The Forgotten Running Backs of the 2010s

Taking a look at some members of the running back corps that electrified the 2010s but seem to have slipped from everyone's memory

The running back position has been declining in value for the last two decades. I know it, you know it, everybody knows it: this isn’t new information. Saquon Barkley’s legendary year with the Eagles this year aside, a running back hasn’t been the driving reason for an NFL team’s success in years. Rushing attacks as a whole have, sure. But not individual backs. Gone are the days of offenses built around players like Adrian Peterson, whose coaches game plan was HB dive on 1st and 2nd down and maybe a pitch outside on 3rd if they’re feeling frisky. Don’t believe me? Lets take a look at the leading rusher for every Super Bowl winner since 2015:

2025 Eagles: Saquon Barkley

2024 Chiefs: Isiah Pacheco

2023 Chiefs: Isiah Pacheco

2022 Rams: Sony Michel

2021 Buccaneers: Ronald Jones II

2020 Chiefs: Damien Williams

2019 Patriots: Sony Michel

2018 Eagles: LeGarrett Blount

2017 Patriots: LeGarrett Blount

2016 Broncos: Ronnie Hillman

2015 Patriots: Jonas Gray

Anything stand out about the above list? Personally I’m shocked Sony Michel was the leading rusher for two different super bowl winning teams, but other than that the list is littered with mediocre-to-good running backs that were paid close to the veteran’s minimum, part of a committee, or both. Teams don’t prioritize running backs the way that they used to. There are plenty of superstar running backs left, but they aren’t viewed in the same light as they once were. As a result, there are countless running backs from the 2010s that at the time were high-impact, borderline star players that have been lost to NFL history and rarely come up in conversation these days. In honor of them, here are seven forgotten NFL running backs that we loved to watch growing up, in no particular order:

Side note: a few of these backs were superstars in their day that wouldn’t qualify as ‘forgotten’ for many fans, but are highlighted because the recognition they received was underwhelming compared to the LeSean McCoys of their era

Doug Martin

Career Rushing Stats: 1322 carries / 5,356 yards / 30 TDs / 4.1 YPC

Receiving: 1,207 yards / 2 TDs

The Muscle Hamster. What a nickname. Doug Martin burst onto the scene in 2012 season, rushing for nearly 1,500 yards and 11 TDs for the Buccaneers and winning fantasy owners matchups week after week. As a rookie, Martin rushed for 251 yards and four first-half touchdowns against the Raiders, tying the record for touchdowns in a half. That same year he tallied performances of 138 yards, 128 yards, and 142 yards in the back half of the season.

After his rookie year, Martin had two down seasons before turning in another 1,400+ yard season in 2015 with walking turnover Jameis Winston under center, leading to a $35 million contract extension that you rarely see given to running backs in the modern era. Martin would never turn in another elite year again, but he certainly lived up to the nickname. A human pinball, Martin stood at 5’9’’ and ran with power, speed, and a low center of gravity, making him incredibly difficult to tackle in the open field. His highlight reel is the stuff of legend.

Alfred Morris

Career Rushing Stats: 1,429 carries / 6,173 yards / 35 TDs / 4.3 YPC

Receiving: 513 yards / 1 TD

Everyone’s favorite RB2 in fantasy for a good stretch, Alfred Morris had 1,600+ yards and 13 TDs his rookie year for a Redskins team that led the league in rushing with the help of Morris and a rookie RG3. Over the next three seasons in Washington, Morris slowly declined, breaking 1,000 yards two more times before signing with the Cowboys in 2016 and bouncing around the league from there. Morris had a hard-nosed, old-school running style that was a great compliment to RG3’s speed and ability to pressure outside lanes their first year together.

CJ Anderson

Career Rushing Stats: 776 carries / 3,497 yards / 22 TDs / 4.5 YPC

Receiving: 900 yards / 5 TDs

My first ever pick as a fantasy football manager in 2015, CJ Anderson holds a special place in my heart despite being an absolute bust that year. Anderson started his career in Denver splitting carriers with Montee Ball, but quickly took over once Ball went down with an injury, turning in back-to-back 150 yard games in his first two starts in 2014. He turned in two separate three-touchdown games later that year, helping the Peyton Manning-led offense to the divisional round and making the Pro Bowl that year.

The following two seasons were down years for Anderson, but he still contributed to a Broncos team that won the Super Bowl in 2016 through an elite defense and run game while Peyton Manning could barely push the ball 10 yards down the field in his age-39 season. You may remember his memorable OT touchdown run in the snow against the previously undefeated Patriots that year. CJ re-emerged in the 2017 season, breaking the century mark for the first and only time in his career. At 5’8’’ and 220 pounds, Anderson had a similar rushing style to Martin, a one-cut RB with a great blend of speed and power that made him a threat in the open field if he could make a linebacker miss at the second level.

DeMarco Murray

Career Rushing Stats: 1,604 carries / 7,174 yards / 49 TDs / 4.5 YPC

Receiving: 2,165 yards / 6 TD

Selected in the third round by the Cowboys in the 2011 draft, Murray backed up Felix Jones his rookie year before breaking out for 253 yards against the Rams, a top 10 single-game rushing performance in NFL history that included a 91-yard touchdown run. Murray followed that up with 213 yards over his next two games and led all rookies with 897 rushing yards that year. Two years later, Murray broke the century mark for the first time with 1,121 yards, but his magnum opus came the following season.

In 2014, Murray totaled 1,845 yards and 13 TDs, winning the rushing title and Offense Player of the Year in the process. He broke 100 yards in each of his first eight games, breaking NFL legend Jim Brown’s record and leading the Cowboys to the divisional round against the Packers, where the Cowboys lost after one of the most controversial calls of all time (Dez absolutely caught that ball). Plenty remember Murray’s 2014 season, few remember he finished third (!) in MVP voting that year. Murray signed a $42 million deal with the Eagles the following year and turned in a dud in 2015, getting traded to the Titans that offseason, where he turned in another 1000-yard season before fading away into retirement.

Fred Jackson

Career Rushing Stats: 1,305 carriers / 5,746 yards / 30 TDs / 4.4 YPC

Receiving: 2,897 yards / 9 TDs

Fred Jackson baby. A bruising back that took over the Bills backfield after Marshawn Lynch moved on to Seattle and embodied the hard-nosed spirit of Buffalo during his time there. He spent 8 seasons on the Bills, spearheading a running back for mediocre teams quarterbacked by the likes of Ryan Fitzpatrick and EJ Manuel. His game was simple, yet effective: he was a big, bruising back who invited contact and was a problem if he gained a head of steam. He ripped six 100-yard games in his first 10 games in 2011 before breaking his leg. He had 1,283 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns in 2013 despite playing behind CJ Spiller for most of the season. His headline numbers don’t stand out, but fans remember his consistency on Bills teams that never made the playoffs during his time there. Jackson finished his career with the Seahawks, getting his one and only playoff win in a 10-9 bout with the Vikings that was one of the coldest NFL games on record.

Todd Gurley II

Career Rushing Stats: 1,460 carries / 6,082 yards / 67 TDs / 4.2 YPC

Receiving: 2,254 yards / 12 TDs

As mentioned earlier, this entry is cheating a bit because I wouldn’t label Todd Gurley a ‘forgotten’ running back by any means, but I had to include him considering he’s my favorite running back of all time and doesn’t quite get the flowers he deserves. Todd Gurley was taken 10^th overall by the St. Louis Rams in 2015, one of the last RBs to be taken in the top 10 in recent memory. He had a slow start to his rookie season before going off in the back half of the year, finishing with 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns. He followed that off with a sophomore slump in 2016 (the Rams first season in LA) before going on an absolute tear the following season.

In 2017, Gurley notched 2,093 yards from scrimmage and 19 total touchdowns, finishing as RB1 in fantasy football, and most importantly, winning ME my first and only fantasy football championship in the process. Gurley developed knee arthritis shortly after the Rams run to the Super Bowl in 2019; he was never the same player and retired at the young age of 28 after spending a year in Atlanta. This past year, star RB Christian McCaffrey was in and out of the 49ers lineup with the very same injury; the nosedive Gurley’s play took following his diagnosis is a bad omen for McCaffrey’s chances of returning to top 3 RB status next season and beyond.

Arian Foster

Career Rushing Stats: 1,476 carries / 6,527 yards / 54 TDs / 4.4 YPC

Recieving: 2,346 yards / 14 TDs

It baffles me that people don’t bring up Arian Foster’s name more often when discussing the all-time great modern running backs. The man went from undrafted in 2009 to fantasy football superstar overnight. He looked like the second coming of LaDainian Tomlinson when he won the rushing title in 2010, with 2,200+ all purpose-yards and 18 total touchdowns. He enjoyed a lengthy peak for his position, rushing for over 1,000 yards four times and notching four seasons with double-digit touchdowns. Foster was an incredibly smooth runner for his size, found lanes effectively and displayed great patience letting plays developed. He was also a dynamic receiver, playing a large role in Houston’s passing game before it became commonplace for running backs to do so. Nowadays, Foster does podcasting for Barstool Sports, where his laid-back demeanor makes you seriously question how he slipped completely out of the 2009 draft primarily due to concerns surrounding his character and coachability.

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