Bucs' Brady Was Already Thinking 2021 Hours After Super Bowl LV. Today we compare the running games of each team in the NFC South, with the opening of training camp right around the corner. Please check your email for a confirmation. He's going to be a dynamo in Matt Rhule's offense, helping Sam Darnold make a leap in 2021. Carolina was held below 100 yards rushing seven times last season and went 2-5 in those contests. 24. Gibson also caught 36 passes for 247 yards, bringing his total yards to 1,042 in just 14 games. They were held below 100 yards rushing in just four games last season, losing 2, and compliment their 1-2 running back punch with the versatility and unpredictability of backup quarterback Taysom Hill. His second half of 2019 showed what he could be. He had just under 700 yards rushing and just under 400 yards receiving. Wayne Gallman, a 27-year-old running back, was waived by the NFC South franchise on Saturday afternoon, according to reports. Who was the top rookie? C.J. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. For him to step up like that at just 23 years old is a testament . To qualify, a player will have to be 25 or younger as of Sept. 9, when the 2021 season is scheduled to kick off. 27. His greatest attribute might be his ability to make defenders miss. Let us know in the comments section what you think of our rankings. Dec 29, 2019; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey (22) runs after a reception in the third quarter. I'm projecting a bit here because we don't truly know Ward's role. However, he only had one regular season game last year with more than 14 carries. 2. What sets McCaffrey apart isnt that hes a great runner, although he certainly is. The NFC West has some talented running backs in the conference. The reason I dont have him higher is that I had to discount the fact that we dont know who the starting QB will be. Vaughn played just 39 special teams snaps last season. Jon Ledyard is PewterReport.com's newest Bucs beat writer and has experience covering the Pittsburgh Steelers as a beat writer and analyzing the NFL Draft for several draft websites, including The Draft Network. 2 back is. Nov 22, 2018; New Orleans, LA, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Ito Smith (25) is tackled by New Orleans Saints strong safety Kurt Coleman (29) in the second half at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. 287-1,387 yards, (4.8), 15 touchdowns, (6x 100-Yd games), 116 receptions, 1,005 yards, 4 touchdowns, (2x 100-Yd games), 219-1,098, yards (5.0), 7 touchdowns, (4x 100-Yd games), 107 receptions, 867 yards, 6 touchdowns, (2x 100-Yd games), 172-724 yards (4.2) 6 touchdowns (1 100-Yd game), 2 consecutive 1,000-Yd rushing season + 21 touchdowns at Vanderbilt, 223-857 yards (3.8) 12 touchdowns (0s 100-Yd games), 256-1,251 yards (4.9) 17 touchdowns (6x 100-Yd games), 171-797 yards (4.7) 5 touchdowns (0x 100-Yd games), 81 receptions 533 yards 1 touchdown (0x 100-Yd games), 194-883 yards (4.6) 14 touchdowns (1x 100-Yd game), 81 receptions 709 yards 4 touchdowns (2x 100-Yd games), 146-647 yards (4.4) 5 touchdowns (2x 100-Yd games), 140-578 yards (4.1) 6 touchdowns (1x 100-Yd game). He has terrific vision, amazing balance, incredible speed, and plenty of elusiveness. New Orleans Saints defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) and defensive end Carl Granderson (96) defends on the play at Bank of America Stadium. Kamara, a 3rd-round pick from Tennessee in the 2017 draft, beat out McCaffrey for 2017 Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and is a vital part of the New Orleans offense. Number one fumbling the ball, Elliott said when asked what his No. CMC is absolutely this years RB1. 2021 NFL preseason Week 1: What we learned about each NFC team, 2021 NFL preseason Week 1: What we learned about each AFC team, NFL player cuts tracker: Team-by-team roster moves, NFL's 30 best players over 30 entering 2021 season. 50-41? We are looking at overall depth right not starters? For his career, the bruising back out of Ohio State now has 6,384 rushing yards and another 1,957 receiving yards with 56 total touchdowns. Although the running back position has become a bit marginalized in recent seasons, the NFC South boasts some of the league's top young backs. 1 in Green Bay. Buccaneers, Alvin Kamara reaches milestone while helping Saints stop Seahawks, Loss of Christian McCaffrey, Jaycee Horn overshadows Panthers' 3-0 start, Former Panthers tight end Greg Olsen says son's heart 'reaching its end', Carolina Panthers NFL draft picks 2021: Analysis for every selection, Former New York Giants safety could play key role for Bucs in Super Bowl 2021, Ex-Jets coach Todd Bowles goes from green to greener pastures with Bucs, Tom Brady's success with Buccaneers sparks mixed reaction in New England, Previously covered NFC South for ESPN.com, Covered Panthers for The Charlotte Observer from 1999-2008, Began journalism career with The Tampa Tribune in 1990. 19. Cowboys rumors: No progress towards Leighton Vander Esch deal, Donovan Wilson deal unlikely. . The New Orleans Saints have won the last three NFC South titles because they have one of the most talented rosters in the league. Outside of the QB position (specifically Lamar Jackson), theres not a player in the league that will command a larger percentage of their teams offense than CMC. With that in mind, Maurice Jones-Drew provides his ranking of the top 10 QB-pass catcher duos heading into 2022. Kamara was able to produce nearly 800 rushing yards despite missing three games but his touchdowns and receiving yardage both fell off from the previous two years because he was hampered by knee and ankle injuries. bucs He makes mincemeat of defensive backs in space while possessing plenty of straight-line speed to outrun just about anyone on the field. The sixth-year running back has already recorded 5,860 rushing yards and 55 touchdowns, having produced at least 1,500 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns in each of the last two seasons. It is important to note that Los Angeles Rams running back Cam Akers will not be on the list, as he tore his Achilles and will not play this coming season. KeShawn Vaughn It would not be the same as drafting a RB with the fourth overall pick. His production has resulted in two Super Bowl appearances (one win), a league MVP award in 2018 and a contract extension worth nearly half a billion dollars. Michael Chow/The Arizona Republic via USA TODAY NETWORK, Sign up for the Cards Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. Follow Ledyard on Twitter at @LedyardNFLDraft. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. He also provides an excellent floor because even if the game script isnt favoring the run game, CMC will get plenty of targets through the air. Top 5 Running Backs in the NFC South. Also, I watched a good amount of Hawkins at Louisville and I think hes a very capable back that could eat into Davis carries. He barely played in three games a season ago and still scored 6 total touchdowns. Sony Michel, Los Angeles Rams With that in mind, NFL Network analyst Maurice Jones-Drew provides his own ranking of the league's top 10 players 25 and younger heading into the 2021 regular season. A lot has changed since the end of the 2020 season, when Watson led the league in passing yards (4,823). We'll continue our NFC South positional rankings today with running backs. Alvin Kamara and Christian McCaffrey have been stars . But Kamara is the prize of the group. Unfortunately for Barkley, since playing in all 16 games during his rookie year in 2018, hes had some trouble staying on the field. 1 focus is this season. Having a player like Chubb in the backfield makes life a lot easier for Baker Mayfield and the rest of the offense. Despite splitting carries in the Packers backfield, Aaron Jones easily lands on any list of top running backs in the NFL. Akers almost enters the NFL in these rankings above Coleman but not quite. I never like these RB unit rankings because are we weighting the guys in the unit differently? Josh Jacobs has eclipsed the 1,000-yard plateau in each of his first two seasons with the Raiders. Hunt was terrific in Kansas City for his first two seasons, totaling well over 2,100 yards on the ground and 16 touchdowns. With amazing contact balance and tremendous lower body strength, no defender is safe from Barkeys highlight reel. Sign up for our newsletter and get every update delivered to your inbox! The NFC West has some talented running backs in the conference. An elusive rusher, Hunt is perhaps even better through the air and after the catch. 2. I aim to find value at other positions like WR and QB because if I miss on a bet at those positions, I can always trade one of my RBs for a roster weakness during the season. Despite having the seventh-worst rushing offense in football last season, according to Pro Football Focus, Eagles running back Miles Sanders had a solid season. Brad Hoover, Carolina. 6. Where do the two Arizona Cardinals lead backs in James Conner and Chase Edmonds . While Gurley looks to recapture the form that made him the NFL's most productive RB just a few seasons ago and Jones looks to establish himself, it appears that 2020 will once again be a battle between Alvin Kamara and Christian McCaffrey for running back supremacy in the NFC South. Falcons just have to be careful not to overuse him this year. Which team had the most players ranked? Quarterback: 1-19Running back: 1-49, 80-89Wide receiver/tight end: 1-49, 80-89Offensive line: 50-79Defensive line: 50-79, 90-99Linebacker: 1-59, 90-99Defensive backs: 1-49Kicker/punter: 1-19. New Orleans can win games with a historically efficient passing attack, a much-improved defense, or a playmaking special teams squad. The longtime backfield teammate of Devonta Freeman ran for 800 yards and four touchdowns on 167 carries last season while starting in place of Freeman, who missed all but two games due to injury. Matt Brown. Atlanta Falcons. Mike James. Reggie Bonnafon Love they guys commitment and work ethic. Were anxiously awaiting multiple returns to the field for some of the leagues top running backs, none more so than Christian McCaffrey. He would have ranked second on this list. Im anticipating a negative game script with the running game, considering theyll be down in plenty of 4th quarters. Jerious Norwood, Atlanta. 10 after earning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2020. A quality running back is a scarce fantasy asset. Though he took a step backward in terms of average yards per carry in Year 2, Jacobs added more dynamics to his game in 2020. FILE - Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette sprints to the end zone to score on a 27-yard touchdown run during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game against. The 2019 third-round pick was an intriguing player entering the NFL and ideally would have been more impactful, especially when Todd Gurleys knee became an issue. Its for this reason that my favorite strategy is to draft a running back with my first 4 picksregardless of league style (redraft, dynasty, etc.). Elliott has now hauled in multiple receiving touchdowns and at least 300 receiving yards in four of his five seasons. Qadree Ollison 7. 2021 Jones 2021 Thompson 2021 Vaughn 2021 Prentice 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 24 24 24 24 Explore Which team has won the most Super Bowls? Thats an absurd number. With an added dynamic out of the backfield, the trend of top backs being well-rounded continues. The highest non-starter on this list, Kareem Hunt packs half of the punch for the leagues top RB duo in Cleveland. DAndre Swift, Detroit Lions What Kamara gives the Saints as a receiver is very difficult to replace. DeAngelo Williams, Carolina. 8. Dillon is waiting in the wings in the Green Bay running backs room. 26. Javian Hawkins The drop in the team's rushing production led the Falcons to part ways with Devonta Freeman this offseason and bring in Gurley, whose own production has slipped because of various injuries, leaving a doubt to how much left he has in the tank. 40 and 31. The 27-year-old Fournette is a 6-foot and 228-Lb. Young has the talent to rise to the top of this list one day, but he slots in at No. It feels wrong to rank a 27-year-old running back this high, but Austin Ekeler is not your typical older RB. Mostert became the 49ers No. Cowboys draft 2023: Bijan Robinson should be an exception to not drafting a RB in the first round. Since 2019, he's posted a 24-6 regular-season record as a starter and helped the Ravens to three straight postseasons, including his first playoff victory last January. . The fifth-year back is a very good, not elite pure runner, but an outstanding pass-catcher. Kenyan Drake, Cardinals. Who has the most career 200 receiving yard games? The team could be hoping for a breakout year with Jones, but the combination of him and Barber isn't too frightening. But if hes healthy, hes a rare breed of balance, strength, and elusiveness. Carolina's main loss behind McCaffrey was veteran back C.J. Between the Panthers, Falcons, Saints, and the Bucs, the NFC South has a plethora (SAT word for y'all) of backfield candidates to use in your lineups. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers Hell turn a routine carry into a long touchdown within the simplest crease in the offensive line. Below we rank the running backs from the NFC West, starting with the best. An incredibly important aspect of Minnesotas offensive game plan, as Cook goes, so will the Vikings in 2021. Gambling problem? If folks watch the game, theyd see that RoJo has some real skills running the ball inside and out with power, cutting and balance. Pro Football Network strives to passionately deliver purposeful, captivating, and exceptional football content. window.__mirage2 = {petok:"i3qTWjOb77Y_2FA32To_S3YkBupgZWPCJqJ_QqFFyr0-1800-0"}; 1. Damien Harris, New England Patriots Hes recorded 16 total touchdowns on receptions in four seasons and has proven to be an incredibly difficult task to bring down in space. Has shown flashes in a limited role, but you get the feeling the Falcons are going to watch Turner's carries closely this year and that could mean more for Norwood. Saints Head Coach Sean Payton prefers to use multiple running backs in his offensive system. (via @Giants) pic.twitter.com/yNFOW1WoZQ. Last year, Kamara rushed for under 1000 yards with under 800 yards receiving. He's a fullback, but he belongs on this list. @EzekielElliott's ready to go in 2021. : @ProFootballHOF Game on FOX pic.twitter.com/5UU3CkoIro. Which 10 players make up Nos. Montgomery has ideal traits for a Sean Payton offense, while Washington has flashed a few times in his career, and is a key special teamer. Ive already ranked the top 100 fantasy running backs in the NFL, but why not break this down by division? He had six 100-yard games last season. He rushed for 772 yards on a whopping 5.6 yards per attempt last season. Episode 8 of the "Top 100 Players of 2022" airs on Sunday, revealing notable NFL siblings in the players' list between Nos. Still, this is McCaffrey's show. He also has quads you should google right at this moment. Nonetheless, the running game is important to every teams offense. For the newest installment of Fantraxs fantasy running back depth charts series, were going to delve into the NFC South.