We know the AFC West is stacked from top to bottom at quarterback. But what about those fellas who accompany them in the backfield? How much help will each offense get on the ground and occasionally on a screen or dump-off? Let’s take a look.
1. Denver Broncos
Duo: Melvin Gordon, Javonte Williams
Imagine having two running backs both nearly go over 1000 yards rushing in a season. Well, it doesn’t take any imagination because that’s exactly what Gordon and Williams did last season. Gordon had 918 yards rushing while Williams put up 903 while averaging 4.5 and 4.4 yards per attempt respectively.
Each surpassed 1100 yards from scrimmage and they combined for 17 touchdowns. That’s some serious production from your running backs.
2. Las Vegas Raiders
Duo: Josh Jacobs, Kenyan Drake
Drake and Josh could be productive together if utilized properly. Jacobs has established himself as a hard runner who is tough to bring down. That earned him a trip to the Pro Bowl in 2020. That same season Drake was in Arizona where he ran for 955 yards with 10 touchdowns.
But together, they didn’t perform nearly as well. Jacobs because he was banged up much of the season and Drake because he just wasn’t used enough as a runner. He was targeted 40 times out of the backfield while seeing just 63 runs. That ratio should be closer to two-to-one.
3. Los Angeles Chargers
Duo: Austin Ekeler, Isaiah Spiller
Ekeler is one of the league’s better backs. If this ranking were about single backs, he would probably take the top spot. He is a true dual-threat back who can hurt you just as much through the air as on the ground. Thus why he had over 1500 yards from scrimmage in each of his last two full seasons.
Spiller is a rookie fourth-round pick. If he can play well immediately, the Chargers will have something here. But that uncertainty has them landing here for now.
4. Kansas City Chiefs
Duo: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Ronald Jones
CEH was a bit of a surprise as a first-round pick in 2020 and he hasn’t done much to prove he was worthy of that draft position since then. While he averages a decent 4.4 yards per carry, he has missed ten games in two seasons. His averages went down across the board last season as well.
Jones is a former second-round pick who saw his snaps cut in half in Tampa last season while his resulting stats were even worse. The Chiefs are hoping they can get the guy who averaged 5.1 yards per carry in 2020 as opposed to the guy who averaged 4.2 yards per carry in 2019 and 2021.