There are less than two months until the 2019 NFL season kicks off. While we suffer from an excruciatingly boring time of the NFL offseason, let’s take a look at which running backs could have the most rushing touchdowns in the 2019 season.
First, here’s a recap of the top five rushing touchdown leaders of last season:
- Todd Gurley – 17
- Alvin Kamara – 14
- Derrick Henry – 12
- James Conner – 12
- Saquon Barkley – 11
Top 5 predictions for the 2019 season:
Saquon Barkley, New York Giants
Saquon Barkley had an incredible rookie campaign that included 2,028 total yards from scrimmage and 15 total touchdowns. He capped off his season with Rookie of the Year honors, as well. With that being said, Barkley did not look like your typical rookie running back last season, and I don’t see a sophomore slump in sight.
There’s only one thing that can hold Barkley back next season: the rest of the Giants’ offense. It’s not a secret that the Giants have some problems offensively, whether it is the quarterback play or their offensive line. Regardless of this, Barkley still had a rookie season for the ages, and he will continue to give opposing defenses headaches.
Despite the inevitable stacked boxes that he will face throughout the season, Barkley will still make a huge impact next season both running and receiving, keeping opposing defenses on their toes. Along with his abilities, Barkley will receive the majority of the carries this season, with nobody notable behind him to steal touches. He has the agility and elusiveness to overcome anything defenses plan to throw his way, making him he top rushing touchdown scorer for the 2019 season.
Prediction: 14 rushing touchdowns
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
Alvin Kamara is a special talent in the NFL and one of the league’s top running backs. He finished 2018 with 1,592 total scrimmage yards and 18 total touchdowns, 14 of which were on the ground. We have already seen many examples of this in his short NFL career thus far, and we should definitely expect a lot more to come.
Not only is Kamara one of the best rushers in the league, but he is also part of one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL, has one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time under center, and has one of the top offensive lines in the league blocking for him. This is a recipe for success in the NFL. Even if defenses plan to attempt to stop Kamara on the ground, he is also one of the best receiving backs in the game, just adding to the fact that he is one of the best talents in the league.
Now, Sean Payton has been known to love using multiple running backs throughout the game. Throughout Kamara’s career, he has shared the backfield with Mark Ingram, who scored 6 times on the ground last season. With Ingram now in Baltimore, Latavius Murray will step into the short yardage role, but this is still Kamara’s backfield. Expect another great season out of Kamara, and expect to see him at the top of the rushing touchdown leaders list again at the end of the 2019 season.
Prediction: 13 rushing touchdowns
Ezekiel Elliot, Dallas Cowboys
Ezekiel Elliot is the best workhorse running back in the NFL. The Cowboys have called upon him to carry the workload for the majority of his short career, and he has answered the call. Pair this with one of the best offensive lines in the NFL and you have a guy that will have another very successful campaign on the ground in 2019.
The Cowboys would be very wise to continue their ground-and-pound style of play and keep feeding Zeke. In his two full seasons in the NFL (his sophomore season was hampered due to a suspension), he has averaged 313 carries. He concluded his 2018 season with 304 carries and 1,434 rushing yards but only six rushing scores. There should be an uptick in the rushing touchdown category in 2019 for Zeke. The Cowboys should continue to give him the rock if they want a dominant offense this season. This is not a knock on Dak Prescott, who is more than just a serviceable NFL quarterback, but Zeke is undoubtably their best offensive weapon.
Zeke is not as skilled of a pass-catcher as Barkley or Kamara, but he is a better runner than those two at this point in his career. Expect another top-notch season for Zeke, receiving one of the biggest workloads and rushing touchdowns in the NFL in 2019.
Prediction: 12 rushing touchdowns
Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns
There is a new “America’s Team” in the NFL beginning in the 2019 season: the Cleveland Browns. Their sophomore star under center, Baker Mayfield, and the LSU receiving duo of Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. have been snagging all the headlines throughout the offseason. But let’s not forget how great of a rookie season Nick Chubb had, despite only starting nine games last year. Chubb carried the ball 192 times, totaling 996 yards and eight scores on the ground. These numbers are remarkable for a guy that started the season on the bench.
Yes, Kareem Hunt is now in the Cleveland backfield, but he will be serving an eight-game suspension to begin the season. Even when Hunt is eligible to play, this is still Chubb’s backfield, and he will prove this in the first eight games while he is the primary ball-carrier. As is the case with Zeke, Chubb is not a highly touted pass-catcher, but his skills on the ground are nothing to scoff at. He can run defenders over, make defenders miss in open field, and get you the tough short yardage. Hunt should take away a decent amount of carries from Chubb in the latter half of the season, but with a skillset like Chubb has, he will continue to make a name for himself as one of the top ball-carriers in the NFL in 2019.
Prediction: 12 rushing touchdowns
Melvin Gordon, Los Angeles Chargers
Melvin Gordon has been one of the top running backs in the NFL since he entered the league in 2015, despite a less-than-stellar rookie season. He also benefits from playing with a top quarterback and one of the best offenses in the league, for now. The biggest question with Gordon right now concerns where he will be playing at the start of the 2019 season. He has given the Chargers an ultimatum: pay him or trade him, or he will hold out. Serving as the focal point of the offense, he deserves to get paid big money before the start of the season, and the Chargers would receive a huge blow if they decided to not do so.
One knock on Gordon is his injury history, as he has quite a long one throughout his NFL career. The Chargers also tend to get pass happy at times, but who can blame them with a guy like Phillip Rivers under center? Yet, Gordon finished the 2018 season with 175 carries, 885 rushing yards, and 10 touchdowns in a season where he had a few injuries that held him to only 12 starts.
If Gordon can avoid the injury bug, he will have another huge rushing season. With the talent that he brings to the table, it’s hard to not include him on this list, no matter where he plays next season. Expect big numbers, once again, from Melvin Gordon.
Prediction: 11 rushing touchdowns
Honorable Mentions (predicted 10 rushing touchdowns):
- James Conner
- Marlon Mack
- Aaron Jones
