Best Running Backs Year-By-Year
These are the best Running Backs for each season since 1990. This list is based off talent and performance throughout the season and playoffs. Some people value some stats over others and my goal was to look at their statline and team success as a whole to determine the rankings on this list.
YSCM = Yards From Scrimmage
Y/G = Rushing Yards per Game
1990
Best Running Back – Barry Sanders
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1784 | 16 | 81.5 | 5.1 |
Runner Up – Thurman Thomas
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1829 | 13 | 81.1 | 4.8 |
1991
Best Running Back – Thurman Thomas
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2038 | 12 | 93.8 | 4.9 |
Runner Up – Barry Sanders
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1855 | 17 | 103.2 | 4.5 |
1992
Best Running Back – Emmitt Smith
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1713 | 18 | 107.1 | 4.6 |
Runner Up – Barry Sanders
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2034 | 11 | 105.6 | 4.3 |
1993
Best Running Back – Emmitt Smith
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 10 | 106.1 | 5.3 |
Runner Up – Jerome Bettis
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1673 | 7 | 89.3 | 4.9 |
1994
Best Running Back – Barry Sanders
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2166 | 8 | 117.7 | 5.7 |
Runner Up – Emmitt Smith
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1825 | 22 | 98.9 | 4.0 |
1995
Best Running Back – Emmitt Smith
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2148 | 25 | 110.8 | 4.7 |
Runner Up – Barry Sanders
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1898 | 12 | 93.8 | 4.8 |
1996
Best Running Back – Terrell Davis
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1848 | 15 | 96.1 | 4.5 |
Runner Up – Jerome Bettis
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1553 | 11 | 89.4 | 4.5 |
1997
Best Running Back – Barry Sanders
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2358 | 14 | 128.3 | 6.1 |
Runner Up – Terrell Davis
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1750 | 15 | 116.7 | 4.7 |
1998
Best Running Back – Terrell Davis
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2225 | 23 | 125.5 | 5.1 |
Runner Up – Jamal Anderson
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2165 | 16 | 115.4 | 4.5 |
1999
Best Running Back – Marshall Faulk
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2429 | 12 | 86.3 | 5.5 |
Runner Up – Edgerrin James
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2139 | 17 | 97.1 | 4.2 |
2000
Best Running Back – Marshall Faulk
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2189 | 26 | 97.1 | 5.4 |
Runner Up – Edgerrin James
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2303 | 18 | 106.8 | 4.4 |
2001
Best Running Back – Marshall Faulk
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2147 | 21 | 98.7 | 5.3 |
Runner Up – Priest Holmes
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2169 | 10 | 97.2 | 4.8 |
2002
Best Running Back – Priest Holmes
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2287 | 24 | 115.4 | 5.2 |
Runner Up – Ricky Williams
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2216 | 17 | 115.8 | 4.8 |
2003
Best Running Back – Jamal Lewis
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2271 | 14 | 129.1 | 5.3 |
Runner Up – Priest Holmes
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2110 | 27 | 88.5 | 4.4 |
2004
Best Running Back – Curtis Martin
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | 14 | 106.1 | 4.6 |
Runner Up – LaDainian Tomlinson
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1776 | 18 | 89.0 | 3.9 |
2005
Best Running Back – Shaun Alexander
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | 28 | 117.5 | 5.1 |
Runner Up – Tiki Barber
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2390 | 11 | 116.3 | 5.2 |
2006
Best Running Back – LaDainian Tomlinson
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2323 | 31 | 113.4 | 5.2 |
Runner Up – Larry Johnson
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2199 | 19 | 111.8 | 4.3 |
2007
Best Running Back – LaDainian Tomlinson
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | 18 | 92.1 | 4.7 |
Runner Up – Brian Westbrook
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2104 | 12 | 88.9 | 4.8 |
2008
Best Running Back – Michael Turner
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1740 | 17 | 106.2 | 4.5 |
Runner Up – Adrian Peterson
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1885 | 10 | 110.0 | 4.8 |
2009
Best Running Back – Chris Johnson
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2509 | 16 | 125.4 | 5.6 |
Runner Up – Adrian Peterson
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1819 | 18 | 86.4 | 4.4 |
2010
Best Running Back – Arian Foster
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2220 | 18 | 101.0 | 4.9 |
Runner Up – Jamaal Charles
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | 8 | 91.7 | 6.4 |
2011
Best Running Back – LeSean McCoy
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1624 | 20 | 87.3 | 4.8 |
Runner Up – Maurice Jones-Drew
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 11 | 100.4 | 4.7 |
2012
Best Running Back – Adrian Peterson
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2314 | 13 | 131.1 | 6.0 |
Runner Up – Marshawn Lynch
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1786 | 12 | 99.4 | 5.0 |
2013
Best Running Back – Adrian Peterson
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2146 | 11 | 100.4 | 5.1 |
Runner Up – Jamaal Charles
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 19 | 85.8 | 5.0 |
2014
Best Running Back – Demarco Murray
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2261 | 13 | 115.3 | 4.7 |
Runner Up – Le’Veon Bell
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2215 | 11 | 85.1 | 4.7 |
2015
Best Running Back – Adrian Peterson
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1707 | 11 | 92.8 | 4.5 |
Runner Up – Doug Martin
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1673 | 7 | 87.6 | 4.9 |
2016
Best Running Back – Ezekiel Elliott
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 16 | 108.7 | 5.1 |
Runner Up – David Johnson
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2118 | 20 | 77.4 | 4.2 |
2017
Best Running Back – Todd Gurley
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2093 | 19 | 87.0 | 4.7 |
Runner Up – Le’Veon Bell
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | 11 | 86.1 | 4.0 |
2018
Best Running Back – Todd Gurley
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1831 | 21 | 89.4 | 4.9 |
Runner Up – Saquon Barkley
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2028 | 15 | 81.7 | 5.0 |
2019
Best Running Back – Christian McCaffrey
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2392 | 19 | 86.7 | 4.8 |
Runner Up – Derrick Henry
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1746 | 18 | 102.7 | 5.1 |
2020
Best Running Back – Derrick Henry
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2141 | 17 | 126.7 | 5.4 |
Runner Up – Derrick Henry
| YSCM | TDS | Y/G | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 | 17 | 111.2 | 5.0 |
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