This past offseason’s class of free-agent running backs is certainly making its mark. In Week 7, six of the top 10 running backs in scrimmage yards were free agents last offseason: Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley led the way with 187 total yards, while Baltimore’s Derrick Henry (182 yards, second), Arizona’s James Conner (152 yards, fourth), Houston’s Joe Mixon (124 yards, seventh), Las Vegas’ Alexander Mattison (123 yards, eighth) and Minnesota’s Aaron Jones (116 yards, 10th) all made significant contributions, as well.
Now that we’re approaching midseason, it’s time to look at who at the position will be on the market next offseason. Here are the my top five 2025 free agent running backs.
NOTE: Age listed is how old a player will be as of the start of the 2025 league year on March 12.
Seeing Chubb at the top of this list is probably a little curious to some people. He played his first game in nearly 400 days on Sunday after recovering from a torn ACL, PCL and MCL, and he’ll turn 29 years old later this year. What those people might be forgetting is how good Chubb was before that devastating knee injury. Prior to his 2024 debut, he had 6,511 career rush yards — second-most in the NFL since 2018 despite missing the last 21 games. He averages 5.3 yards per carry for his career and has scored 48 times on the ground. He’s one of the very best when healthy, and we saw a tiny glimpse of that greatness in Week 7, when he scored on a 1-yard run in the second quarter against the Bengals. It will take Chubb some time to get back to where he was pre-injury, but with more games under his belt in 2024, he should be back to full speed in 2025.
Jones has helped transform the Vikings offense thanks to his dual-threat ability. His impact was evident when he left the game against the New York Jets in Week 5 and the Vikings struggled to move the ball. He turns 30 years old in December but is still efficient, averaging 5.2 yards per carry, which is slightly higher than his career average. His explosiveness as a ball-carrier combined with his route-running ability and hands as a receiver make him a valuable asset at the position.
Harris might not be flashy, but he’s productive every single year. He rushed for at least 1,000 yards and seven TDs in each of his first three seasons, and is on pace to reach 1,000 yards again this season. He’s a hard-nosed runner who wears defenses down. Pittsburgh didn’t pick up Harris’ fifth-year option, which is why he’s due to hit the market in 2025 instead of 2026. Having a durable back like Harris would be a good thing for most offenses.
If I was making decisions for the Los Angeles Chargers, I wouldn’t let Dobbins hit free agency. In 2024, he has shown the ability to bounce back from serious injuries and still be very productive. He fits perfectly in Jim Harbaugh’s offense and is on pace to exceed 1,300 rush yards. He is a talented, physical player who has a ton of upside in a run-first scheme.
Williams had a big year as a rookie in 2021, posting 1,219 scrimmage yards and seven TDs. After sustaining a serious knee injury the following season, it appears Williams is finally getting back to his pre-injury form. He had his best performance of the season last week, running for two touchdowns and a season-high 88 yards in Denver’s fourth win in the last five games. Williams is back to making plays as a rusher and as a pass catcher under Sean Payton. It feels like his best days are ahead of him.
I liked Hubbard during his college career at Oklahoma State, so the fact that he’s having a successful campaign in his first season as Carolina’s full-time starter isn’t a surprise to me. He ranks in the top five in rushing yards (537) through seven weeks and is the only consistent part of the offense right now. When given the opportunity, Hubbard has excelled, rushing for 5.2 yards per carry this season.
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 8, with up/down arrows reflecting movement from last week’s pecking order.
2024 stats: 7 games | 134 att | 873 rush yds | 6.5 ypc | 8 rush TDs | 7 rec | 62 rec yds | 2 rec TD | 0 fumbles lost
Henry had a quiet start against Tampa, with 23 yards on four carries in the first half, which prompted questions from the broadcast and viewers alike about his limited usage. Henry answered loudly in the second half, with an 81-yard sprint down the sideline late in the third quarter to set up Mark Andrews‘ second TD of the evening. Henry didn’t stop there as he finished Baltimore’s fifth straight victory with 146 rush yards on 11 carries and a receiving touchdown. He’s the league leader in carries, rush yards, rush TDs and 100-yard games this season, making him the front-runner for Offensive Player of the Year.
2024 stats: 6 games | 108 att | 658 rush yds | 6.1 ypc | 5 rush TDs | 16 rec | 103 rec yds | 1 rec TD | 0 fumbles lost
Barkley’s return to MetLife Stadium on Sunday couldn’t have gone any better with the two-time Pro Bowler racking up 176 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries — the second-most rush yards by a player vs. a former team in NFL history. He also FAR exceeded New York’s total yards mark of 119. This Eagles offense is far from perfect, but Barkley, whose 658 rush yards are the most through the first six games of a season in franchise history, is a big reason the unit is heading in a positive direction as we near midseason.
2024 stats: 6 games | 81 att | 464 rush yds | 5.7 ypc | 5 rush TDs | 18 rec | 148 rec yds | 1 rec TD | 0 fumbles lost
Not even Brian Flores could stop the Lions offense on Sunday. While Jared Goff had another outstanding performance through the air, Gibbs dominated the Vikings front on the ground to the tune of 116 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. He also caught four Goff passes for 44 yards on four targets. Gibbs’ first touchdown came on a 45-yard, untouched run (the longest play of his career) and he scored for a second time two possessions later. There wasn’t much Gibbs couldn’t do in this one.
2024 stats: 7 games | 128 att | 667 rush yds | 5.2 ypc | 3 rush TDs | 10 rec | 86 rec yds | 0 rec TDs | 1 fumble lost
Brock Purdy and the 49ers have looked great on offense at times this season, but Sunday “wasn’t that day,” as Kyle Shanahan said after losing to the Chiefs. Mason played his part in logging 16 touches and 69 scrimmage yards. Despite some serious injury issues on offense, Mason can help his team get back on track Sunday night by taking advantage of Dallas’ 26th-ranked rushing defense.
2024 stats: 7 games | 103 att | 537 rush yds | 5.2 ypc | 3 rush TDs | 22 rec | 93 rec yds | 1 rec TD | 1 fumble lost
The Panthers are a tough watch right now, as they generated just 180 yards on offense against the Commanders. Hubbard continues to show up in a big way for his team despite the overall struggles. On Sunday, he scored the team’s only touchdown on a 4-yard run early in the fourth quarter. It was his least efficient game (3.1 yards per carry) since Week 1, but hey, at least he put some points on the board. Hubbard ranks fifth in rush yards through seven weeks.
2024 stats: 7 games | 103 att | 537 rush yds | 4.7 ypc | 4 rush TD | 24 rec | 201 rec yds | 0 rec TDs | 0 fumbles lost
Sunday’s loss to Seattle was the kind of letdown Falcons fans feared after an impressive three-game stretch that saw Atlanta score 33.3 points per game. Turnovers were detrimental and prevented the offense from finding any rhythm, especially in the second half. Bijan had his best outing of the season and was a bright spot for a struggling offense, as he totaled 103 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries and added three catches for 40 yards in the pass game. He barreled through Seattle’s defense for much of the day with his biggest highlights coming on two plays of 26 yards.
2024 stats: 6 games | 116 att | 436 rush yds | 3.8 ypc | 8 rush TDs | 14 rec | 71 rec yds | 1 rec TD | 1 fumble lost
There were definitely highs and lows for the Rams offense in Sunday’s win over the Raiders, and I can confidently say Williams’ performance was a high point. He scored on runs of 13 and 2 yards, marking the ninth straight game in which he has recorded a rush TD, the longest active streak in the NFL and tied for the fourth-longest since 2000. Keep this streak in mind when the Rams take the field Thursday against the Vikings, who have allowed just three rush TDs all season.
2024 stats: 7 games | 111 att | 438 rush yds | 3.9 ypc | 6 rush TDs | 34 rec | 252 rec yds | 1 rec TD | 0 fumbles lost
The Saints were without their starting quarterback and top two receivers last Thursday night and after a blowout loss, Kamara said he couldn’t blame the fans for leaving early. There wasn’t much Kamara, who just signed a nice extension, could do as he attracted much of the attention from the Broncos defense, finishing with 10 yards on seven carries and 14 yards on six catches (seven targets). It might be more of the same in the coming weeks until New Orleans gets some of its better offensive players back on the field.
2024 stats: 6 games | 82 att | 341 rush yds | 4.2 ypc | 5 rush TDs | 11 rec | 123 rec yds | 1 rec TD | 0 fumbles lost
The Bills started slow against Tennessee’s top-ranked defense, but they slowly started to dig themselves out of a double-digit deficit in the second quarter, when Cook scored on an 11-yard run. Buffalo turned it on from there, scoring 27 unanswered points. Cook, who missed Week 6 with a toe injury, finished Sunday’s win with just 12 carries and 32 rush yards. That production is far from what’s expected from the Bills RB1, but his TD was huge in turning the tide for Buffalo. We’ll focus on that.
2024 stats: 7 games | 120 att | 540 rush yds | 4.5 ypc | 1 rush TD | 16 rec | 117 rec yds | 1 rec TD | 1 fumble lost
Despite two Jordan Love interceptions and spotty offensive drives, the Packers stayed the course and ultimately topped the visiting Texans. Jacobs had a solid game with 76 yards on 12 carries (6.3 yards per attempt) and recorded the first touchdown reception of his career on an 8-yard pass from Love. Astonishingly, Jacobs had 211 career receptions before making his first TD catch, the second-most in NFL history.
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
Despite getting a win over the Vikings, Montgomery didn’t have his best outing Sunday. Between briefly leaving the game in the first half with a knee injury and coughing up a costly fumble that was returned for a go-ahead score in the fourth quarter, Montgomery finished with 70 yards on 12 touches. The outing also snapped an eight-game streak with a rush TD. He’ll be looking to rebound this week.
2024 stats: 6 games | 85 att | 443 rush yds | 5.2 ypc | 2 rush TD | 20 rec | 190 rec yds | 1 rec TD | 1 fumble lost
Jones made the Lions pay early in Sunday’s game after they failed to convert a fake punt in their own territory. The veteran took advantage of a missed assignment and rushed for a 34-yard touchdown to give Minnesota an early lead. With the score close late in the contest, Kevin O’Connell got away from the run game — much to my surprise — which opened the door for Detroit. Ultimately, Jones played a good game with 93 yards and that TD on 14 carries (6.6 yards per attempt) and three catches for 23 yards on three targets.
2024 stats: 6 games | 95 att | 478 rush yds | 5.0 ypc | 3 rush TDs | 15 rec | 76 rec yds | 0 rec TDs | 0 fumbles lost
Dobbins feels like somewhat of a boom-or-bust player this season. With 40 yards on 14 carries in Monday’s loss to the Cardinals, Dobbins has had three games with fewer than 50 rush yards and no TDs (all losses). He has also had three games with 95-plus rush yards and a TD (all wins). I think we’re learning that if Dobbins is having a day, so are the Chargers. If he’s not, they must find a way to overcome.
2024 stats: 7 games | 109 att | 504 rush yds | 4.6 ypc | 3 rush TDs | 14 rec | 139 rec yds | 0 rec TDs | 1 fumble lost
Conner has been a fun watch this season thanks to his physical, no-nonsense running style. With 10 missed tackles forced against the Chargers, he was a major presence in Arizona’s last-second victory. He ended the night with 19 carries for 101 yards and two receptions for 51 yards, but perhaps his best play of the night was when he saved a big momentum swing in the early going by punching the ball out of the hands of Teair Tart, who had just picked off Kyler Murray.
2024 stats: 6 games | 85 att | 396 rush yds | 4.7 ypc | 6 rush TDs | 8 rec | 68 rec yds | 0 rec TDs | 0 fumbles lost
The Commanders rushed for 214 yards against the Panthers, with Robinson registering a game-high 71 rush yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. He’s finding his stride and fit in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense, which is a welcome development after Robinson totaled five rush TDs throughout all of 2023 and seven TDs over his first two seasons combined.
