Jacksonville Jaguars: 15 best running backs of all-time
By John Buhler
(1996-97). Natrone Means. 6. player. 52. . RB
Natrone Means spent the bulk of his eight-year NFL career out of North Carolina with the then-San Diego Chargers. He may have made his only career trip to the Pro Bowl and his only All-Pro team with the Super Bowl-bound Chargers in 1994. However, he did have a great two-year stint in Duval County with the expansion-era Jaguars.
Means had a down third year in the league with the Chargers, where he only had 730 yards and five touchdowns in 10 games with San Diego. Keep in mind this came off his breakout sophomore campaign where he rushed for 1,350 yards and 15 touchdowns en route to the Super Bowl.
Strangely, the Chargers cut their former second-round pick ahead of the 1996 NFL season. Means would go on to sign with the Jaguars in their second year of existence. Jacksonville would shock the NFL world by reaching the AFC Championship in year two as a franchise in 1996, falling to the New England Patriots.
Means’ first year with the Jaguars wasn’t great, as he rushed for only 507 yards and two touchdowns in a reserve role with the team. However, Means bounced back in his second year with the team in 1997. An increased workload allowed him to rush for 832 yards and nine touchdowns that fall.
This was his third-highest rushing yards total of his career and his second most rushing touchdowns in a season behind only his career year in 1994 with the AFC Champion Chargers. However, Means was not for long in Duval County, as he would re-sign with the Chargers in 1998 NFL free agency.
Means spent the next two seasons with the Chargers, where he rushed for over 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns in those two years combined. He would spend one last game with the Carolina Panthers in 2000 before retiring.
Overall, Means will best be remembered as one of the better tailbacks in Chargers football history. He did make the franchise’s 50th Anniversary Team. However, we shouldn’t overlook his accomplishments during his two years in Jacksonville where he somewhat revitalized his career mid-way. Means amassed 1,330 yards on 396 carries for 11 touchdowns in his two years with the Jaguars.