NFL: 30 running backs who got better after leaving their first team

Chester Taylor had to work from the proverbial ground up to begin his career, coming from Toledo to get drafted in the sixth round.

He landed with the Baltimore Ravens, where he was the firm backup to incumbent starter Jamal Lewis, who had a historic 2,000-yard season in 2003. But Taylor managed to slowly carve out a role for himself and did well in his final two years with the Ravens.

His chance came when he signed a free-agent deal with the Minnesota Vikings in 2006. Given a real shot to carry the team, Taylor had one of the best seasons for a running back that year, carrying the ball 303 times for 1,216 yards and six touchdowns. One of those came in a franchise-record 95-yard run in a win over the Seattle Seahawks.

Unfortunately for Taylor’s career, his role drastically changed the next season once the Vikings drafted future Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Adrian Peterson. They split the running back duties in 2007, but once Peterson became the star player, Taylor went back to the bench as a reliable backup option for another couple of years.

Taylor left for the Chicago Bears in 2010. But at age-31, he was pretty much over the hill at that point. He was out of the league the following season after 20 total carries with the 2011 Arizona Cardinals.

The numbers say that he only had one 1,000+ yard season, but Taylor had the bad luck of playing behind both Lewis and Peterson. But that one season where he was the lone starter showed the kind of talent he possessed. If only he could have played somewhere else to have more of a chance to shine.