Bullet point summary by AI
- Five NFL running backs are poised to challenge ESPN’s Top 10 rankings by next season, with cases built on recent performance and offensive upgrades.
- Each contender brings unique strengths, from rookie explosiveness to veteran consistency, creating a tight race for limited podium space.
- The debate over who earns a spot will hinge on health, offensive support, and whether any player can make a leap into historic production territory.
On Monday, ESPN released its top 10 running backs ahead of the 2026 NFL season. It’s hard to argue with quite a few of the players who ade the cut; based on last year, how could you justify leaving the likes of De’Von Achane or Breece Hall and Kenneth Walker III off the list?
But things change fast in this league, and every season sees new stars emerge and old ones fade. Believe it or not, there are five players with the potential to crack the top 10 at the position with a big 2026. A couple of them are long shots, but they’re not unrealistic either.
Quinshon Judkins, Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns struck gold with Quinshon Judkins last year. He was one of their best performers on offense, and truthfully, had it not been for the year Harold Fannin Jr. had, he would have probably been the most important rookie on the team. He got hurt at the end of the year but is in line to be ready for the 2026 season. Like Nick Chubb was for years, Judkins is already on a trajectory to being the engine behind the Browns offense.
After this season is all said and done, there’s no reason why Judkins won’t be considered one of the best backs in the NFL. It will be a tough group to crack, not just because of the players that are on this year’s list but because of the ones that could make a similar leap next year. But Judkins had 827 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns in 14 games last year; with a revamped offensive line and a healthy start to the season, he has all the potential in the world for a giant leap in 2026.
TreVeyon Henderson, New England Patriots
There’s something about these Ohio State running backs from the 2025 national championship team, because both Judkins and Henderson enter the year on seriously promising trajectories. Henderson should force New England to make him the featured back of this offense after the rookie season he had. He was an explosive kickoff returner and even more dangerous at the line of scrimmage, rushing for nearly 1,000 yards as a rookie while serving as the perfect complement to Drake Maye. This Patriots offense added A.J. Brown to bolster the passing game, but they’ll still need a steady production from the backfield.
If Henderson stays healthy, he’ll absolutely be one of the top 10 running backs in the league next season. If he hadn’t just a rookie, you could argue he’s worthy of being considered one of the top 10 now. He’s a weapon both as a running back and a receiver out of the backfield, so the more New England utilizes that this year, the more he’ll be involved. The Patriots can’t avoid getting Henderson the ball and if they do, he’ll absolutely have the impact of a top-10 running back in the NFL.
Cam Skattebo, New York Giants
Cam Skattebo was getting a lot of hype during his rookie season before he went down with a season-ending ankle injury. The New York Giants have the offensive firepower to be fun this year; while it might not feel like firepower, per se, they do have a solid perimeter weapon in Malik Nabers plus a young, promising quarterback in Jaxson Dart. The Giants need Skattebo to have a solid 2026 season. I think it’s going to be difficult for him to truly step up as one of the 10 best in the NFL, but it’s not impossible.
If Nabers is still ailing at the start of 2026 as he comes back from a torn ACL, that would only add to the pressure on Skattebo to carry this offense. Despite not starting the year as the feature back, Skattebo had 410 rushing yards and five touchdowns in eight games before he got hurt. It’s not a guarantee he starts the year ahead of Tyrone Tracy, but he has all the potential to be feature back for this team. Top 10 is a longshot, but that’s how big of a season he could have with the Giants.
Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders drafted Ashton Jeanty with the No. 6 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. He had his welcome to the NFL moment after he didn’t look nearly as explosive as he had in college, carrying Boise State to the College Football Playoff. Still, he could be set for a breakout 2026 season. As a rookie, he rushed for 975 yards and five rushing touchdowns, all despite being let down by the mess around him. He had to be the focal point of a dysfunctional offense; now, he has some help.
Jeanty looked really good as a receiver out of the backfield for the Raiders with 346 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns as well. Now that he has a quarterback — regardless of whether Kirk Cousins starts over Fernando Mendoza — he could have the same type of impact Alvin Kamara did early in his career. As a rookie, he averaged about 3.7 yards per carry, which was below the league average of 4.4 But if he can have more of an impact on the ground behind a better offensive line, he’ll absolutely be one of ESPN’s 10 best next season.
David Montgomery, Houston Texans
Montgomery ended his time in Detroit splitting touches with Jahmyr Gibbs, but it wasn’t that long ago that he was a feature back. Now that he’s set to fill that role again, and it’s exactly what could propel him toward being one of the NFL’s best. He rushed for over 1,000 just one time during his three seasons in Detroit. After that, he never out-rushed Gibbs again.
He did eclipse 700 rushing yards and had double-digit touchdowns in all but last season, though. He’s going to be as explosive in Houston as he was in Detroit his first year. The Texans desperately need a running game, and Montgomery can finally deliver that. The Texans will be better because of Montgomery and he’ll ultimately push for one of the final spots on ESPN’s top running backs list.
More NFL offseason news and analysis
Add us as a preferred source on Google
