Sixteen running backs hit the 1,000-yard mark in 2024. Let's power-rank the 10 best in the NFL this year. It is just a coincidence that most of the top running backs in the NFL this year also saw their teams make the postseason? The answer is no. In an era where many thought the RB position was becoming devalued, it seems to have done just the opposite.
Teams with top-notch running backs are consistently able to establish the run and wear down their opponents. It's not some dumb luck that guys like Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley, the two best in the NFL this year, were on two of the best teams.
Let's sort through them all and power-rank the top 10 in the NFL for the 2024 season.
NFL Power Rankings: Ranking the top 10 running backs of the 2024 season
10. Aaron Jones, Minnesota Vikings
The veteran Aaron Jones is still proving to be one of the more productive running backs in the NFL. In 2024 for the Minnesota Vikings, Jones rushed for 1,138 yards and five touchdowns. He averaged a solid 4.5 yards per carry and was running behind an iffy Vikings' offensive line.
Aaron Jones comes in at no. 7 in our running back power rankings.
9. Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bucky Irving, the rookie sensation, rushed for 1,122 yards this year and helped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers turn into a stellar running team. Irving was counted out by many in the NFL but did prove a ton of people wrong in his rookie campaign. He also added eight scores on the ground.
8. Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers
Chuba Hubbard was seventh in the NFL in rushing yards per game this year but only suited up for 15 in the 2024 NFL Season. Hubbard having the best year of his career comes at a great time, as Bryce Young started to figure things out late in the season. The Carolina Panthers could be a sneaky good team in 2025 if Hubbard keeps this up and if Young can take another step forward.
7. Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams
Seventh in the NFL with 1,299 rushing yards this year, Kyren Williams and the Los Angeles Rams won the NFC West in the 2024 NFL Season. He has now rushed for at least 1,100 yards in each of the last two seasons after being non-existent in the 2022 NFL Season. Williams is quietly one of the best RBs in the NFL.
6. Josh Jacobs, Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers decided to prioritize the RB position more last offseason when the signed Josh Jacobs in free agency. Jacobs ran for 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2024. The Packers were one-and-done in the postseason, but Jacobs' season still stands out. He is no. 6 in our power rankings.
5. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
Jonathan Taylor and the Indianapolis Colts did not make the postseason this year, but JT still rushed for 1,431 yards. Taylor has not played a full season since 2021, which could tell you his body is beginning to break down, but he rushed for over 100 yards this year in another stellar season on the ground.
4. Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions
Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 1,412 yards this year while sharing the backfield with David Montgomery. Gibbs is one of the more electric players in the NFL and is the main focal point of the Detroit Lions' high-flying offense. Gibbs also added 16 rushing scores in a massive year two.
3. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
Bijan Robinson finished with 1,887 yards on offense this year, including 1,456 rushing yards. The Atlanta Falcons are going to lean on Robinson more as Michael Penix Jr adjusts to the NFL in his second year and beyond. He is one of the best dual-threat RBs in the NFL today and is no. 3 in our power rankings.
2. Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens
Rushing for 1,921 yards this year, Derrick Henry had one of the best years of his career in 2024 with the Baltimore Ravens. Henry is aging like fine wine and may be close to having a Hall of Fame career. Henry and the Ravens won the AFC North this year, and he was tied for first in the NFL with 16 rushing scores.
1. Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles
Rushing for 2,005 yards this year, Saquon Barkley became a member of the exclusive club of running backs who have rushed for 2k yards in a single season. He rank for nearly six yards per carry and rushed for just over 125 yards per game.
It was an insane year. The Philadelphia Eagles boast a top-3 offensive line in the NFL, so when you pair them up with an elite RB, things like this happen. Barkley is the top RB on our power rankings.