In today's NFL, it's essential to have a strong running game and a deep stable of backs to wear teams down.
The top two teams in the NFL last year -- the Super Bowl champion Seahawks and AFC champion Patriots -- were great examples of exactly that. If you have a strong running game, defenses have to respect it, which allows for a lot more opportunities for explosive plays on offense, better usage of play-action, and it certainly makes life easy on the quarterback.
Entering the 2026 season, the AFC East is rather loaded at running back. It might even be the best overall running back division in football.
But how does every duo in the division stack up against each other? We're going to do our best to rank them worst to best ahead of the 2026 season.
NFL Power Rankings: AFC East running back duos ranked worst to best for 2026
4. New York Jets: Breece Hall & Braelon Allen
Even with no passing game to speak of, Breece Hall still managed to run for over 1,000 yards last season. That's not the same level of accomplishment as it was during the 16-game era in the NFL, but for the Jets last year, that was a huge deal.
And Hall was compensated handsomely for his effort. After going down with a major knee injury in just his 7th game in the NFL, Hall has gone on to miss just one game over the past three seasons, and is one of the most consistent backs in the NFL on all three downs. He's had three straight seasons with at least 1,300 yards from scrimmage, which isn't setting the league ablaze, but he's obviously a stud.
The Jets haven't really gotten the chance to see the duo of Hall and Braelon Allen in action since Allen was limited to just four games this past season. He almost had 500 yards from scrimmage during his rookie season, and the Jets believe they have something special with this duo. If they are both healthy, this could be a huge year for New York's running game as those two players continue progressing.
3. Miami Dolphins: De'Von Achane & Jaylen Wright
The duo of De'Von Achane and Jaylen Wright is not a bad one, by any stretch. And last year, we saw the Miami Dolphins give 70 carries each to both Wright and Ollie Gordon, so we'll see what the 2026 season brings in terms of Gordon possibly getting more work as well.
But it was Achane and Wright who led the way at running back in terms of total yards from scrimmage with Achane racking up over 1,800 yards from scrimmage, 5.7 yards per carry, and 12 total touchdowns.
He's become one of the premier stars at the running back position in the NFL today, and is a home run threat every time the ball is in his hands. But more than being a strong tandem, the duo of Achane and Wright feels more like a starter and backup situation. And while that is literally the case in some instances with this division, it feels like it with these two, which is what separated other duos in the AFC East for the 2026 season.
But still, Achane is a top-tier star at the position in the league today, which held a lot of weight going into this exercise.
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