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

As a fifth-round pick in the 2004 NFL Draft, Michael Turner was viewed as “depth” for the then-San Diego Chargers’ running game. He had no shot at competing for the starting role, considering that future Pro Football Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson was there.

But the former Northern Illinois Huskies running back still managed to grab attention, thanks to several explosive runs. He was considered the best backup runner in the NFL with many teams trying to get him for themselves in his free agency.

The Atlanta Falcons were able to do that when he became a free agent in 2008. But even they couldn’t expect what he did as a first-year starter for them.

Turner went for a franchise-record 220 rushing yards in Week 1 and continued that level of play all season. He had four rushing touchdowns in a win over the rival Carolina Panthers and another 200+ yard game against the then-St. Louis Rams.

Turner finished with 1,699 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns, good for second in the league. He was an All-Pro and Pro Bowler. At the time, he was considered one of the best runners in the game.

Turner spent four more seasons with the Falcons, with two of those seasons going over 1,300 yards on the ground. But in all four, he did have at least 10 rushing touchdowns. In his final year in the NFL, Turner broke the franchise record for total rushing scores with 60.

It was only five years as a starter but Turner had one of the better runs in the league. Considering the promise he showed with the Charges as a backup, a better beginning situation for him could have truly seen his career explode.