A Closer Look At The Top Running Backs In The NFC South Division

An analysis of the best running backs in the NFC South heading into the 2024-25 season

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) runs against the Atlanta Falcons / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Just a few short years ago, the NFC South division boasted some of the best offensive talent in football. Quarterbacks Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Matt Ryan, Cam Newton, and Jameis Winston sat atop the league's passers. Brees and Brady are locks as first-ballot Hall of Famers, with Ryan likely to join them in Canton.

Those quarterbacks had the luxury of throwing to elite pass catchers like Michael Thomas, Marques Colston, Jimmy Graham, Mike Evans, Julio Jones, Chris Godwin, Tony Gonzalez, D.J. Moore, and Calvin Ridley.  Running backs in the division weren't quite as plentiful.  However, players like Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram II, Christian McCaffrey, Leonard Fournette, and Devonta Freeman gave fits to opposing defenses. 

The majority of these above names are now gone from the division. Most have yet to be adequately replaced by their teams, leading to many of the division's offensive ineptitude. Still, there is some young potential and veteran talent on the offensive side.

The Saints News Network analyzes the top running backs in the NFC South entering the 2024-25 season.

5. Jamaal Williams, Saints

New Orleans Saints running back Jamaal Williams (21) runs with the ball against the Carolina Panthers / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Tampa Bay has had no running attack to speak of for eight seasons, ranking dead last in rushing yardage and average in each of the last two years. Carolina wasn't much better last season, having traded away Christian McCaffrey midway through the 2022 campaign.

Enter Jamaal Williams, who was also a huge disappointment his first year in New Orleans with just 306 yards on the ground, one score, and a miserable average of 2.9 per carry. However, Williams is also a proven runner between the tackles and had been a productive back over his previous six NFL seasons.

Williams is only one year removed from a 1,000-yard season and an NFL-high 17 rushing touchdowns with Detroit in 2022. Rachaad White (Buccaneers) and Chuba Hubbard or Miles Sanders (Panthers) are potentially capable backs, but there's at least a reasonable argument to be made that Williams would carry the brunt of the rushing load for either of those teams.

4. Kendre Miller, Saints

New Orleans Saints running back Kendre Miller (25) picks up yards against the Indianapolis Colts / Clark Wade/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

Admittedly, it's hard to justify placing multiple New Orleans backs in the top-5 after the Saints finished 21st in rushing production and next-to-last in yards per carry last season. This is a combination of how much potential talent is in the New Orleans backfield, poor run blocking from three of the four teams in the division, and how bad this division's running back group actually is.

Like Jamaal Williams, Miller's numbers were not at all impressive in his first season with New Orleans. A third-round rookie from TCU, Miller was hampered early by a knee injury then later on with an ankle injury. He suited up in only eight games, rushing for 156 yards and catching 10 passes for 117 yards.

Chuba Hubbard and Rachaad White both rushed for over 900 yards last year, but Miller is listed over them because of his tremendous potential. In limited action, he flashed impressive vision and burst along with the versatility to be a legitimate receiving threat. If Miller can stay healthy, he's a vastly underrated weapon for the Saints heading into this season.

3. Tyler Allgeier, Falcons

Atlanta Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier (25) runs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Allgeier is another player that didn't have the statistics of White or Hubbard last year. Unlike Miller, however, he's shown that he can be the lead back for a run-oriented attack. A fifth-round choice in the 2022 NFL Draft, Allgeier surprised the football world by rushing for 1,035 yards as a rookie.

Allgeier's touches were limited with the addition of first-round choice Bijan Robinson last season. He still provided a solid complementary punch, rushing for 683 yards, though his 3.7 average was well down from 4.9 as a rookie.

Tyler Allgeier is a consistent power back that would start for many teams in the league. As long as Robinson stays healthy, Allgeier won't get the touches that White and Hubbard will for their teams. However, he's one of the best number two backs in the league and should help give Atlanta a potent ground game.

2. Bijan Robinson, Falcons

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) breaks a big gain against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The eighth overall choice in last year's draft, Robinson has the most upside of any back in this division. As a rookie, he had 976 yards rushing along 58 receptions for 487 yards and eight total touchdowns.

Atlanta's usage of Robinson as a runner down the stretch of last season was a little baffling. Still, he had two 100-yard outings and four more games with at least 70 yards on the ground while seeing at least five targets as a receiver in 11 games.

Robinson's touches should only go up in 2024. He has an impressive combination of power and speed with terrific receiving skills. It would be a shock if Robinson wasn't a focal point of Atlanta's offense this season.

1. Alvin Kamara, Saints

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) stiff arms Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (31) / Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

With apologies to Robinson, Kamara remains the one of the most talented, versatile, and dangerous backs in the NFL. After missing the first three games under suspension and sitting out the season finale, Kamara rushed for 694 yards and had 75 receptions for 466 yards.

Kamara's average of 53.4 rushing yards per game were his lowest since his 2017 rookie season. His 6.2 per reception was the worst of his career, while his 3.9 per carry was the second worst. This made some wonder if Kamara, nearly 29, was on the downside of his career. While Kamara could have played better, he was also a victim of an abysmal offensive line and inept game plans and play-calling.

If Robinson's usage at times was a little confusing, then the way New Orleans has used Kamara in recent years is a criminal offense. After averaging nearly 14 touchdowns per season over his first five years, Kamara has a total of 10 combined scores the last two seasons. He averaged almost 82 catches per year between 2017 and 2020, but saw that average drop to less than 60 the last three years.

A runner that thrives in space, former offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael instead often force-fed Kamara up the middle into the teeth of a defense. Kamara has the route running skills of a seasoned wideout, but the last three seasons we've rarely seen him move around the formation, sometimes feeling like he's nothing more than a check-down option or a decoy for the passing game.

This is expected to change greatly under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who helped oversee a system where RB Christian McCaffrey won the 2023 NFL Offensive Player of the Year. If Alvin Kamara is anywhere close to the lethal versatile threat he was between 2017 and 2020, then he and Kendre Miller will thrive in Kubiak's system. If he is indeed in decline and it wasn't all the fault of the previous system and coaching, then it may be another long year in New Orleans.