Our seasonal NFC East rankings began with the quarterback position, and the Dallas Cowboys took the top spot with Dak Prescott sitting head and shoulders among his bretheren. Jayden Daniels and Jalen Hurts had down seasons, and Jaxson Dart was a rookie. When healthy, Prescott has been an MVP-level player over the last half decade. It’s time to refocus on the QBs’ supporting staffs, starting with the player who lines up behind them, the running backs.
The Philadelphia Eagles possibly have the best back in the league, but he is coming off a down season compared to his peak. Dallas’ Javonte Williams had a better statistical season, but they might need veteran help as depth, and the New York Giants and Washington Commanders had solid performances from their rookie rushers. How does all that work out in the rankings? Only one way to find out.
4: New York Giants
Cam Skattebo could be a future star at the position. His rushing style makes him a fan favorite. Skattebo runs tough, takes on contact, and knows how to finish plays. He is an underrated receiving option as well, adding 24 receptions for over 200 yards in under 300 snaps. He is coming off a major injury though, and has to show he can be the guy all season.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. didn’t elevate in his second year, but he was consistent as a contributor in his rookie and sophomore seasons, contributing over 2,100 combined yards. Devin Singletary has also been consistent in his two seasons with the Giants. He will carry the ball a little over 100 times for 400 yards and catch 20 passes for 150 or fewer yards.
3: Washington Commanders
Jacory Croskey-Merritt had a rookie season as good as Skattebo’s, but ended the year healthy, and that is why the Commanders are a spot ahead of the Giants. In seven starts and only 175 attempts, Croskey-Merritt ran for over 800 yards and eight touchdowns. He wasn’t a receiving threat, but the starting quarterback missed more than half the season, so that could’ve impacted those numbers.
Rachaad White has been the secondary rushing option for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and will take that role on for Washington. He started 17 games in 2023 but didn’t reach 1,000 yards, and his success rate barely reached 40%. He might be in the receiving back role as his catch percentage is 89%, and he averaged 52 receptions for 368 yards and 3 touchdowns per season in his time in Tampa. Rookie Kaytron Allen out of Penn State, will battle for the second running back spot, but he is still an unknown in the NFL.
2: Dallas Cowboys
Williams had the best season of any of the NFC East rushers last year. He started 16 games, carried the ball 252 times, and averaged nearly five yards per attempt. He accumulated 1,201 rush yards and 11 touchdowns with a success rate over 56%. The problem for Dallas is that they have no depth with any history of success, and Williams has had only one great year.
Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah have no NFL track record, and former UDFA Malik Davis is cut almost every year, only to come back stronger. Dallas may look beyond the current team to add a second running back.
1: Philadelphia Eagles
The dropoff after a 2,000-yard rushing season is always dramatic, with none of the nine achievers falling any less than 600 yards from their prior total. The question is, how high will Saquon Barkley’s bounce-back be?
For most running backs, 1,140 yards and seven touchdowns is a great year, but for Barkley, it was a down season. Opposing defenses locked in on stopping Barkley and living with Hurts beating them, and it worked overall. He dropped his success rate by 10 points and his yards per game by over 50 yards from the 2024 season. Even if some considered Williams the top guy off last season, the Eagles’ backups would move them over the top.
Tank Bigsby has 281 attempts in three years in the NFL. He ran for 1,254 yards and 11 touchdowns. His career success rate of nearly 50%, with a 4.5 yards-per-carry average, is excellent for a backup. Will Shipley is going into year three in Philadelphia, and even Dameon Pierce had a season just under 1,000 yards under his belt as their fourth running back.
You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or on YouTube at Across the Cowboys podcast
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: After Barkley’s predictable free fall, how do NFCE RBs stack in ’26?
Reporting by Mike Crum, Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
