Every NFL team’s greatest running back of all time
By Randy Gurzi
Edgerrin James. player. 46. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. RB. 1999-05.
The Indianapolis Colts have been around for 67 years but really haven’t had too many big-name running backs stick around for long. Now, they’ve had some stars such as Marshall Faulk and Eric Dickerson, but each of them was only there for five seasons.
They both also had their best runs while playing for the Rams organization (Faulk with the then-St. Louis Rams and Dickerson with the Los Angeles Rams). If we were picking the most talented Colts running back of all time, Faulk would probably be the guy. He was a great back, but also excelled catching the ball out of the backfield.
However, he didn’t have as many yards rushing, or years of service, on this team that Edgerrin James did during his time. Drafted No. 4 overall out of Miami in 1999, James joined an offense that had just landed Payton Manning the season prior.
He quickly became a huge part of the offense and took the pressure off Manning. As a rookie, James had some big shoes to fill, as he was replacing Faulk who just joined St. Louis. He was also being compared to Ricky Williams, who went after James to the New Orleans Saints.
In the end, he proved the Colts right and won the NFL Rookie of the Year award after gaining 1,553 yards and 13 touchdowns. James played seven seasons with the Colts and made four Pro Bowls and one All-Pro selection. He joined the Arizona Cardinals in 2006 and had some more success, but finished his career with a year on the Cardinals roster.
James is still the all-time leading rusher in Indianapolis history with 9,226 yards on the ground, which helps him seal this spot.