Top 100 NFL Running Backs - #39: Brian Westbrook

Brian Westbrook

Teams

Philadelphia Eagles (2002-2009)

San Francisco 49ers (2010)

Playoffs

Appearances - 6 (2002,2003,2004,2006,2008,2009)

Conf Champ Games - 4 (2002,2003,2004,2008)

Super Bowls - 1 (2004)

Championships - 0

Awards and Honors

All-Pro First Team - 1 (2007)

Pro Bowl - 2 (2004,2007)

All-Time Ranks

Yards per Rush - #35

Rushing Yards - #84

Yards per Touch - #96

League Leads

Rushing Yards (#3-2007, #8-2006)

Yards per Rush (#5-2006, #7-2003, #10-2007)

Rushing Yards per Game (#4-2007, #10-2006)

Total Touchdowns (#6-2008, #7-2007, #8-2003)

Scrimmage Yards (#1-2007, #6-2006)

Yards per Touch (#3-2004, #5-2006, #7-2003, #9-2005)

After setting the NCAA all-time record with 9512 all-purpose yards while at Villanova, Brian Westbrook was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 3rd round of the 2002 NFL Draft.

Westbrook didn't play much as a rookie, but started to gain more playing time in his second season, scoring 11 touchdowns on the season and gaining 5.2 yards per carry on an Eagles team that reached the NFC Title Game. He unfortunately did not participate in the playoff run, as he tore his triceps in the final game of the regular season.

Westbrook became the team's starter in 2004 after Duce Staley left the team, and he responded with his first Pro Bowl season. He gained 812 yards on the ground and another 703 through the air, and helped Philadelphia reach the Super Bowl for the first time in decades. He had 104 scrimmage yards and a touchdown in that game, but the Eagles lost to the Patriots 24-21.

He was having a good 2005 season, amassing over 1200 scrimmage yards on a team depleted by injuries, when he himself went down with a foot injury that ended his season in early December. He returned to full health in 2006, and showed it with his first 1000 yard rushing season, finishing with 1217 on the ground to go along with 699 receiving.

He kept up that level of production in 2007, when he led the league in scrimmage yards, finishing with 2104 and 12 touchdowns, which earned him a spot on the All-Pro First Team for the only time in his career. He set career highs in both rushing and receiving yards, but the Eagles failed to make the playoffs.

2008 is when the injuries finally started to slow him down. He suffered rib and ankle injuries that year, and multiple concussions the following year, stunting his production and leading to his release by the Eagles after the 2009 season. He joined the 49ers for the 2010 season, but rushed for only 340 yards on the season, with over a third of those coming in a single game where he started in place of Frank Gore, who was injured. After not finding a team for 2011, he retired in 2012.

Westbrook was a true dual threat running back. He had 4 straight seasons with at least 600 receiving yards, and 5 straight with over 1200 scrimmage yards. He also averaged over 4.5 yards per carry through most of his career, and ended with a career average of 4.6. He is often overlooked when discussing great running backs, but he deserves to be remembered as one of the greats.

Top 100 NFL Running Backs - #40: Larry Csonka

Larry Csonka

Teams

Miami Dolphins (1968-1974,1979)

New York Giants (1976-1978)

Playoffs

Appearances - 6 (1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1979)

Conf Champ Games - 3 (1971,1972,1973)

Super Bowls - 3 (1971,1972,1973)

Championships - 2 (1972,1973)

Awards and Honors

All-Pro First Team - 2 (1971,1973)

All-Pro Second Team - 1 (1972)

Pro Bowl - 5 (1970,1971,1972,1973,1974)

Super Bowl MVP - 1 (1973)

Comeback Player of the Year - 1 (1979)

Hall of Fame - 1987

All-Time Ranks

Rushing Touchdowns - #49

Rushing Yards - #52

Yards per Rush - #86

League Leads

Rushing Yards (#3-1971, #4-1972, #5-1970,1973)

Rushing Touchdowns (#3-1974, #4-1968,1979, #9-1970, #10-1971)

Yards per Rush (#1-1971, #4-1972, #5-1970, #8-1969,1973, #10-1968)

Rushing Yards per Game (#3-1971, #4-1972, #5-1970, #7-1969, #8-1973, #9-1968, #10-1974)

Total Touchdowns (#6-1979, #8-1968, #10-1974)

Scrimmage Yards (#5-1971)

Yards per Touch (#6-1971)

After rushing for 1127 yards and 8 touchdowns as a senior at Syracuse and finishing 4th in the Heisman voting, Larry Csonka was drafted by the Miami Dolphins with the 8th overall pick in the 1968 NFL Draft.

Csonka was a decent fullback during his first couple of years in Miami, but missed several games each year with concussions. When Don Shula was hired as coach before the 1970 season, he taught Csonka how to protect his head while running to reduce the likelihood of concussions, and he didn't miss a single game over the next 4 seasons.

In 1970, he rushed for 874 yards and 6 touchdowns, and was named to his first Pro Bowl. In 1971, he was the best running back in the league, gaining 1051 yards on the ground and scoring 7 touchdowns, gaining 5.4 yards per carry, best in the league, and helped lead the Dolphins to the Super Bowl, where they lost to the Cowboys 24-3.

In 1972, he and Mercury Morris became the first pair of teammates in history to each rush for 1000 yards, with Csonka gaining a career-high 1117 on the ground. The Dolphins finished that year undefeated, and when they returned to the Super Bowl, Csonka gained 112 rushing yards in their 14-7 victory over the Redskins to cap off a perfect season, still the most recent one in the NFL.

Csonka was still very good in 1973, reaching 1000 rushing yards for the 3rd year in a row, and leading the Dolphins to their 3rd straight Super Bowl. Csonka was named MVP of that Super Bowl after scoring 2 touchdowns and setting a then-record with 145 rushing yards in the game, winning a second straight championship.

The next season, Csonka gained only 749 rushing yards, but had 9 touchdowns, his best to that point in his career, but the Dolphins were upset in the playoffs, preventing a third straight title. After that season, he and two teammates decided to leave Miami to join the new World Football League, where they played for the Memphis Southmen.

After the WFL folded early in 1976, Csonka joined the New York Giants as a free agent, where he played 3 seasons, but never reached 600 yards in a season or 4 yards per carry. When his contract ended, he signed with the Dolphins as a free agent, gaining 837 yards and scoring a career-best 12 touchdowns while earning the Comeback Player of the Year award. After the season, he was unable to come to terms on a new contract with Miami, and instead retired.

For a few years in the early 1970s, Csonka was a star player on one of the greatest teams in the league, and was instrumental in 2 championship runs. He received MVP votes in 2 different seasons, and was among the league leaders in yards per carry during his entire first tenure with the Dolphins. His bruising style probably led to his early decline, but he was great at his peak, and is one of the greatest players of all time.

Top 100 NFL Running Backs - #41: Robert Smith

Robert Smith

Teams

Minnesota Vikings (1993-2000)

Playoffs

Appearances - 7 (1993,1994,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000)

Conf Champ Games - 2 (1998,2000)

Super Bowls - 0

Championships - 0

Awards and Honors

All-Pro Second Team - 1 (2000)

Pro Bowl - 2 (1998,2000)

All-Time Ranks

Yards per Rush - #18

Rushing Yards per Game - #45

Rushing Yards - #70

League Leads

Rushing Yards (#2-2000, #7-1997)

Yards per Rush (#2-2000, #3-1997,1998, #6-1999, #7-1995, #10-1996)

Rushing Yards per Game (#4-1997, #5-1996,2000, #7-1998, #10-1999)

Scrimmage Yards (#4-2000, #9-1997)

Yards per Touch (#6-1998, #8-1997)

After rushing for 1126 yards as a freshman at Ohio State, Robert Smith quit football and switched to track for his sophomore season, where he was a very good sprinter, then returned to football as a junior, gaining 707 yards before leaving school for the 1993 NFL Draft, where he was selected in the first round by the Minnesota Vikings.

In his first couple of seasons, Smith did not get much playing time, gaining only 505 rushing yards over 2 seasons. He became the starter before the 1995 season, but missed about half of the team's games over his first two years starting.

In his first healthy season as a starter, which came in 1997, Smith rushed for 1266 yards and 6 touchdowns, gaining 5.5 yards per carry, which was #3 in the league for that season. He was just as good in 1998, gaining 1187 yards and being named to the Pro Bowl for the first time as the lead back for the 15-1 Vikings. 

In that season's playoffs, he gained 124 yards in Minnesota's divisional win over Arizona, then rushed for 71 yards the next week in the NFC Championship game, but the Vikings were upset by Atlanta 30-27 in overtime.

Smith reached 1000 yards for the third straight season in 1999, then had his best season in 2000, rushing for 1521 yards, second in the league, and was voted onto the All-Pro Second Team, his only time getting that honor. He had 74 rushing yards and a touchdown in the divisional round, then was held to only 44 yards in the NFC Title Game as Minnesota was shut out by the Giants, ending their season.

Coming off his best season and only 28 years old, Smith abruptly retired after the 2000 season, hoping to avoid serious injury and to pursue other interests. He is among the top 20 of all time in yards per carry, and the top 50 in yards per game, and helped Minnesota make the playoffs in 7 of his 8 seasons, even though he never reached a Super Bowl. Though his career was short, he was one of the most efficient backs of his era, and was near the top of the league for several years, and is still one of the best to have played the game.

Top 100 NFL Running Backs - #42: Christian McCaffrey

Christian McCaffrey

Teams

Carolina Panthers (2017-2022)

San Francisco 49ers (2022-present)

Playoffs

Appearances - 3 (2017,2022,2023)

Conf Champ Games - 2 (2022,2023)

Super Bowls - 1 (2023)

Championships - 0

Awards and Honors

All-Pro First Team - 2 (2019,2023)

All-Pro Second Team - 1 (2018)

Pro Bowl - 3 (2019,2022,2023)

Offensive Player of the Year - 1 (2023)

All-time Ranks

Yards per Rush - #18

Rushing Yards per Game - #52

Total Touchdowns - #69

Rushing Touchdowns - #76

Yards per Touch - #87

Rushing Yards - #90

League Leads

Rushing Yards (#1-2023, #3-2019, #6-2018, #8-2022)

Rushing Touchdowns (#3-2019, #4-2023)

Yards per Rush (#2-2023, #9-2018, #10-2019)

Rushing Yards per Game (#2-2023, #4-2019)

Receptions (#2-2019, #8-2018)

Total Touchdowns (#1-2019,2023, #4-2022, #9-2018)

Scrimmage Yards (#1-2019,2023, #3-2018,2022)

As a sophomore at Stanford, Christian McCaffrey rushed for 2019 yards, and had another 645 through the air, and came in #2 in voting for the Heisman Trophy behind Derrick Henry. He had another 1603 rushing yards as a junior, then left school early to enter the 2017 NFL Draft, where he was selected 8th overall by the Carolina Panthers.

As a rookie, he rushed for 435 yards, and added another 651 on receptions, which gave him over 1000 scrimmage yards in his rookie season. The Panthers made the playoffs that season, and McCaffrey had 117 scrimmage yards in their Wild Card loss.

He started to show signs of greatness in his second season. He rushed for 1098 yards, and had 867 yards receiving, setting a record along of way of 107 receptions, the most ever by a running back in a season. His totals for rushing yards and scrimmage yards were both #3 in the league for the season.

He got even better in 2019. He had 1387 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns, and also had 1005 receiving yards, making him the third player ever to reach 1000 yards in each category in the same season, joining Roger Craig and Marshall Faulk. His 2392 scrimmage yards led the league, and is still the 3rd-highest total in history, behind only Chris Johnson and Marshall Faulk. He also led the league with 19 total touchdowns, cementing him as a superstar in his third season.

The 2020 season was a huge letdown after such a huge season. He signed the largest contract ever for a running back before the season, but was limited to only 3 games by ankle and shoulder injuries. Injuries followed him into 2021, where he played only 7 games due to hamstring and ankle injuries.

He was finally fully healthy in 2022, and was playing well early on for Carolina when he was traded away after 6 games to the San Francisco 49ers for 4 draft picks. He went on to finish the season with 1139 yards and 8 touchdowns on the ground, and 1880 total scrimmage yards, all without missing a game, which was amazing after missing 22 games over the previous 2 seasons.

In 2023, he finally established himself as the best running back in the league. He led the league with 1459 rushing yards, scoring 14 touchdowns on the ground, and led the league in scrimmage yards for the second time, reaching 2023, the second time he had surpassed 2000 yards. He also led the league with 21 total touchdowns and had a career high of 5.4 yards per carry on the season, all of which led to his winning the Offensive Player of the Year award.

McCaffrey was great in the playoffs as well. He had 128 yards and 2 touchdowns in their first playoff game, and scored the winning touchdown, then had 132 yards and 2 touchdowns in the NFC Championship Game, leading the 49ers to the Super Bowl. He had 80 yards rushing and 80 receiving in the Super Bowl, becoming the first player ever to surpass 75 in each in the Super Bowl, but the 49ers fell 25-22 to the Kansas City Chiefs.

McCaffrey is young, only turning 28 years old last month, and he is currently the best running back in the NFL. If he is able to remain healthy, as he has done the past 2 years, there is no reason to believe that he won't be one of the 10 greatest of all time by the end of his career. In each of his last 4 healthy seasons, he has finished in the top 3 in scrimmage yards, and he is #18 on the all-time list in yards per carry, and though he may have a lot of time left, he's already proven himself to be one of the greatest of all time.

Top 100 NFL Running Backs - #43: Steve Van Buren

Steve Van Buren

Teams

Philadelphia Eagles (1944-1951)

Playoffs

Appearances - 3 (1947,1948,1949)

Conf Champ Games - 3 (1947,1948,1949)

Champ Games - 3 (1947,1948,1949)

Championships - 2 (1948,1949)

Awards and Honors

All-Pro First Team - 5 (1944,1945,1947,1948,1949)

Hall of Fame - 1965

All-Time Ranks

Rushing Touchdowns - #35

Rushing Yards per Game - #39

Yards per Rush - #64

Total Touchdowns - #81

League Leads

Rushing Yards (#1-1945,1947,1948,1949, #3-1946, #5-1944, #7-1950)

Rushing Touchdowns (#1-1945,1947,1948,1949, #3-1944,1946, #5-1951)

Yards per Rush (#1-1944, #3-1945,1947, #4-1946,1948, #5-1949)

Rushing Yards per Game (#1-1945,1946,1947,1948,1949, #3-1950, #4-1944)

Total Touchdowns (#1-1945,1947, #2-1949, #3-1948, #4-1944,1946)

Scrimmage Yards (#1-1947,1948, #2-1945,1949, #8-1946)

Yards per Touch (#5-1945, #7-1946, #9-1944,1948, #10-1947)

After playing as a blocking back up until his junior year of college at LSU, Steve Van Buren was moved to halfback as a senior and gained 847 yards and scored 16 touchdowns, which caught the eye of the Philadelphia Eagles, who drafted him #5 overall in the 1944 Draft.

He was used mostly as a kick returner as a rookie, leading the league in yards per punt return and being named to the All-Pro First Team at that position. He also led the league in yards per rush, with 5.6 yards per carry on the 80 carries he got that season.

In his second season, he was used more on offense, and he responded by leading the league with 832 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns, and raised his average to 5.8 yards per carry, though he didn't lead the league in that category. This time, he was named to the All-Pro First Team as a running back.

His 1946 season was a bit down, but in 1947 he became the second player ever to reach 1000 rushing yards in a season, leading the league with 1008 yards and 13 touchdowns. The Eagles reached the championship game that year, but fell short against the Chicago Cardinals 28-21.

In 1948, he led the league in rushing yards and touchdowns for the third time in 4 years, and took the Eagles back to the championship game. In a rematch with the Cardinals, Van Buren scored the only touchdown in a 7-0 victory to win his first title.

In 1949, he broke his own record for rushing yards in a season, finishing with 1146, and won his third straight rushing title, becoming the first player ever to accomplish that. Three players have done it since, Jim Brown, Earl Campbell, and Emmitt Smith. The Eagles defended their championship that year against the Rams, and Van Buren ran for 196 yards in a 14-0 shutout win.

Unfortunately, Van Buren would not have any more effective seasons. He broke his toe before the 1950 season, then suffered from injuries to his back, leg, and neck during the next two seasons. He tore a ligament in his knee before the 1952 season and had to miss the entire year, and he ended up retiring before the 1953 season started.

Van Buren played 8 seasons, and led the league in both rushing yards and touchdowns 4 times. He set the league rushing record twice, and won two championships, but his career was cut very short by injuries. When he retired, he was the all-time rushing yard leader, but today he isn't even in the top 100, but he still played a major role in the development of the game, and was one of the greatest to play it.

Top 100 NFL Running Backs - #44: LeSean McCoy

LeSean McCoy

Teams

Philadelphia Eagles (2009-2014)

Buffalo Bills (2015-2018)

Kansas City Chiefs (2019)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020)

Playoffs

Appearances - 6 (2009,2010,2013,2017,2019,2020)

Conf Champ Games - 2 (2019,2020)

Super Bowls - 2 (2019,2020)

Championships - 2 (2019,2020)

Awards and Honors

All-Pro First Team - 2 (2011,2013)

Pro Bowl - 6 (2011,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017)

All-Time Ranks

Rushing Yards - #22

Scrimmage Yards - #26

Rushing Touchdowns - #30

Total Touchdowns - #42

Yards per Rush - #49

Rushing Yards per Game - #63

League Leads

Rushing Yards (#1-2013, #3-2014, #4-2011,2017, #6-2016)

Rushing Touchdowns (#1-2011, #4-2016, #6-2013)

Yards per Rush (#3-2016, #4-2010, #5-2013)

Rushing Yards per Game (#1-2013, #4-2011,2014, #5-2015,2016, #6-2017)

Total Touchdowns (#1-2011, #4-2016)

Scrimmage Yards (#1-2013, #4-2010,2017, #5-2011,2016)

Yards per Touch (#9-2010, #10-2013)

After his sophomore year at Pittsburgh, which he finished with 1488 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns, LeSean McCoy left school two years early and entered the 2009 NFL Draft, where he was picked in the second round by the Philadelphia Eagles.

McCoy backed up Brian Westbrook as a rookie, but got a few starts when Westbrook missed games, and he was solid in those appearances. When Westbrook was released after the season, McCoy took over the starting job heading into his second season.

His first season as a starter was very good. He rushed for 1080 yards on 5.2 yards per carry and scored 7 touchdowns, and he followed it up in 2011 with 1309 yards and 17 touchdowns, which was the best in the league that year. That performance earned him his first appearance on the All-Pro First Team, which he repeated a couple of years later.

After struggling through the 2012 season, he exploded in 2013, leading the league with 314 carries and 1607 yards, along with 2146 scrimmage yards, also best in the league. He finished #2 to Peyton Manning and his 55 passing touchdowns in the Offensive Player of the Year race, but made the All-Pro First Team for the second time.

In 2014, he managed to gain another 1319 yards, but he did it on essentially the same number of carries as the previous year, almost an entire yard per carry less. He lost some work that year to Darren Sproles, which may have been a factor in his regression, but he did pass Wilbert Montgomery to become the Eagles all-time rushing leader.

McCoy was traded to Buffalo before the 2015 season, and he made the Pro Bowl that year, despite finishing with only 895 yards on the season. He had one of his best seasons in 2016, with 1267 yards and 13 touchdowns, with a career-best 5.4 yards per carry.

He played 2 more seasons with Buffalo, but gained only 514 rushing yards in 2018, leading to his release before the 2019 season. Up to that point, he hadn't won a single playoff game in 4 appearances, so he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs for that year. He rushed for 465 yards in the regular season, but only played one snap in the playoffs as the Chiefs won the Super Bowl.

He signed with Tampa Bay for the 2020 season, and had an extremely limited role, rushing for only 31 yards on the season. He was once again on the roster of the Super Bowl champion, but for the second year in a row, he didn't play in the title game, but got a ring anyway. He signed with the Eagles to retire with his original team before the 2021 season.

McCoy is #22 on the all-time rushing list, and finished his career with over 11000 rushing yards and exactly 15000 scrimmage yards. He had one superstar season with the Eagles, and several other star-level seasons during his career, and was able to finish with a couple of championships, even if he played a very small role in them. He is undoubtedly one of the best to ever play the game.