Someone would say that the NFL a passing league these days, and it’s hard to argue the point. That doesn’t mean the ground game isn’t still fundamental to team success. The key is balance and controlling the tempo of the game.
Power ranking the 5 best offseason moves at running back
5. Travis Etienne Jr. (New Orleans Saints)
The 25th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft finished his career with the Jaguars with a combined 5,136 scrimmage yards and 32 touchdowns. Etienne’s addition had raised questions about the future of nine-year standout Alvin Kamara in the Big Easy, but this could add up to a solid 1-2 tandem in Kellen Moore’s offense. Only four teams in the league gained fewer yards on the ground than Saints this past season.
4. Rico Dowdle (Pittsburgh Steelers)
The former undrafted free agent from South Carolina will suit up for his third team in as many years, and will also reunite with former Cowboys’ head coach Mike McCarthy. Dowdle ran for 1,079 yards and two scores in 2024 with Dallas, then followed that up by rushing for 1,076 yards and six touchdowns with the Panthers this past season. He will team with Jaylen Warren in the Steelers’ new-look backfield.
3. David Montgomery (Houston Texans)
Houston general manager Nick Caserio gave the Lions offensive lineman Juice Scruggs and two draft choices to acquire the reliable performer. In a combined seven seasons with the Bears and Lions, Montgomery totaled a combined 8,005 yards from scrimmage and 63 touchdowns. The seven-year pro had a career-low 182 touches this past season behind Jahmyr Gibbs, but that will change this season.
2. Kenneth Walker III (Kansas City Chiefs)
In February, the four-year pro played his final game with the Seattle Seahawks. In the club’s 29-13 Super Bowl LX conquest of the Patriots, Walker totaled 27 carries for 135 yards, plus caught two passes for two yards. He earned Super Bowl MVP honors, the first running back to do so since Denver’s Terrell Davis in Super Bowl XXXII vs. the Packers. The Chiefs running game finished 25th in the league this past season.
1. Jeremiyah Love (Arizona Cardinals)
In April, the Cardinals made him the third overall pick in the draft—the highest selected running back since the Giants used the No. 2 selection on Saquon Barkley in 2018. In his final two seasons with the Fighting Irish, Love amassed 3,014 yards from scrimmage and 40 touchdowns. He joins a crowded backfield with James Conner (who missed nearly all of 2025) and former Falcons’ standout Tyler Allgeier.
Add us as a preferred source on Google