL running back rankings.

2026 NFL Running Back Rankings

Score based on average ranks of positional unit (on a 100-point scale) for all 32 teams, from Sharp Football staff voters. If all voters had a team at #1, that score would be 100. 

What team has the best running backs in the NFL?

32. Washington Commanders

Washington’s running backs rank dead last at 32nd this year. Jacory Croskey–Merritt finished as the team’s leading rusher in 2025, but he will split time with Rachaad White, who was signed in free agency. White adds a receiving threat in the backfield that Washington did not have last year. He has over 200 total receptions in his four years in the NFL.

31. Seattle Seahawks

Seattle's running backs suffered the largest decline in the NFL, plummeting to 31st from 10th. The big loss here is Kenneth Walker, who signed with the Chiefs in free agency. Complicating the succession plan is Zach Charbonnet’s torn ACL that could keep him from starting the season on time. That leaves rookie first-round pick Jadarian Price as the possible top back for Week 1 after running the ball just 280 times in his college career.

30. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars’ backfield might be less explosive without Travis Etienne, but the coaching staff will also be thrilled to move on from his dancing in the backfield, which led to so many wasted plays. Etienne was stuffed for zero or negative yards on 21% of his carries last year (ranked 43rd out of 55), which was right in line with his 22% career average. Bhayshul Tuten’s rate was just 14.5% as a rookie. 

29. Carolina Panthers

Carolina's running backs fell to 29th from 22nd, remaining a clear weakness. Last year’s leading rusher, Rico Dowdle, left for Pittsburgh in the offseason, leaving Chuba Hubbard as the top back once again. Hubbard ran for nearly 1,200 yards in 2024, but struggled behind Dowdle last year, averaging just 3.8 yards per carry.

28. Minnesota Vikings

Aaron Jones provided veteran reliability in 2025, but age and injuries hurt production. Backup Jordan Mason actually finished the season as the team’s leading rusher, averaging 4.8 yards per carry and scoring 6 touchdowns.

27. Houston Texans

The Texans improved their backfield with the addition of David Montgomery, but he was a much better fit in Detroit as the complementary piece to Jahmyr Gibbs. When teams put seven or more defenders in the box last year, Montgomery averaged just 3.9 yards per attempt (average was 4.2), despite playing behind a much stronger offensive line than he’ll have in Houston. 

26. Cleveland Browns

Quinshon Judkins gained five or more yards on just 25% of his carries, ranked dead last out of 55 running backs with at least 75 carries. Think that is the offensive line’s fault? Even when he crossed the line of scrimmage without contact, he still ranked dead last (45%). Unless he makes a drastic leap forward, there’s little hope for improved production from the Browns' backfield. 

25. Tennessee Titans

The Titans made the questionable decision to run it back with Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears, despite minimal production last year. Even when avoiding backfield contact, Tennessee running backs gained five or more yards on just 38% of their carries, the league’s third-worst rate. 

24. New York Giants

Tyrone Tracy was the team’s leading rusher, but the hope is that Cam Skattebo can take the reins after his rookie season was cut short due to injury.

23. Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys took a noticeable step forward, jumping from 32nd to 23rd in 2026. Javonte Williams had a great season in his first year with the Cowboys, rushing for over 1,200 yards with 11 touchdowns. He was one of eight players to post 1,300 yards from scrimmage and 13 total touchdowns last season.

22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Running back experienced the largest decline for the Bucs as a whole, tumbling from ninth last year to 22nd in 2026. Rachaad White is gone. He was replaced by Kenneth Gainwell, who had a breakout year with the Steelers, catching 73 passes and totaling over 1,000 yards from scrimmage. The key for Tampa’s running game will be Bucky Irving rediscovering his form after averaging just 3.4 yards per carry last year, two full yards lower than what he averaged as a rookie.

21. Denver Broncos

The Broncos' backfield has plenty of potential, but only if J.K. Dobbins can stay healthy. Dobbins gained 10 or more yards on 14% of his carries last year, the league’s fifth-highest rate. But RJ Harvey’s 5.5% mark ranked 48th out of 49 running backs. 

20. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers have depth in the backfield, but do they have enough juice to scare anybody? When avoiding contact in the backfield, Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle only ranked 23rd and 25th, respectively, out of 49 qualifiers in the rate of gaining 10 or more yards. 

19. New Orleans Saints

The Saints running backs held steady at 19th (unchanged from 2025). Long-time starter Alvin Kamara will probably take a smaller role this year with the addition of Travis Etienne. Kamara struggled in 2025, setting career lows in rushing yards, yards per attempt, and receptions. Etienne is coming off a 1,100-yard season with the Jaguars.

18. Chicago Bears

Chicago’s running backs improved dramatically to 18th from 27th. D’Andre Swift provided solid production in 2025, topping 1,000 yards for the second time in his career. Backup Kyle Monangai added nearly 800 yards of his own and averaged 4.6 yards per carry. 

17. Cincinnati Bengals

Chase Brown had a career year in 2025, but the backfield still ranked no higher than 15th on any ballot. Brown excels at avoiding negative plays 一 he was stuffed for zero or negative yards at the league’s sixth-lowest rate (11.6%) 一 but isn’t enough of a big-play threat. He ranked 29th in the rate of gaining 15 or more yards.

16. Green Bay Packers

Green Bay slipped to 16th from 10th last year. Josh Jacobs delivered solid production in 2025, scoring 14 total touchdowns. However, he showed signs of wear and averaged just 4.0 yards per carry. The Packers lost their top backup from last year, Emanuel Wilson, to the Seahawks in free agency.

15. New York Jets

Votes for the Jets' backfield ranged from 11th to 18th. Breece Hall is a capable starter but hasn’t been explosive enough to earn more respect from our panel. Even when crossing the line of scrimmage without contact, Hall only gained 10 or more yards on 16% of his carries last year, ranked 24th out of 49 qualified running backs. 

14. Las Vegas Raiders

Ashton Jeanty’s underwhelming rookie year was mostly a reflection of the Raiders' offensive line performance. When crossing the line of scrimmage without contact, Jeanty averaged 6.8 yards per carry, ranked 16th out of 48 qualifiers. Our voters still believe in his potential, though the depth is underwhelming. 

13. Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers' backfield landing near the middle of the pack is likely a reflection of how hard it was to evaluate Omarion Hampton’s rookie-year performance behind one of the league’s worst offensive lines. No running back was contacted at or behind the line of scrimmage more than Hampton (58%). If Hampton and the line stay healthy, we might be underrating the Chargers’ run game. 

12. Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs' backfield jumped 19 spots in our rankings from where they were entering the 2025 season. Kenneth Walker III should thrive in Kansas City, as he gained 10 or more yards on 21.3% of his carries when avoiding backfield contact, the league’s second-best rate. 

11. New England Patriots

We were all over the map in our ranking of the Patriots' backfield, with votes ranging from fifth to 17th. The differing opinions might stem from the stark contrast of TreVeyon Henderson’s and Rhamondre Stevenson’s success in the regular season compared to their combined 3.3 yards per carry in the playoffs. 

10. Baltimore Ravens

Votes for the Ravens' backfield ranged from fifth to 16th, likely due to differing opinions on how to account for Derrick Henry’s age and the lack of depth. Henry averaged 3.6 yards after contact per attempt, the league’s fourth-best rate, but can he maintain that level of dominance over 300 carries at the age of 32?

9. Arizona Cardinals

Running back stands as a clear bright spot for the Cardinals at ninth, mostly due to the selection of Jeremiyah Love in the first round of this year’s draft. Love averaged nearly 7.0 yards per carry in his last two years at Notre Dame and will now headline a backfield that also features Tyler Allgeier and James Conner.

8. Miami Dolphins

Votes for Miami’s backfield ranged from sixth to 11th. Production likely drops off due to the lack of surrounding talent, but there’s no denying the explosive ability of De'Von Achane, who gained 15 or more yards on a league-best 10% of his carries last year.

7. San Francisco 49ers

Christian McCaffrey earned first-team All-Pro honors and finished second in Offensive Player of the Year voting after posting 2,100 yards from scrimmage on a league-high 413 touches. The low ranking reflects the lack of depth in the backfield.

6. Los Angeles Rams

The LA running backs slide in at sixth in the rankings, the lowest spot for any of the Rams’ units this year. The combination of Kyren Williams and Blake Corum returns after combining for nearly 2,000 rushing yards and 19 total touchdowns. The Rams finished sixth in the NFL last year in yards per carry with 4.6.

5. Philadelphia Eagles

Saquon Barkley had trouble following up his 2,000-yard campaign in 2025. However, with improved depth behind him, Philly’s running backs still finished inside our top five. Tank Bigsby could see more of a role in the offense after averaging 5.9 yards per carry in limited time.

4. Indianapolis Colts

Coming off the best season of Jonathan Taylor’s career, a case could be made for ranking the Colts' backfield higher. However, Taylor has missed multiple games in three of the last four seasons, so supporting him with D.J. Giddens and Seth McGowan seems unwise, and certainly factored into some voters ranking Indy’s backfield as low as seventh. 

3. Buffalo Bills

James Cook took his game to another level in 2025, which elevated the Bills' running back room to third overall in our unit rankings after checking in at No. 12 last offseason. The unit is in good shape as long as Cook stays healthy, but depth is a concern. He accounted for 74% of carries by running backs last season. 

2. Detroit Lions

Jahmyr Gibbs remains one of the most explosive players in the NFL, scoring 38 total touchdowns over the past two seasons. The Lions traded David Montgomery in the offseason and replaced him with Isiah Pacheco, who has struggled with injuries in recent years and seen his production decline since his peak in 2023.

1. Atlanta Falcons

Running back is the clear standout for the Falcons, ranking first overall (up from 3rd). Bijan Robinson delivered a monster 2025 campaign, topping 1,400 rushing yards for the second consecutive season and leading the NFL with nearly 2,300 yards from scrimmage. The Falcons also added Brian Robinson Jr. to be Bijan’s backup after he spent 2025 in San Francisco.