Top 10 Running Backs in the NFL Ahead of the 2026 Season

Charlie Zschau Updated: 19 hours ago

With the 2026 NFL season is on the horizon, we take a look at the top 10 running backs in the league before the season officially kicks off.

Running backs remain the heartbeat of an NFL offense, providing the essential balance required to keep defenses honest and create opportunities for the passing game. Even if they are not the highest paid position group on a team.

In an era where defensive fronts are faster and more aggressive than ever, the modern running back must be a true dual-threat weapon. The ability to read blocks, break tackles in the open field, and act as a reliable outlet in the passing game is what distinguishes a good back from a game-changing superstar.

The 10 players listed below possess this rare blend of vision, power, and agility, consistently proving that they are the most dangerous threats on the field every time they touch the ball.

Top 10 Running Backs in the NFL:

1. Jahmyr Gibbs

Team: Detroit Lions
Age: 24

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs claims the top spot on this list of best running backs in the NFL before 2026. Gibbs claims the top spot not just for his dominant statistical performance in 2025, but he also passes the eye test with flying colors.

Gibbs, nicknamed "Sonic" for his blistering acceleration and speed, has the ability to run off the screen at any point during the game. The 24-year-old peeled off the third most (10) big rushing plays in the NFL last season (20+ yard rush).

Bijan Robinson led all running backs in total yards last season, but now that Gibbs' handcuff, David "Knuckles" Montgomery, has left Detroit for the Houston Texans, he will receive a significant boost in touches in 2026 leading to significantly more yards.

On 243 rushing attempts last season, Gibbs ran for 1,223 yards (5.0 yards per rush) and 13 touchdowns.

2. Bijan Robinson

Team: Atlanta Falcons
Age: 24

Bijan Robinson slides in as the No. 2 running back entering the 2026 season. As mentioned above, Robinson led the league in total yards from the position with 1,478 rushing yards and 820 receiving yards (2,298 total yards).

The 24-year-old as been incredibly reliable early in his career, playing all 17 games in three professional seasons with the Atlanta Falcons.

Robinson is a patient running back out of the backfield, allowing his offensive line to create gaps before exploding through them quick feet. He also has great balance with the football, making him hard to tackle and great at catching passes out of the backfield.

The Falcons star found the endzone 11 times in 2025, but that number should increase in 2026 due to backup running back Tyler Allgeier (8 touchdowns) joining the Arizona Cardinals.

3. De'Von Achane

Team: Miami Dolphins
Age: 24

De'Von Achane is the ideal age for an NFL running back in 2026, with each of the top three players at the position entering the season at 24.

Achane is undoubtedly one of the most talented backs in the NFL, but he is on a team projected to be one of the worst in 2026. Achane possesses incredible speed and might be the only player at the position faster than Gibbs.

Even on a poor Dolphins team, Achane rushed for the highest yards per carry (5.7 yards) and recorded the second-highest number of big plays (13) in the entire NFL. The Texas A&M product will be the focus of most opposing defenses, but his speed should still help him hit home runs out of the backfield.

With Malik Willis as the presumed starting quarterback for the Dolphins, the duo could create one of the most dangerous read-option attacks, even if the rest of the offence looks quite poor around them.

4. Christian McCaffrey

Team: San Francisco 49ers
Age: 30

As Fantasy Football players know, Christian McCaffrey is the definition of boom or bust. The 49ers running back is one of the most talented dual-threat offensive weapons in the entire league, but his injury history is definitely a major concern.

McCaffrey has played at least 16 games in six of his nine seasons in the league, but the other three years he did not play in more than seven games. Now 30-years-old, those injury concerns are a serious threat to his longevity in the NFL.

When McCaffrey is on the field he's nearly unstoppable in Kyle Shanahan's offense. In 2025, McCaffrey rushed for 1,202 yards and 10 touchdowns, while adding 924 yards and seven touchdowns as a pass catcher.

5. James Cook III

Team: Buffalo Bills
Age: 26

James Cook has been one of the most consistent producers at the running back position for the Buffalo Bills since 2023. While his game may not jump off the screen like others on this list, he consistently gets the job done.

On a team led by the incredible Josh Allen, Cook serves as the steady anchor that keeps the Buffalo offense moving down the field. Cook led the NFL in rushing touchdowns (16) in 2024 and followed that season by leading the league in rushing yards (1,621) in 2025.

James Cook is surprisingly elusive despite not being the fastest player with the ball in his hands. He utilizes exceptional vision and quick bursts to avoid defenders in traffic.

Cook flies under the radar while Allen commands so much of an opposing defense's attention, using that advantage to punish teams when the Bills need an important score or third-down conversion.

6. Derrick Henry

Team: Baltimore Ravens
Age: 32

In a league where the running back position has one of the shortest primes, 32-year-old Derrick Henry is a major outlier.

After 10 seasons (153 games) in the NFL, Henry has averaged 1,446 rushing yards per 17 games and scored 122 touchdowns. He has also averaged 85.1 rushing yards per game in his career, including 126.7 yards per game in 2020.

Last season, Henry continued his incredible production by rushing for 1,595 yards and 16 touchdowns which were both second best in the NFL. The five-time Pro Bowler also rushed for the 17, 20+ yard carries which was the single most in the NFL.

Henry is bruising, downhill rusher whose size make him nearly impossible to tackle when he gets up to full speed. He'll slow down eventually, but for now, the former Heisman Trophy winner is consistently proving the doubters wrong.

7. Jonathan Taylor

Team: Indianapolis Colts
Age: 27

After a few up-and-down seasons in Indianapolis, Jonathan Taylor showed the league why he is considered one of the best backs in the NFL in 2026.

In his first full season since 2021, Jonathan Taylor rushed for 1,585 yards (the third-most in the NFL) and led the league in rushing touchdowns with 18. Taylor is not as much of a threat in the passing game as the other players above him on this list, but his ability to find the end zone so consistently makes up for that gap in his game.

Injuries are always a concern for players in the NFL, but especially for running backs who get tackled more than any other player on the field. Taylor has only played two full seasons during his six-year career, but when he is on the field, he is one of the most powerful runners.

Taylor should be in line for another fruitful season with the Indianapolis Colts, especially because he has one of the top offensive lines clearing the way.

8. Saquon Barkley

Team: Philadelphia Eagles
Age: 29

Saquon Barkley was one of the most highly touted running back prospects in the 2018 NFL Draft, and ended up being selected second overall by the New York Giants.

In six season with the Giants, the only thing that could stop Barkley was himself. The Penn State product dealt with numerous injuries that kept him on the sidelines. In 2024, Barkley signed with the Giants NFC East rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles, and went on to win the Offensive Player of the Year and the Super Bowl.

In 2025, Barkley's production significantly fell off, rushing for just 1,140 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging 4.1 yards per carry (Down from 5.8 yards per carry in 2024). At 29-years-old, Barkley is nearing the end of his prime, but thanks to his overall body of work he maintains his status as a top 10 running back.

Barkley is an explosive runner with great agility. He's a threat to score from anywhere on the field and is a threat catching passes out of the backfield as well. With a projected top 5 offensive line entering 2026, Barkley should have a bounce back season, but it will be hard to replicate the numbers he achieved in 2024.

9. Kenneth Walker III

Team: Kansas City Chiefs
Age: 25

After winning the Super Bowl and earning Super Bowl MVP honors with the Seattle Seahawks, Kenneth Walker III signed with the Chiefs in free agency.

During the 2025 regular season, Walker's numbers were not incredibly impressive; 221 carries for 1,027 yards and five touchdowns. However, when the Seahawks' backup running back Zach Charbonnet suffered a torn ACL, Walker's numbers skyrocketed.

In the three postseason games, including the Super Bowl, Walker showcased his true potential. He rushed for 313 yards (104.3 rushing yards per game) and four touchdowns, in addition to 107 receiving yards (35.7 receiving yards per game).

Now as the bell cow back in Kansas City, Walker should be able to excel in his fifth NFL season. This will be the first season that Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid have a Pro Bowl-caliber running back on the roster since Kareem Hunt in 2017.

10. Ashton Jeanty

Team: Las Vegas Raiders
Age: 22

Ashton Jeanty is coming off a statistically poor rookie season with the Raiders, but I am not going to blame the 22-year-old.

Selected sixth overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, Jeanty was expected to make an immediate impact on the abysmal Raiders offence. Unfortunately, the Raiders' offensive line was unable to give the former Boise State star any breathing room in the backfield.

Jeanty averaged the fewest yards before contact (1.6 yards) in the NFL on his 266 carries, meaning he had absolutely no room to get going. When Jeanty did make it past the line of scrimmage without contact, he averaged the most yards after contact in the entire league.

Las Vegas has attempted to improve the offensive line by signing Pro Bowl centre Tyler Linderbaum. With improved quarterback play expected from either Kirk Cousins or Fernando Mendoza, Jeanty should have significantly more daylight to showcase why he was selected sixth overall.