A look at the top running backs in the NFL as we head into the new season

It’s no secret that the position of running back has been somewhat devalued over the past decade or so. Today, football is more about passing finesse and accuracy than grinding out yards up the middle. Nevertheless, a top-quality running back still has the scope to be one of the most dynamic and exciting playmakers in an offense. Here, we single out five of the best in the league, players who might just make the difference between their team making the playoffs and being consigned to the pile of also-rans.  

Nick Chubb 

All the pre-season talk at Cleveland has surrounded their quarterback controversy, but whoever is taking the snap will have, quite literally, one of the safest pairs of hands in the NFL lined up behind him. Three straight pro bowl invitations after only five seasons in the NFL tells its own story, and at just 26, Chubb has the potential to go down in history among the greatest NFL players. He could also supply an x-factor that the Browns will surely need if they are to make the playoffs for only the second time in the last 20 years.  

Dalvin Cook 

Vikings fans might greet Cook’s inclusion with a sarcastic Dalvin who? but here’s another talent that stands out above mediocrity – when he is fit. Like Chubb, he’s had three straight pro bowls. His downfalls his seeming fragility, but if he can stay fit for the whole season, something he’s not managed in five years, he will be key to the Vikings’ prospects of challenging Green Bay for supremacy in the NFC North.   

Derrick Henry 

A couple of years ago, Derrick Henry would have been the first name on our list. Here is a man who was proving just how important a good running back can be – indeed some would argue that he was carrying the Titans offense single handedly. Something had to give, and that something was the fifth metatarsal in his right foot. Henry is digging deep to return to full fitness. If he can do so, he will be a dominant force – but “if” is the longest word in sport, so time will tell. 

Alvin Kamara 

Here’s a running back for the 2020s, a man who has that magic trait of versatility. His receiving skills are arguably the best of any running back in the NFL, and that’s what could make him so exciting a part of the Saints’ offense in 2022. His modest record in 2021 was largely down to carrying an injury, so like Derrick Henry, as long as he can stay fit, he’ll undoubtedly be one to watch.  

Jonathan Taylor 

Don’t be fooled by the indifferent preseason form, the Colts might just be this year’s surprise package. If they are, their star running back will be in the thick of the action. At just 23, Taylor is younger than the other names here, but if he continues where he left of in 2021, with 1800 yards and 18 touchdowns, he could be the biggest name of them all.