NFL Breakout Running Backs
Every season in the NFL, and to be fair, each of the major team sports, you’re going to have surprises crop up. Whether a relative unknown breaks out and has a massive season that no one in their right mind would have projected or a former star falls off a cliff, you’re going to be caught off guard at least a couple times a season. Look at last season: there were few that would have expected like Le’Veon Bell to put up the worst yard per carry average in the franchise history of the Jets.
On the flip side, there are those guys that inevitably come out of nowhere with a big showing. Maybe experience pays dividends, perhaps there’s an improvement in weapons to work with or maybe everything clicked. Look at Lamar Jackson last year. With that said, today we take a look at a few of the running backs that have the potential to break out and be a surprise this season.
Devin Singletary, Bills: Much of this goes to the fact that the Bills have continuity offensively as 10 of their 11 starters from a season ago are back, if you count Singletary as a starter. He took over the starting job in the second half of the season as a rookie and was capable of doing damage via the ground and the air. Singletary benefits from having all those weapons back from last year, along with an upgrade at receiver by adding Stefon Diggs. One interesting stat from last season is that Singletary tied for the lowest percentage of carries with eight or more defenders in the box with David Johnson at 5.3 percent. Frank Gore, who was his teammate, had the third-highest percentage in the league with eight or more guys in the box at 37.3 percent. Singletary ran for 775 yards at a 5.1 yard per carry clip plus two scores last season while adding 29 receptions for 194 yards and two scores. With Gore gone, he is a realistic candidate for 1,000 yards on the ground and potentially 1,500 total yards this season.
Austin Ekeler, Chargers: Ekeler was more of a third-down type of back in the first couple seasons of his career but he flourished last year, wresting the starting job from Melvin Gordon. Gordon is gone now, having signed a free-agent deal with the Broncos, giving Ekeler prime real estate as the #1 back in the Bolts’ offense. While Ekeler ran for a modest 557 yards on 132 carries, finding the end zone three times, his damage was done through the air. He hauled in 92 passes for 993 yards, narrowly missing a 1,000-yard season. With Tyrod Taylor and/or rookie Justin Herbert under center, you have to think that Ekeler is going to be a feature back in all facets. He could put up some big numbers this year.
Darrell Henderson, Rams: Henderson didn’t do a whole lot last season as a rookie as he was buried behind Todd Gurley and Malcolm Brown on the depth chart. He finished the season with just 39 carries for 148 yards while catching four balls for 37 yards and a score. That’s a big change from when he was at Memphis, where he ran for 1,909 yards and 22 scores while averaging 8.9 yards per carry as a junior. All told, he found the end zone 44 times in 38 games as a collegian. With Gurley in Atlanta, the opportunity for him to make an impact is there. He just needs to capitalize on the situation and deliver the kind of production we’ve seen him turn in at the college level.
Ronald Jones, Buccaneers: Jones had a decent year last season, running the ball 172 times for 724 yards plus six scores while adding 31 receptions for 309 yards. That was with Jameis Winston under center, who was prone to turning the ball over early and often. Now, he gets a sure-fire first-ballot Hall of Famer at quarterback in Tom Brady running the offense. Throw in the capable receiving targets of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin plus the talented trio of tight ends in Rob Gronkowski, Cameron Brate plus O.J. Howard and teams won’t be able to crowd the line of scrimmage to stop the run. Bruce Arians’ style of offense isn’t centered on the ground game but Jones should be able to take advantage of his chances. He’ll also be utilized in the passing game as Brady loves the checkdown and designed screens.
David Montgomery, Bears: Montgomery struggled at times as a rookie last season but that can be chalked up to the Bears struggling offensively as a unit. The offensive line was a shambles and the team hopes that they’ve addressed those issues in the offseason. Montgomery did run for 889 yards and six scores last season but he averaged just 3.7 yards per carry. He caught 25 passes for 185 yards and a score as well. Whether it’s Nick Foles or Mitch Trubisky running the offense this season, you have to think that Montgomery is going to be more of a factor as Chicago tries to prove that they are still capable of moving the ball on the ground.
Kerryon Johnson, Lions: Johnson had plenty of talent coming out of Auburn, which is why the Lions took him in the second round of the 2018 draft. His problem has been injury issues in his first two years in the league. Johnson played only 10 games in 2018 as a rookie and only eight last year before suffering a knee injury that landed him on IR. He still led the Lions in rushing with 118 carries for 403 yards and three scores though his yard per carry average dropped from 5.4 in 2018 to 3.6 in 2019. With rookie D’Andre Swift in the mix for carries, this could be a Mercury Morris/Larry Csonka/Jim Kiick type of combination or Johnson could find himself out of a starting job. Still, he has shown he can get things done on the ground. Now he has to prove to the Lions that he’s capable of doing it for 16 games.