Power Ranking the Running Back Rooms in the AFC North
Newsweek · C · trust 43/100
0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. NFL training camps are in full swing, and as teams ease back into on-field drills and practices in the dead of the summer, football fans have a reason to rejoice.
The preseason officially begins when the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers face off in the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday, Aug. 6 on NBC. The rest of the first week of the preseason kicks off the following week on Aug. 13.
As the start of the NFL regular season inches closer (Sept. 9), we are continuing to look at key offseason storylines for each of the league’s 32 teams. We’ve already looked at the top position battles to watch, rookies with the best chance of winning a starting job, and the players in the most danger of being cut, plus we’ve ranked the top head coaches, quarterbacks, and wide receiver rooms by division.
Next, we’re power ranking the running back rooms in each division. First up is the AFC North.
At age 32, Derrick Henry is defying the odds. He’s doing things in his 30s — like nearly rushing for 2,000 yards two years ago — that players aren’t supposed to be doing, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down.
Henry had 1,595 yards and 16 touchdowns last year, proving he’s still a top-10 running back in the NFL. Backup Justice Hill is usually good for 300-plus yards a season, and rookie Adam Randall, who had 814 yards and 10 touchdowns at Clemson last season, should be a solid change-of-pace third-stringer.
The Steelers may have the best 1-2 punch in the division, but neither Jaylen Warren nor Rico Dowdle is as good as Henry is by themselves, which is why they’re second on this list.
Warren came up 42 yards shy of his first 1,000-yard season last year, and splitting carries with Dowdle, it’s unlikely he gets there in 2026. However, he’s always a home-run threat catching passes out of the backfield.
Dowdle has posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, and the Steelers could benefit from using him as the primary ball-carrier and using Warren in more of a pass-catching role. Kaleb Johnson, a former third-round pick, could see more carries than the 28 he got last year. Rookie seventh-rounder Eli Heidenrich has been compared to Christian McCaffrey, and he could add a lot to the Steelers running, catching and returning.
Judkins burst onto the scene last year with four straight impressive performances out the gate, and he finished his rookie year with 827 yards rushing and seven touchdowns, plus 26 receptions for 171 yards. With an improved offensive line, Judkins should be a 1,000-yard threat next year.
Dylan Sampson is a solid change-of-pace complement to Judkins, but he’s even more of a threat catching passes. He totaled 33 receptions, 271 yards, and two touchdowns last year. Raheim Sanders had just 27 carries for 92 yards and a touchdown last year, but he showed he could be a solid RB3 option.
The Bengals have the worst RB depth in the division, and it’s not even close.
Chase Brown did crack 1,000 yards last year, but barely (1,019). And he scored just ix touchdowns. Brown is better used as a receiver (he totaled 69 catches, 437 yards, and five TDs last year), the problem is Cincinnati doesn’t have a better alternative to run the ball.
Samaje Perine is a solid depth option capable of getting 300-400 yards per year, but at 30, his best years are behind him. Tahj Brooks is heading into his second year, but the 45 yards he gained on 16 carries as a rookie doesn’t exactly scream “future RB1.”
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