NFL Power Rankings 2011: Breaking Down All 32 Running Back Situations
There may or may not be an NFL season in 2011 as the owners and players continue their back-and-forth struggle. That's a game of give and take that could go on for many months, and even if all 16 games are played in 2011, repercussions will be felt.
Perhaps the most important position that needs to have a 2011 season is running back, since the career lifespan of those players is not very long. If you can find a back to rely on for eight years, then that's a great benefit to your team, and having backups who can move in should the starter go down is even better.
Here are the current running back situations, ranked from worst to first. Just because someone has a good running back doesn't necessarily mean they'll be ranked highly, as I'm looking at the team's entire running back group.
32. Washington Redskins
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The release of Clinton Portis adds to an already problematic group of runners. Ryan Torain can have breakout games, but is unproven as an every-down back who can go without getting hurt. Keiland Williams and James Davis are also unproven.
In fact, of those three running backs, none were active in the NFL in 2009; they were all either rookies in 2010 (Williams) or on injured reserve (Torain and Davis). Everyone talks about the McNabb and Haynesworth problems when I'm actually concerned about their running game for 2011. They better hope Torain breaks out.
31. Arizona Cardinals
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Of course the team that finishes dead last in total rushing yards is going to land near the bottom of this list. They actually do have their core backs selected in Tim Hightower and Chris "Beanie" Wells. If both were to have great years at the same time, things might be alright.
Unfortunately, that has not happened. In 2009, Wells played well while Hightower stunk. Hightower rebounded in 2010 but Wells stunk. There are many running backs that can be plugged in here who can outrun both of them. At least Miami's duo put up pretty good rushing numbers.
30. Seattle Seahawks
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It's easy to remember Marshawn Lynch's Tecmo Bowl run in the playoffs against the New Orleans Saints, and that was an amazing play. Unfortunately for the Seahawks, those kind of plays were an anomaly, as they were one of four teams that did not crack the 1,500 rushing yard barrier.
Julius Jones is now long gone, and Lynch only put up 573 yards in 12 games for the Seahawks last year, averaging 3.5 yards per carry. Chris Henry hasn't attempted a carry since 2008, and Leon Washington will probably just be used for returns at this point in his career.
Justin Forsett shows some promise, and if done right a Lynch/Forsett combo could end up being decent in 2011. I would hope one of them can prove that they're an every-down back, but I don't see that happening.
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29. Miami Dolphins
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It looks like the Ronnie Brown-Ricky Williams experiment/circus is coming to an end. Both are free agents, and both are aging, so re-signing them would not make sense. Williams will be 34 when the season starts and Brown will be 29, so even if the Dolphins re-sign one, they will need a second running back in there.
It might hurt, but the best option for the Dolphins could be to just sign a new free agent or draft someone who can be an every-down back. The Dolphins have so many options, and none of them are that great, so as a result they end up near the bottom of the rankings.
28. Indianapolis Colts
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The Colts don't have a bad group of running backs, but their group is so injury-riddled that Peyton Manning had to put the season on his shoulders. This is why the Colts had such huge passing numbers yet such small rushing numbers.
Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes are free agents. Rhodes might be done (he's 32 and sat out the 2009 season), while Addai has been so injury-riddled of late he may not be worth it. Mike Hart and Donald Brown were decent, but there's no way to tell if they'll be great yet. The Colts need to choose which direction they're going with each player sooner rather than later.
27. Denver Broncos
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Like the Colts, the Broncos' running back spot has been riddled with injuries. It's nonetheless shocking to see them here because they've always been known for taking nobodies and turning them into 1,000-yard rushers.
Laurence Maroney is a free agent, but no one will miss him in Denver. LenDale White might need to just become a rushing fullback to stay on a roster. That leaves the 32-year old Correll Buckhalter, who's pretty much out of gas, and Knowshon Moreno, who could be good if he actually played a full 16-game schedule.
They need to find someone who can fill in the next time Moreno goes down, and fast.
26. Cincinnati Bengals
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The entire Bengals offense is very shaky right now. Carson Palmer is set to retire unless he's traded, Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens are free agents, and Cedric Benson was ready to walk before a new offensive coordinator was hired.
If free agent Benson decides to leave, then the team is in dire straits. Bernard Scott has shown promise, but who knows if he can go a full season. Even if Benson returns, his yards per carry implies that he's basically a power back at this point, which is nice to have, but he's likely not going to be a playmaker.
25. Detroit Lions
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After the Lions drafted Jahvid Best this past year, it looked like they were going to be fine at the running back position. Instead, they're still looking for a playmaker they have not had since the days of Barry Sanders.
Kevin Smith is a free agent, and after two solid years, disappeared in 2010. Maurice Morris is decent as a backup and fits that role for now. Best, however, only got 555 yards, averaging 3.2 yards a carry. He has to do better than that in 2011, or else it may be back to the drawing board for the Lions.
24. New Orleans Saints
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The Saints have a lot of decent running backs on their roster, but nowhere do I see a great one. It's much like the Colts situation, since they had their share of injury problems last year.
Reggie Bush is clearly never going to be a great running back at this point, and might as well stay at special teams. Pierre Thomas had a bad year when healthy, which was not often, and while Chris Ivory showed promise, I don't think the Saints are willing to make him the feature back.
It's a jumbled picture that's not easy to figure out.
23. Buffalo Bills
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The Bills are at a crossroads. After trading away Marshawn Lynch, they now have Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller. Jackson is 30, and while he likely has a few good years left in him, I don't see him crossing the 1,000-yard mark.
That leaves C.J. Spiller, who showed some promise with some carries last year. A split workload for the two might be smart to see if Spiller can take over the running back position when Jackson is done. If he can't, then the Bills are back to square one.
The uncertainty of how to use these two guys could be a problem in 2011.
22. New York Giants
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Why are the Giants this low? They actually did a great job running the ball last year, finishing sixth in the NFL in rushing yards. The problem is that yards do not tell the whole story.
Ahmad Bradshaw is a free agent, and because of his many fumbles the Giants may let him go despite putting up nearly 1,250 yards. Brandon Jacobs had a good year running the football, certainly better than 2009, but it remains to be seen if he can return to his top form. The Giants have no one else who has gotten much of a shot at running the ball.
If Jacobs goes down they will be in trouble, especially if they do not have the Jacobs/Bradshaw combo. If they use both next year than they should be fine, but if the Giants were actually sold on both then they would not be this far down in the ranks.
21. Chicago Bears
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The Bears are a tough one to figure out. Yes, they have Matt Forte as their feature back, but who else do they have to use alongside him?
Forte will likely get another 1,000-yard season, but Chester Taylor's 2.4 yards per carry tells me he's pretty much done as a pro, and the rarely-used Garrett Wolfe is a free agent. Forte doesn't strike me as a guy who can rush 300 times in a season (though he did his rookie year); he works better in the 200s.
Besides, as good as Forte was this year, the Bears were in the bottom third in rushing yards in 2010.
20. Carolina Panthers
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On the surface, despite injuries the Panthers showed a decent group of running backs. DeAngelo Williams missed most of 2010, but should be back to form, and the Williams/Jonathan Stewart combo will be back up and running.
Mike Goodson and Tyrell Sutton showed promise in limited carries as reliable backups. The Panthers have two questions going into 2011: Can they re-sign Williams, and how can they limit the fumbles? The running backs had 16 between them, most in the league.
19. Dallas Cowboys
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Running back by committee is all well and good when you have them ready to go each week and have at least two put up very good numbers. When none or one are doing well, that's a problem.
Last year, the carries went about 50 percent Jones, 30 percent Barber, 20 percent Choice. Felix Jones played okay, putting up 800 yards on 4.3 yards a carry. Barber and Choice, meanwhile, barely cracked 600 combined yards on about the same number of carries. Both of them had off years, especially Barber.
The Cowboys still have all three on the roster, but perhaps three is a crowd if only one is going to contribute. If they want to be a playoff team in 2011, they need playoff performances from these guys.
18. St. Louis Rams
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As great as Steven Jackson is, the Rams cannot rely on him to carry the ball 300 times a year. He's done it twice in a row, and his yards per carry is beginning to suffer. Who can shoulder a bit of the load for him?
Kenneth Darby is a free agent, but if given 100 carries a year while Jackson handles 250, that could work. Keith Totson might be okay, though he's just starting out in the NFL. There's no question that Jackson will hit 1,000 yards in 2011, but I have concerns about the depth and his workload.
17. San Diego Chargers
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The Chargers have a lot of questions this offseason due to free agency, and they will have to choose what direction to go in at running back.
Ryan Mathews played well his rookie year, and he may end up being a good primary running back. Mike Tolbert's a free agent, but actually looked very good as well, with both players getting 150+ carries. Darren Sproles is a free agent as well, and the Chargers might go in a different direction.
A Mathews/Tolbert combination of some sort could work, but they have to be willing to stick with it if that's the case.
16. Cleveland Browns
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The Browns, like the Rams, have their featured running back in Peyton Hillis. He's proven to be a guy that can carry the ball 250 times a season without issue and will ideally be a key piece for a while.
The only problem is who the Browns can use to back him up. Montario Hardesty spent his rookie year on injured reserve, and Mike Bell and Lawrence Vickers are free agents, with the former not playing well in 2010 anyway.
If Hillis were to go down in 2011, the Browns would be in big trouble at this position.
15. San Francisco 49ers
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Moving from one tough running back to another, the 49ers have a similar problem to the Rams and Browns. Yes, they have their feature running back in Frank Gore, but what else do they have to put around him?
Brian Westbrook is a free agent and will probably not be back. Anthony Dixon wasn't effective when he got the ball. Strangely enough, their best bet might be to have Gore get most of the carries. It's too early to tell if he can handle an increase to 300 carries in 2011, but the 49ers might have to go with that if they don't have a good backup.
14. Green Bay Packers
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If the Packers can stay healthy this upcoming year, then they should have a great group at running back now that the depth players at the position have proven themselves.
Brandon Jackson and John Kuhn are free agents. Jackson was a solid backup and Kuhn was a good fullback as well. James Starks came out of nowhere in the playoffs, and when you put Ryan Grant as the star on top of those three, that's a solid team.
Grant's usually good for 1,200 yards, but we'll see if he can stay healthy. At least we know they won't collapse if their running back goes down.
13. Atlanta Falcons
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Michael Turner is a great running back, there's no question about that, but after 371 carries in 2008 and 336 in 2010, he could easily have an off year at any point.
Normally that would not be a problem for the Falcons. However, Jason Snelling and Jerious Norwood are free agents, and the latter was hardly used at all in 2010. Neither of them are as good as Turner, though.
Ironically, as the passing game continues to evolve and Turner's touches go down a bit, that should make the running game even better, so long as they actually do that instead of feeding him the ball over and over.
12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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With Carnell Williams becoming a free agent and possibly leaving Tampa Bay, one would think that the running back position would be in chaos. However, this past season they uncovered a great playmaker in LaGarrette Blount.
Blount, the undrafted free agent out of Oregon, hit the 1,000-yard mark on only 201 carries, and looks to be the franchise player for the long haul. It's too early to tell if he can do that year in and year out, and behind him in the lineup is free agent Cadillac Williams and Earnest Graham, who at 31 might be relegated to fullback duty.
The Bucs could easily jump into the top 10 with another great year by Blount.
11. New England Patriots
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The Patriots are known for their passing game, yes, but their running game was surprisingly very good this past season. Still, they have questions regarding which way they can go next year.
Fred Taylor's a free agent and is likely done, and Kevin Faulk may be done as well. BenJarvus Green-Ellis came out of nowhere to crack the 1,000-yard rushing mark, and Danny Woodhead has been a great backup, so they will be fine as long as they have those two.
10. Baltimore Ravens
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This is yet another case of the feature back spot being fine despite some turmoil on the depth chart. Better to struggle with the backup spot than the starter, at least.
There's no question that Ray Rice is a great running back, though his 2010 numbers weren't quite as good as 2009. Beyond that, Willis McGahee is a serviceable backup, but it's tough to say if he could go into an everyday role should Rice go down at this point in his career.
Le'Ron McClain is a free agent and is probably moving elsewhere, but having Rice and McGahee is a pretty nice situation.
9. Oakland Raiders
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Yes, the Oakland Raiders are in the top 10 in something. In fact, going by 2010 stats, the Raiders were second only to the Kansas City Chiefs in rushing yards. Why are they only barely in the top 10, then?
While Rock Cartwright and Michael Bennett are viable backups, Michael Bush is a free agent. If he re-signs with the Raiders, they should be fine, but if not then they have a hole there. The star rusher, Darren McFadden, had a great 2010 after a mediocre first two seasons.
If McFadden remains in 2010 form then the Raiders will have a great rushing attack, but there are some question marks going forward.
8. Tennessee Titans
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Having Chris Johnson automatically makes the Titans a top-10 team. He's proven himself to be an every-down back, and he has been a great player to watch these past couple years.
Javon Ringer is starting to emerge as a decent backup, so the Titans should be good for many years even without Vince Young adding some rushing yards in as well.
7. Minnesota Vikings
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Adrian Peterson would be the best running back in the league going solely on talent, discounting fumbling and the ability to stay healthy, which remain concerns for Peterson.
Still, the Vikings are a top-level team with Toby Gerhart as a backup and Peterson as the starter, and since neither are free agents, everything is set for 2011, which is good since the Vikings have the quarterback spot to worry about, like the Titans.
6. Houston Texans
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The Houston Texans, like the Buccaneers, found their feature back this past season from out of nowhere. Arian Foster, the man who went undrafted and had fewer carries than Steve Slaton in 2009, had a dominating 2010.
We will see if Foster can repeat his great running in 2011. If he doesn't, they have Derrick Ward as a backup, who may have a year or two left to use for Houston. They also have Slaton, who looked to be the feature back two years ago before seemingly disappearing.
5. Philadelphia Eagles
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The Eagles obviously have a great rushing attack. After all, they have Michael Vick as their quarterback. The question becomes, however, whether or not their running back spot is on solid ground.
Their star, LeSean McCoy, has the starting job wrapped up, breaking the 1,000-yard mark on only 207 carries. Jerome Harrison was a decent backup, but is now a free agent, so we'll see if he stays there. They may need to search for a backup to McCoy in the offseason, but otherwise they're all set.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers
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The Steelers have always had a great, hard-nosed rushing attack, whether it was led by Duce Staley, Jerome Bettis or Willie Parker.
Today, it's led by Rashard Mendenhall, who ran for over 1,250 yards on 300+ carries. Isaac Redman also emerged as a viable backup should Mendenhall go down or have an off day, so the running back spot is not one the Steelers need to worry about.
3. New York Jets
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The New York Jets proved they have a great rushing attack, finishing fourth in the league in yards. LaDainian Tomlinson also proved that he is far from washed up, as he nearly hit the 1,000-yard mark this past year.
Beyond that, they have Shonn Greene, who has been playing well, and the duo is one of the better ones in football. Joe McKnight also proved in the final week that he can be a great third back behind those two.
Having all three for the 2011 season means the Jets should continue to produce.
2. Jacksonville Jaguars
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We all know about the greatness that is Maurice Jones-Drew in Jacksonville. It's why the Jaguars had a top-three rushing team this season. What keeps them so high on this list is what's behind him.
Jones-Drew seems to be a lock for 1,300 yards year in and out now. Rashad Jennings had been great as a backup for them, and Deji Karim has been very good, as well, as the third running back option. It's not exactly common to have three very good backs on your roster.
1. Kansas City Chiefs
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The Chiefs are, far and away, the best running back group in the NFL. Aside from easily having the most rushing yards in the league last year, they have two great running backs on their roster.
Thomas Jones may be past his prime, but he can still put up very good numbers for the Chiefs. Jamaal Charles, on the other hand, is approaching his prime, and his numbers will only get better as he begins getting the majority of the carries.
They will likely have to worry about a Jones replacement in 2012, but for now they have the best situation in the league.
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