Jacksonville Jaguars: 15 best running backs of all-time

The Jacksonville Jaguars have only been around since 1995, but have had some great carriers of the football. Here are their 15 best running backs ever.

Football has been very much part of the fabric of Jacksonville’s culture before the North Florida city even got an NFL team. Jacksonville has played host to one of the biggest rivalries in college football, as the Florida Gators take on the Georgia Bulldogs annually on the banks of the St. John’s River.

Back when the USFL was a league, the Jacksonville Bulls were a shining example of small market promise. But that league didn’t last long and it took until the mid-1990s before the NFL dipped into North Florida.

In October 1993, the City of Jacksonville was awarded one of two expansion franchises in the NFL, along with Charlotte, North Carolina. Two years later, the Jacksonville Jaguars played their first NFL game. Jacksonville has had both its ups (three AFC Championship Game appearances) and downs (nine-straight losing seasons from 2008 to 2016) as a football franchise.

After becoming nationally relevant again in 2017 on the back of the Sacksonville Defense, the Jaguars entered 2018 as one of the best teams in the AFC on paper. Yes, the defense has given this franchise new light, but it usually starts and ends with the ground game down in Duval County.

Though the franchise is only in its third decade of existence, many talented tailbacks have graced the North Floridian gridiron. Without further ado, here are the 15 best running backs to have ever donned the black and teal for Jacksonville.

Corey Grant‘s 2018 NFL season may have come to an end after suffering a Lisfranc injury in Week 5’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. However, he has done just enough in his four years with the Jaguars to crack this all-time list at No. 15.

Grant went undrafted out of Auburn in 2015. Growing up nearby in Opelika, Alabama, Grant did put together a solid college career in the SEC, but not a compelling enough of one to merit being drafted. Regardless, he signed with the Jaguars after the 2015 NFL Draft as an undrafted free agent.

As a rookie in 2015, Grant played sparingly, as managed just six carries for two yards on the ground. He would see his production increase considerably as a second-year player in 2016.

Grant appeared in 11 games, making his first start of his professional career as well, as he rushed for 164 yards on 32 carries for a touchdown. He also added four receptions for 35 yards and a touchdown through the air in that lost season for the Jaguars.

As the Jaguars finally broke out of the decade-long swoon in 2017, Grant would have his best season to date. He played in all 16 games, rushing for 248 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries. Grant added another 41 yards through the air on three receptions.

In essence, Grant was quickly becoming quite the gadget player in Nathaniel Hackett’s Jacksonville offense. He had 13 carries for 40 yards and nine receptions for 67 yards in the first five games of 2018 before succumbing to a season-ending injury in the Chiefs loss.

Overall, Grant has amassed 454 career rushing yards on 81 attempts for three touchdowns. His 5.1 yards per attempt is impressive given his inconsistent workload to date. He also has 18 receptions for 156 yards and a touchdown through the air.

Given that his fourth season in his career has come to an end, it remains to be seen if Grant will be back in Jacksonville in year five in 2019. What has him cracking the top-15 more than anything is longevity and his ability to make the most of the times the ball is in his hands with a strong 6.2 yards per touch for a running back.