2023 Pre-Season Rank #55 Pre-Season Rank #66, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #76, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #81. Peak Period: 2017-18/2021-23

McCaffrey had a decent rookie year, a good second year, and a fantastic third season, where he led the NFL in Yards From Scrimmage (2,392) and Touchdowns (19).  The Running Back also rushed for over 1,000 Yards and caught passes over 1,000 Yards, a rare feat!  Due to injury, he could not follow up in the two years that followed, but when he was healthy in 2022 and returned to Pro Bowl form, he was surrounded by a team that threw in the towel and traded him to San Francisco.  McCaffrey is one of the most versatile Running Backs, but his position is meant for ailments. 

Last year, we said, “What he does in 2024 might decide whether he has a shot at the Hall”. McCaffrey’s response was to win his first Rushing Title (1,459) and Offensive Player of the Year while also topping the NFL in Yards From Scrimmage (2,023) and Touchdowns (21) for the second time in his career. 

2023 Pre-Season Rank #392022 Pre-Season Rank #47, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #70, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #108.  Peak Period: 2019-23

In 2019, it felt like Derrick Henry won the Rushing Title out of nowhere, as he was in his fourth year, and it he only had 1,059 Yards the year before.  In 2020, Henry won his second Rushing Title, shattering his previous mark, and joined the 2,000 Yard Rushing club and winning the Offensive Player of the Year.  Had he not gotten injured during the 2021 season, Henry was on his way to his second straight OPOY.  After a bounce back in 2022 that saw him net his third 1,500-yard campaign.  Henry has one more year in Tennessee and is the current active rushing leader (9.502), and is looking to break 10,000 Rushing Yards as a member of the Baltimore Ravens.  He is also the active leader in Rushing Touchdowns (90), making it possible for Henry to break 100 TDs on the ground this season too.

2023 Pre-Season #28, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #33, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #48, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #66.  Peak Period: 2017-21

Alvin Kamara has never had a 1,000-Yard Rushing Season, but the Saints Running Back has been one of the most complete dual-threat Running Backs since he debuted in 2017.

Named to the Pro Bowl in his first five seasons, Kamara won the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year and was the league leader in Touchdowns (21) in 2020.  He might be slowing down, and if so, his Hall of Fame chances will plummet, but as we enter 2024, Kamara is one of New Orleans’s top offensive weapons.

What he accomplishes in 2024 could tell the tale of his Hall of Fame chances.

2023 Pre-Season Rank #36, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #47, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #53, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #55. Peak Period: 2016-20

Ezekiel Elliott returns to the Dallas Cowboys, where he belongs, although he is years away from his peak.  The 2016 Consensus Rookie of the Year was an incredible performer in his first four seasons, as he was the Rushing Champion as a rookie in 2018.  The Running Back could not obtain another Pro Bowl after 2019 and is in a depth category.

This does not mean he can’t compile numbers, but Zeke is no longer the top dog. If he maintains a career even as a lower-tier running back, he could sneak into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

2023 Pre-Season Rank #91, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #114, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #140.  Peak Period: 2018-22

Chubb emerged as the top rusher for an improving Browns offense and was a perennial Pro Bowl Selection from 2019 to 2022.  He likely would have been again last year, but he tore his ACL in Week 2 and is not expected back until October.  If Chubb returns to what he was, he can reclaim that HOF momentum.

2023 Pre-Season Rank #68, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #77, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #117.  Peak Period: 2018-22

As good as Dalvin Cook was with the Vikings, the elite Running Back is giving way to the elite Wide Receiver, and the Vikings released him after a four-year run of Pro Bowls and over 5,000 Yards.  He joined the New York Jets with high hopes, but he disappointed with only 214 Yards.  Over the summer, Cook finally found a home in Dallas, but he is low on their depth chart.  This could be his last year in the NFL, and this is not a Hall of Fame career, just a very good four-year run in Minnesota.

2023 Pre-Season Rank: #107, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #111.  Peak Period: 2020-23*

After a good rookie year in 2020, Taylor exploded, leading the NFL in Rushing Yards (1,811) and Rushing Touchdowns (18), and a Running Back needs a year like this to place you on the tips of tongues of Hall of Fame voters.  In 2022, Taylor had a great start to the season, but was held to 11 Games due to ankle issues, and in 2023, he held out, delaying his start until 2023.

One monstrous season does not make a Hall of Fame career for a player, and Taylor will have to reclaim that 2021 magic for a serious Hall of Fame list jump. 

2023 Pre-Season Rank #115, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #122, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #127.  Peak Period: 2018-22

After seven seasons with Green Bay, Aaron Jones joined NFC North rival Minnesota, but the Vikings don’t have the same offensive horses from where he left off.  Jones’s peak run is likely over, but there are some statistical milestones in his sight on 10,000 Yards From Scrimmage (1.984 away) and is five Rushing Touchdowns away from an even 50.

2023 Pre-Season Rank #117, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #143

Joe Mixon’s run with the Cincinnati Bengals has ended, leaving behind a solid 8,551 Yards From Scrimmage and 62 Touchdowns.  That’s good, but it isn’t Hall of Fame good.   Mixon is now a Houston Texan, and he will need to match at least his previous best of 1,205 Rushing Yards/13 Touchdowns in season of 2021 and do so over multiple years.  That will be a tough ask for the former Sooner.

2023 Pre-Season Rank #122, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #132 2021 Pre-Season Rank #101, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #100.  2018-19/2021-23

Barkley was the stud that we expected him to be as a rookie, earning a Pro Bowl and leading the NFL in Yards From Scrimmage.  His output dropped as a sophomore but was still strong, and there was no reason to think he couldn’t dominate in 2020, but a torn ACL early took that away.  Barkley started 2021 on the IR, and when Running Backs get hurt, they struggle to regain top form more than other position players.  Barkley had that return he needed in 2022 with a career-high in Rushing Yards (1,312), a second Pro Bowl, and another decent year in 2023 (962 RY), and he is now a Philadelphia Eagle.

Barkley has a lot of catch-up to do regarding his initial Hall of Fame promise.  A player injured that badly and early always struggles, and Barkley is no different.

2023: Pre-Season Rank: #127.  Peak Period: 2019-23

Jacobs won the 2022 Rushing and Yards From Scrimmage Titles but could not capitalize on them, and his output was slashed in half the following season. This season, he joins the Green Bay Packers, replacing Aaron Jones and embracing a fresh start. 

Notable note on Jacobs, he has yet to record a Touchdown Reception.

2023 Pre-Season Rank #2022 Pre-Season Rank #97, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #102, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #130. Peak Period: 2016-20

Melvin Gordon might not play another down in the NFL after playing only four games last year for the Ravens.  At his peak, Gordon went to two Pro Bowls with the Chargers and was a good dual-threat back, but that looks over now.  If it is, 70 career Touchdowns is a nice stat to end with.