Ranking the 5 Worst Backfields in the NFL Entering 2022

The NFL remains a quarterback-driven league, and that's unlikely to change in the foreseeable future. However, there's still value in having a quality backfield.

In fact, teams can struggle without at least a functional backfield that can keep defenses honest. Of the six teams that failed to average at least 4.0 yards per carry last season, only the Las Vegas Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers made the postseason. Both exited in the Wild Card Round.

A lot goes into having a successful ground game: a good offensive line, smart play-calling, a passing attack that prevents opponents from crowding the line and, naturally, a deep and talented backfield.

Today, we're going to examine the other end of the spectrum and rank the five worst backfields heading into the 2022 season.

To be as fair as possible to the players and teams involved, several factors were considered.

For seasoned veterans, past production, age, injury history and player health were part of the equation. For rookies, young players who will be stepping into larger roles and other largely unproven backs, projections were also part of the picture.

The quality of past offensive line play was also considered. The Steelers, for example, got little help from their line in 2021 and averaged just 3.9 yards per carry. However, this doesn't mean that rookie Pro Bowler Najee Harris was an underwhelming back.

Lastly, the schemes and team makeup were appraised. Pass-heavy teams and those that regularly play with late leads don't always see numbers that accurately reflect their backfield quality.

The Cincinnati Bengals, for example, averaged just 4.0 yards per carry last season. Their backfield tandem of Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine, however, was quite potent.

We're looking primarily at the tops of depth charts here, meaning starters and heavily utilized complementary backs, but depth was weighed. Now, let's get to those rankings.

To be clear, the Jacksonville Jaguars backfield has the potential to be far better than one of the five worst in 2022. Because of injuries and uncertainty, however, the Jags make this list.

Starter James Robinson was a 1,000-yard rusher as a rookie in 2020 and was again solid in 2021. His yards-per-carry average actually jumped from 4.5 to 4.7. However, he suffered a torn Achilles in Week 16.

On the plus side, Robinson's recovery seems to be going well, if slowly.

"I'm not trying to rush anything. My body is recovering, and I'm just trying to get stronger. I'm out here running, and it feels pretty good to be back running," he said last month, per John Oehser of the team's official website.

There's no telling when Robinson will return or what sort of role he'll be ready to handle.

No. 2 back Travis Etienne missed his entire 2021 rookie campaign with a Lisfranc injury. He projects as a valuable runner and receiver, and his history with quarterback Trevor Lawrence at Clemson does boost his upside. But as is the case with Robinson, we have no idea how quickly Etienne will find his groove.

Jacksonville doesn't have a proven vet to provide insurance either, with rookie fifth-round pick Snoop Conner projected to be the No. 3 back. The Mississippi product averaged 4.98 yards per carry last season but only had 10 totes per game.

Jacksonville's backfield has loads of potential here, but recoveries are tough to predict. We cannot rank a unit highly based on upside alone.

With Patrick Mahomes under center, the Kansas City Chiefs have rarely had to rely on their running game. Despite ranking no higher than 16th in rushing yards, Kansas City has made four straight appearances in the AFC title game.

The Chiefs are fortunate to have a passing game to lean on.

2020 first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire is serviceable at best as a starter. He's struggled to stay healthy (hip, ankle, knee), appearing in just 23 games over two campaigns, and has averaged only 57.4 rushing yards per game.

Last season, Edwards-Helaire tied for 40th in yards after contact per carry (1.7). The departed Darrel Williams actually led Kansas City in rushing (558 yards).

Kansas City did boost its backfield by adding Ronald Jones this offseason, but he fell out of favor with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021 and has ball-security concerns. Jones has fumbled seven times over the past three years.

The 24-year-old back is a decent enough complement, but he's unlikely to overtake Edwards-Helaire as the starter. This leaves Kansas City with a functional duo but not one opponents will have to game-plan in order to stop.

Speedy No. 3 back Jerick McKinnon can be a weapon but was rarely utilized in 2021. He saw only 12 regular-season carries. Back in Kansas City on a one-year, $1.3 million deal that includes no guarantees, McKinnon may have to fight to find any sort of meaningful role this year.

The Los Angeles Rams were able to field a functional rushing attack—and win Super Bowl LVI—because they acquired Sony Michel, who went on to lead the team with 845 rushing yards.

L.A. needed Michel because projected starter Cam Akers suffered a torn Achilles in July. While Akers rushed back to make one regular-season appearance, he was largely ineffective during the playoffs, averaging a mere 2.6 yards per carry in four games.

Akers may still not be at 100 percent. We don't know what sort of starter he can be anyway, as he showed flashes as a rookie in 2020, averaging 4.3 yards per carry, but had only 145 attempts.

Darrell Henderson has shown glimpses of potential in his three seasons but has never rushed 150 times in a campaign. He suffered an MCL sprain in 2021 and was inefficient in the postseason (1.8 yards per carry).

Even with Michel on the team, Los Angeles ranked 25th in rushing and 23rd in yards per carry in 2021. Michel is now with the Miami Dolphins.

To help replace him, the Rams used a fifth-round pick on Notre Dame product Kyren Williams. He has intriguing physical upside but is undersized at 5'9" and 194 pounds and ill-suited for a significant workload.

"Williams is an undersized back whose touches will have to be capped in the NFL," Nate Tice of the Bleacher Report Scouting Department wrote. "He will almost certainly have to be part of a committee or paired with another back who can eat a portion of the overall touches to limit his wear and tear."

The Rams are buying into the committee approach in 2022, and their plan carries plenty of risk and only marginal upside.

The Atlanta Falcons backfield got a significant boost last season from receiver-turned-runner Cordarrelle Patterson.

Patterson proved exceedingly effective early and finished the year with 618 rushing yards, 548 receiving yards and 11 combined touchdowns. Even with him carrying a chunk of the load, though, Atlanta ranked 31st in rushing and 30th in yards per carry.

What's concerning heading into 2022 is that Patterson's efficacy as a runner diminished late in the season. He failed to average 4.0 yards per carry in each of his final five outings, and he didn't reach 30 yards in any of his final four. He also caught two or fewer passes in each of his last five games.

The Falcons simply cannot expect Patterson to maintain a large backfield role all season.

To complement Patterson, the Falcons replaced Mike Davis with Damien Williams and rookie fifth-round pick Tyler Allgeier. Williams has topped 100 carries in a season only once after joining the league in 2014 as an undrafted free agent and saw just 40 carries for 164 yards last season.

Allgeier is a physical grinder who can see a high volume of touches. However, the BYU product possesses little big-play ability.

"While Allgeier flashes good burst and enough long speed, he is not overly explosive to be a constant home run hitter," Tice wrote.

The ceiling for Atlanta's backfield is remarkably low, and if the 31-year-old Patterson cannot continue being a big part of it, its floor will be among the league's worst.

No team was worse at running the ball than the Houston Texans last season. They ranked dead last in both rushing and yards per carry despite ranking 23rd in attempts.

The good news is that they turned over their backfield depth chart heavily this offseason. Rex Burkhead, who led Texans running backs with an average of 3.5 yards per carry, and Royce Freeman are returning. But the team added Dare Ogunbowale, Marlon Mack and rookie fourth-round pick Dameon Pierce.

The bad news is that Houston still doesn't have a reliable starter on its roster.

Mack is the closest thing to a proven starter, as he was a 1,000-yard rusher in 2019. However, he also suffered a torn Achilles in 2020 and has logged only 32 carries over the past two years.

The 26-year-old has at least impressed during offseason workouts.

"And I think he's gotten his confidence back to the level at which he was playing at prior to his injury," running backs coach Danny Barrett said last month, per Anthony Wood of FanNation.

Ogunbowale (86 career carries) is a nice complementary piece but not a high-volume player. Pierce never logged more than 106 carries in a season at Florida.

The Texans are betting heavily on Mack to handle a heavy workload, and even then, they're banking on a committee approach. With only 57 career receptions, Mack is not an every-down back.

Committees can work in the NFL, but this is a hugely underwhelming group. And if Mack doesn't return to form, it could be a downright disaster.

*Contract information via Spotrac. Advanced statistics from Pro Football Reference.