5 greatest Jacksonville Jaguars running backs of all-time
By Luke Sims
Jacksonville Jaguars running backs have dominated the NFL at times, becoming superstars for a young franchise. We rank the top five greatest.
As Leonard Fournette’s rookie campaign remains up in the air, attention has shifted back to the running back position for the Jacksonville Jaguars. The fourth-overall pick is full of potential and could become the best back in the history of the franchise, but he has some big shoes to fill.
While the Jaguars have only been a franchise since 1995, the team has managed to attract some of the best running back talents the NFL has offered in the last two decades. While there have been missteps like Toby Gerhart, the team has, for the most part, been able to field a superstar running back on any given Sunday.
Looking back through the team’s history, it’s easy to point to one or two dominant players at the position who have carried the Jaguars But what about the rest?
Here we look at the top five. Let’s dive in.
5) T.J. Yeldon (2015-current)
This may be surprising for some fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars, but T.J. Yeldon is sixth on the list of Jaguars running backs in terms of total yardage with just 1205 yards on the ground. Despite a disappointing sophomore campaign in 2016, Yeldon’s 3.9 yards per carry gives him the nod over fellow two-year Jaguars back Natrone Means (1330 yards).
Perhaps more importantly, Yeldon looks like he could have some longevity with the team. Despite rumors about him possibly being cut, Yeldon has flashed the ability to be a lasting member of the running back stable and still has his whole career in front of him (unlike 29-year old Chris Ivory).
The speculation in Yeldon’s second year was that he could be a part of a one-two punch with Ivory. That clearly did not come to fruition, leading to Fournette’s selection. But Yeldon still has the chance to be a key contributor. Whether that is part of a committee in support of Fournette, a spell-back, or as a true member of a one-two punch in the coming years with Fournette remains to be seen. There is the room for that to develop, though.
With potential and a surprising amount of production already in the books, Yeldon could end up actually rising on this list. It gets a lot more competitive above him but it wouldn’t be shocking to see a second-rounder end up rising.