Football Power Index rankings Welcome, rookie! Man, what a rough week for NFL backfields with a number of players who were performing at a career-best pace suffering injuries. He earned his big pay day. Hes so smooth in space, runs with a ton of power and has great vision. Again, Gaskin was harmed by a flawed system and poor blocking ahead of him which certainly limited his . All four teams (the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers) have general managers, front offices, and personnel departments that have proven more than capable of evaluating, acquiring, and retaining talent in recent years. I agree to receive the "Pick Six Newsletter" and marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers), and other information from CBS Sports and the Paramount family of companies. It is emblematic of the Ravens over the years and while Davis, now a true veteran, lacks some athletic traits as others on this list, his all-around game and elite vision allow him to carve out a role in the NFL. Farabaugh. McKissic. Whats on Tap for Wednesday at NFL Combine? . These are the 2022 draft grades for the AFC North. The 2022 Steelers need more from Harris to better balance their offense and transition into a post-Roethlisberger team. Joe Mixon fell to the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2017 draft. Hopefully, he keeps this ride steady and duplicates that level of production in London. Even with having Kareem Hunt to back him Chubb is definitely more impactful. Atlanta Falcons: Cordarrelle Patterson, Tyler Allgeier, Damien WilliamsCarolina Panthers: Christian McCaffrey, Chuba Hubbard, D'Onta ForemanNew Orleans Saints: Alvin Kamara, Mark IngramTampa Bay Buccaneers: Leonard Fournette. Chubb missed three games . The Raiders signed Kenyan Drake this past offseason, and while Jacobs should still be the first rusher in the depth chart entering the season, odds are Drake fights like hell for that privilege and position down the pecking order. Signs to be trending toward the split switching to 65-35 this year, with Gordon even recently admitting that the Broncos want Williams to be "the guy" this season. February 24, 2023 6:55 am ET. On three occasions, teams have made it to at least the divisional round. follow. Now, with the heat of the moment long gone and cold projections applied to Harris for his debut campaign well, things are looking even better. We use ads to fund this site and continue to bring you premium Steelers content. In the absence of David Montgomery, Herbert has been above average in all aspects. NFL+ gives you the freedom to watch LIVE out-of-market preseason games, LIVE local and primetime regular season and postseason games on your phone or tablet, the best NFL programming on-demand, and MORE! Projecting the futures of Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook and other Vikings veterans. 9); Javonte Williams, Broncos (No. NOTE: Arrows reflect changes from last week's rankings. Maurice Jones-Drew says yes. It doesn't even feel fair to say the AFC East has the "worst" running back corps in the NFL, because they have a very intriguing group. The Chiefs have found relative success with a few different running backs they've thrown out there, but the offense obviously runs more through Patrick Mahomes. Temporibus autem quibusdam et aut officiis debitis aut rerum necessitatibus saepe eveniet. Another year, another absolutely loaded depth chart at the running back position across the AFC North. 3, at least for now, is absurd. It's fair to expect big seasons from all of these starters in 2022. His 7.3 yards per total target (combined rushing and receiving) is the top of any returning back in the division. Still, the Panthers have a couple of decent guys behind him in Foreman and Hubbard. Fortunately, they hold the fourth-overall pick in this year's draft, so they should have a solid shot to land one of the top guys. A monster game earned Jacobs a spot on my list for the first time this season. Don't have an account? There is a big difference between the best rushing . Baltimore Ravens. Hines has been targeted 81, 58, and 76 times in the past three seasons, catching 78, 76, and 83 percent of those throws. Maurice Jones-Drew assembles the perfect running back, combining the traits of some of today's top talent in the NFL. Gibson was also benched at times due to fumbling, and Washington brought in Brian Robinson to compete as well. In no way affiliated with or endorsed by the Pittsburgh Steelers or NFL. Plus, MJD updates his ranking of the top 15 running backs right now. Najee Harris is only going into his second season, but the production he put up as a rookie was stellar. His 6 scores are the most all time by a Lions player through the first four games of a season. 2022 11:37 am CT. He rushed for 1,200 yards, was targeted an eye-popping 94 times in the passing game and scored 10 total touchdowns. A three-touchdown performance along with 109 total yards launches him into this list for the first time this year. The opportunities for Dobbins should be plenty on a Ravens offense that had a 56:44 pass-to-run ratio and finished 6th in rushing success rate (44.3 percent) in 2021. The Browns rely heavily on their running backs on offense and Chubb had 1259 yards rushing, 1433 yards from scrimmage, with nine total touchdowns. Harris was truly incredible as a rookie in 2021, rushing for 1,200 yards behind the worst offensive line in football while battling against stacked boxes due to the lack of a deep passing attack in Pittsburgh. San Francisco's Elijah Mitchell is the best back in the division entering the season, but Williams is more accomplished and steady than Jeff Wilson. As for the Cardinals, Conner experienced a rebirth last year, which earned him an extension. Simmons came in at No. Having him back healthy for 2022 will only help Sean McVay in his mission to run it back. Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. Joe Mixon is a borderline elite running back and greatly impacted the Bengals Super Bowl run. Along with the return of Dobbins, the Ravens also added veteran running back Mike Davis in free agency, bringing in a veteran running back who has gotten better as hes aged, rushing for more than 500 yards in three of his last five seasons in the NFL. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Leave me alone. Depth charts for every team He also did that in one season with a bad offensive line and a very limited quarterbacks that allowed defense to focus solely on Harris. Could that be Canadas fault or was it really due to Ben Roethlisbergers limitations? Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community! We still dont know if Matt Canadas offense is going to work and the play call looked stale at times last year. Plus, the Texans added Mack and the rookie Pierce. Mixon also made an impact in the passing game with the 7th-most targets (68) and 10th-most receiving yards (421) at the position. Unless his receiving work reappears, I . CLEVELAND, Ohio The AFC North is a perpetual battleground with four rosters that have talent abound, the strengths of which can (and do) vary from position to position. Gaskin was the Dolphins' starting running back in 2021, but his numbers weren't great, as he totaled 612 yards and three touchdowns on 3.5 yards per attempt, adding another 234 yards and four touchdowns on 49 receptions. You could make an argument the AFC South is the best running back division since they have the top two running backs in the NFL in Henry and Taylor. 2021 Season Stats 292 carries 1,205 yards 13 touchdowns 4.1 ypc. The Browns' offense may favor the pass at a higher clip in 2022 with Deshaun Watson under center (6th lowest passing play percentage in 2021 at 54 percent), but Chubb will still get his fair share of carries and further cement himself among the elite at the position. 57. That is right, but that doesn't mean Gaskin is a top-five rusher all of a sudden--I mean, the Dolphinssurely bolstered the receiving corps adding a top-tier rookie, a deep threat in Will Fuller, and a rushing QB on top of that. Hes not the same player who was a serious threat with the Chiefs when he came into the league in 2017. San Francisco 49ers (Elijah Mitchell, Jeff . Kyle Madson. For one, Edwards is coming off of an ACL tear, which puts him in more contentious waters than a healthy Johnson. But this could be a year he falls further down this list, as Hunt had injury concerns last year and DErnest Johnson stepped up for the Browns. Did rushing champion Josh Jacobs finish on top? Ive said it before and Ill say it again: Chubb is the best pure running back in football, bar none. Or is he? . 5-ranked rushing attack? ESPN.com NFC North reporter, 2008-2013; . As Dajani . section: | slug: ranking-nfl-divisions-by-running-backs-for-2022-afc-north-leads-the-way-with-another-big-season-expected | sport: football | route: article_single.us | Having the league's rushing champion from the previous season will help that narrative, but there also are plenty of diverse skill sets on the depth chart. I'm not so sure the blame can be put solely on him, as the offensive line hasn't played all that well either. Najee Harris is the second-best running back individually in the division, at least in my opinion, but the Steelers ranking here has more to do with the significant lack of depth behind him than it does the talent of Harris. The Ground Index presented by FedEx ranks NFL running back performances all season long. July 12, 2022 12:55 pm CT. Edwards also missed the entire 2021 season due to a knee injury, so his return is a significant boost as well, considering hes rushed for at least 700 years in each of his three seasons in the NFL. 2021 Season Stats 228 carries 1,259 yards 8 touchdowns 5.5 ypc. The regular season is right around the corner and each team's depth chart is mostly complete! 4); Joe Mixon, Bengals (No. He was not necessarily the most efficient running back with a number 34 overall finish in rush success rate (49 percent) and 35th finish in DVOA (-4.8 percent, Football Outsiders), but he was impactful in breaking tackles and after contact. Type above and press Enter to search. He forced a missed tackle on 35% of his carries this past season, 7th highest in the NFL. The following analysis is based on DraftKings ' "Team Futures" betting lines, including the odds as of Aug. 22, 2022. 4.24 yards after contact per attempt (2nd), 1.19 rushing yards over expected per attempt (4th, Next Gen Stats), Chubb is the cornerstone of a Browns' rushing attack that finished 1st in Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (11.5 percent, Football Outsiders) and 5th in EPA per attempt (0.015). 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