Tuesday brought a trade we all saw coming from a mile away, with the Raiders sending Davante Adams to the Jets. The six-time Pro Bowl receiver rejoins his former Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, this time in a different shade of green.
This reunion got me thinking: Which running backs would I like to see reunite with a former team or coach before the Nov. 5 trade deadline?
Initially, I had Minnesota bringing back Cam Akers in this thought experiment, but the Vikings beat me to the punch by executing the move in real life. So, before reality steals my hypothetical thunder again, here are a few possible reunions that would make sense to me.
If Kyle Shanahan is great at one thing, it’s getting the utmost production from his backfield. Jordan Mason has been the most recent example of that success — following in the footsteps of guys like Raheem Mostert, Elijah Mitchell, Jeff Wilson and Matt Breida, among others. Stepping into the RB1 role with Christian McCaffrey significantly hampered by Achilles issues and Mitchell out for the season, Mason ranks second in the NFL with 609 rushing yards, behind only Derrick Henry (704). Last week, Mason sustained a shoulder injury that sidelined him. On the positive side, the issue appears minor. However, with no guarantee that the reigning Offensive Player of the Year takes a snap this season and Mason’s recent scare, Shanahan could look to replenish his backfield.
Enter some old friends who left the Bay Area a couple years ago, joining former 49ers coach Mike McDaniel in South Beach. Mostert and Wilson are solid veteran options who would add some quality depth to this 49ers attack. Plus, the Dolphins have a pair of young running backs in tow: second-year stud De’Von Achane and budding rookie Jaylen Wright. And if we’re being honest here — which I always am — Miami’s season hinges solely on Tua Tagovailoa‘s health, not its deep group of offensive skill players. Getting something in return for Mostert or Wilson, who both produced under Shanahan’s watch in San Francisco, makes sense.
After letting Pollard walk during the offseason, the Cowboys brought back Ezekiel Elliott to join Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn in the backfield. The Zeke reunion clearly hasn’t panned out as the organization had hoped. Through six weeks of the 2024 NFL season, the Cowboys have the league’s worst rushing offense, averaging a measly 77.2 ground yards per game. They have only rushed for 100 yards or more in two games (both wins), and they have put up fewer than 70 rush yards in each of the their three losses. Dallas has two rushing touchdowns, one by Elliott and the other by Dak Prescott. Zeke has expressed his desire to be more involved. After all, he is averaging just over six carries and fewer than 20 rush yards per game in his second stint with the Cowboys. Owner Jerry Jones said Dallas is “saving him” for later in the season, but if that’s the case, this team needs more help. It is fresh off the worst home loss since the 1980s and sitting at 3-3 and in third place in the division, leading me to believe the Cowboys shouldn’t entertain moving forward with their current lifeless rushing attack. Dalvin Cook, who has been on the practice squad since August, doesn’t appear to be a viable option.
Meanwhile in Tennessee, Pollard is on pace for a career-best season. Through five games, he has 339 yards and three touchdowns on 78 carries. But before signing a three-year deal with the Titans in the offseason, Pollard enjoyed a lot of success under Mike McCarthy, recording two 1,000-yard rushing campaigns in 2022 and ’23. He helped Dallas feature a more balanced offensive attack, which in turn made it one of the more prolific units in the league. If the Cowboys want to improve their middle-of-the-pack offense and double down on their purported “all in” approach to 2024, now’s the time to bring in a player who’ll provide a significant boost. A second attempt at an RB reunion, this time with Pollard, is the move.
This one feels like the most far-fetched … but also the most fun! Kamara will face his former head coach Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football this week in what should be an emotional and competitive matchup. Saints fans aside, who wouldn’t want to see the five-time Pro Bowler featured in Payton’s offense once again? The Broncos appear to be on the come-up, having won three of their last four games, while the Saints have lost four straight and are navigating the middle of the season without their starting quarterback. Despite recent success, Payton’s offense ranks 29th overall and 23rd in rushing entering Week 7. There’s so much room for improvement, and there’s no doubt Kamara would provide a tremendous boost.
That said, it’s unlikely that the Saints trade their best asset on offense at midseason. Furthermore, Kamara has been adamant about wanting to retire a Saint, despite ongoing, tumultuous contract negotiations. So, while this probably won’t happen, one can dream.
Top 15 running backs
Former NFL rushing leader and current NFL Network analyst Maurice Jones-Drew will survey all running backs and rank his top 15 each week of the 2024 season. His rankings are based on this season’s efforts. Here is MJD’s list heading into Week 7, with up/down arrows reflecting movement from last week’s pecking order.
2024 stats: 6 games | 119 att | 704 rush yds | 5.9 ypc | 8 rush TDs | 6 rec | 49 rec yds | 1 rec TD | 0 fumbles lost
Henry has been unstoppable over the last month. With another monster performance against the Commanders (24 carries, 132 rush yards), the all-world running back has averaged 143.5 yards on the ground over Baltimore’s last four games. It’s no coincidence that the Ravens won all of those contests after a slow start to the season. Henry also added a pair of touchdowns (on 3- and 7-yard runs) and helped ice the game with a 27-yard gain on Baltimore’s final drive. The performance marked Henry’s 20th career game with at least 100 rush yards and two rush touchdowns, joining Hall of Famers Jim Brown (25), LaDainian Tomlinson (25) and Emmitt Smith (21) as the only players since 1950 with 20-plus such games in their careers, per NFL Research. We are watching something special.
2024 stats: 6 games | 114 att | 609 rush yds | 5.3 ypc | 3 rush TDs | 8 rec | 75 rec yds | 0 rec TDs | 1 fumble lost
Mason was humming against the rival Seahawks before a shoulder injury sidelined him early in the second quarter, with 73 yards on nine carries for 8.1 yards a pop. He returned for one more carry in the third, but that was all she wrote for Mason. Isaac Guerendo and Patrick Taylor played well when filling in, but the 49ers will need Mason, who’s apparently day to day, in Sunday’s Super Bowl rematch with the Kansas City Chiefs.
2024 stats: 6 games | 104 att | 428 rush yds | 4.1 ypc | 6 rush TDs | 28 rec | 238 rec yds | 1 rec TD | 0 fumbles lost
Rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler (filling in for the injured Derek Carr) and the Saints offense showed promise in spurts, but were just overmatched last week against the Buccaneers. Kamara had 10 of his 13 carries in the first half, scoring a touchdown with his legs late in the second quarter. He finished with just 64 yards on 18 touches in Sunday’s loss, and now he’ll face his former coach (Sean Payton) and the Broncos on a short week.
2024 stats: 5 games | 91 att | 482 rush yds | 5.3 ypc | 4 rush TDs | 14 rec | 92 rec yds | 1 rec TD | 0 fumbles lost
After leading the NFL with 130 scrimmage yards per game entering Week 6, Barkley recorded season lows in rush yards (47), receiving yards (7) and scrimmage yards (54) against the Browns. The Eagles got A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith back from injury for that game, but that’s no excuse for Philadelphia’s run-game struggles. Philly outplayed Cleveland for much of the day, but the fact that Barkley had a puny 5 yards on six carries after halftime is a big reason why the Eagles struggled to put the game away before the final drive.
2024 stats: 6 games | 86 att | 485 rush yds | 5.6 ypc | 2 rush TDs | 22 rec | 93 rec yds | 1 rec TD | 1 fumble lost
Only Derrick Henry’s hotter than Hubbard when it comes to the running back position. The fourth-year back has racked up 407 rush yards — with 10 explosive runs (10-plus yards), per Next Gen Stats — over the last four games, all of which Andy Dalton has started for Carolina. Hubbard’s four consecutive games with at least 90 rush yards tied a franchise record, which he has the opportunity to break against the Commanders on Sunday. Washington ranks 22nd against the run this season.
2024 stats: 5 games | 66 att | 348 rush yds | 5.3 ypc | 3 rush TDs | 14 rec | 104 rec yds | 1 rec TD | 0 fumbles lost
There was no shortage of explosive plays from Detroit’s offense in the 47-9 beatdown of Dallas. Four of Gibbs’ 12 carries (33.3 percent) were explosive runs, and teammate David Montgomery recorded three of his own. Gibbs, who is so efficient with the ball in his hands, averaged 5.3 yards per attempt and added 28 yards on three catches in the pass game. This weekend’s matchup with the league’s second-ranked run defense in Minnesota presents a huge test for the Lions’ rushing attack. Ben Johnson’s group will be ready.
2024 stats: 6 games | 82 att | 380 rush yds | 4.6 ypc | 3 rush TD | 21 rec | 161 rec yds | 0 rec TDs | 0 fumbles lost
The Falcons put up a season-high 198 rush yards in Sunday’s win at Carolina. It was a welcome sight after the team averaged just 96.8 rush yards per game in Weeks 1-5 (26th in the NFL). Robinson, along with Tyler Allgeier, was a huge part of Atlanta’s success in the 38-20 triumph. The second-year pro ran for 95 yards and a pair of first-half scores — via runs of 5 and 7 yards — on 15 carries for a 6.3-yard average.
2024 stats: 5 games | 75 att | 351 rush yds | 4.7 ypc | 6 rush TDs | 10 rec | 94 rec yds | 0 rec TDs | 0 fumbles lost
Detroit’s offense had its way with a Dallas defense that was without two of its best players (Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence), building a three-score lead before halftime on Sunday. The run game was firing on all cylinders, as Detroit averaged 5.1 yards per carry on 36 attempts. Montgomery was like a bowling ball against the Cowboys’ front, ping-ponging off defenders for a game-high 80 yards on 12 carries, hitting paydirt twice. He forced 10 missed tackles in the game, the highest missed-tackle rate (83.3 percent) of any rusher this season (min. 10 carries), per Next Gen Stats.
2024 stats: 5 games | 70 att | 309 rush yds | 4.4 ypc | 4 rush TDs | 11 rec | 123 rec yds | 1 rec TD | 0 fumbles lost
The Bills’ offense was without Cook (toe) in this past Monday’s bout against the Jets, but Ray Davis played inspired football in his place, personally accounting for 152 of Buffalo’s 359 scrimmage yards in the 23-20 win. Still, the Bills will need Cook — the team leader with 432 scrimmage yards and five scrimmage touchdowns — in Sunday’s matchup with the Titans, whose offense is underwhelming but whose defense tops the league in yards allowed.
2024 stats: 5 games | 95 att | 360 rush yds | 3.8 ypc | 6 rush TDs | 14 rec | 71 rec yds | 1 rec TD | 1 fumble lost
The Rams come out of the bye week with a winnable game against a Raiders team that just gave up 183 yards on the ground to Pittsburgh. The Raiders also rank 27th in scoring defense, which bodes well for Williams, who has scored six rushing TDs in five games.
2024 stats: 6 games | 108 att | 464 rush yds | 4.3 ypc | 1 rush TD | 11 rec | 101 rec yds | 0 rec TDs | 1 fumble lost
The Packers racked up 437 total yards in the dominant win over Arizona, with Jordan Love supplying four touchdown passes. That said, Green Bay still amassed 179 yards on the ground, with Jacobs contributing a team-high 62 yards on 18 carries. Not his best day, but the Pack didn’t need it to be.
2024 stats: 5 games | 81 att | 438 rush yds | 5.4 ypc | 3 rush TDs | 12 rec | 50 rec yds | 0 rec TDs | 0 fumbles lost
Dobbins bounced back after a few down weeks (and the bye) with a solid outing in the Chargers’ division win over Denver. He rushed for 96 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, marking the first time in Dobbins’ career that he had at least 18 carries in a game. Jim Harbaugh is staying true to his run-heavy approach and it’s working.
2024 stats: 5 games | 71 att | 350 rush yds | 4.9 ypc | 1 rush TD | 17 rec | 167 rec yds | 1 rec TD | 1 fumble lost
Minnesota needs Jones to be available this weekend with the mighty Lions coming to town. The veteran RB was seen at practice Monday, a positive development after he sustained a hip injury that sidelined him in the first half of the team’s Week 5 London game. Detroit boasts the league’s third-best run defense, so having Jones will be essential for a Vikings offense that struggled without him before the bye.
2024 stats: 5 games | 73 att | 325 rush yds | 4.5 ypc | 5 rush TDs | 8 rec | 68 rec yds | 0 rec TDs | 0 fumbles lost
Robinson is yet another running back who missed Week 6 with an injury, and his absence was felt, with the Commanders rushing for a season-low 52 yards. Prior to Sunday’s loss at Baltimore, Washington ranked second in the league with 178.4 rush yards per game. Robinson’s health is essential to this unit reaching its potential. He’ll need to be on the field this week if he wants to maintain his place in the rankings — so will the others on this list who were DNPs in Week 6.
2024 stats: 6 games | 90 att | 403 rush yds | 4.5 ypc | 3 rush TDs | 12 rec | 88 rec yds | 0 rec TDs | 1 fumble lost
The Cardinals royally struggled to get anything going through the first quarter and a half against the Packers, punting on their first four possessions. Conner had just 24 yards on seven carries in the first half and was limited to just two catches in the second half with Arizona aiming to climb out of a major deficit. Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing must figure out a way for the Cards to start fast against a stout Chargers defense on Monday.
DROPPED OUT: Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts (previously No. 6).
