Gone are the days when having a workhorse running back is the ideal scenario for all 32 teams. The speed and power of the league has increased to the point the head-on collisions that backs take is too much to have a bevy of backs with long sustained careers of 300 touches a season.
Now, backs need to be a major component in the passing attack, and more often than not they are best as part of a rotation that limits the wear and tear on their bodies. Certainly there are exceptions to the rule, but the last five years or so have seen the idea of a workhorse back become more rare. So who are the best backs in the league? That’s an eternal debate for every position, but here we’ll put the halfbacks and tailbacks in a mixer and see who sits atop the totem entering 2023.
Several factors were used to create this ranking, including rushing and receiving ability, skill with the ball in their hands, team concept and usage. Of course, this list will look much different by the end of the year, but for now here’s how I see the pecking order.