NFC West Rankings: Running Backs

The NFC West is a tough division to compete in, even in what was a relatively down year in 2024. The Arizona Cardinals are no stranger to facing high levels of talent in their division rivals through the years.

Arizona finished third overall in the NFC West in 2024, an improvement from 2022 and 2023's last-place finishes.

But among the position groups, how exactly do the Cardinals match up with the rest of the west. Below is a ranking of the NFC West's running back position, in order of best to worst:

1: San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers edge out the Cardinals for the strongest RB room for a number of reasons. For one, a healthy Christian McCaffrey is one of the most dangerous players in the sport.

But truthfully, it's the depth across the board that makes San Francisco a truly run-dominant squad. While McCaffrey only picked up 202 yards on 50 carries in his four games, the depth behind him stepped up in a major way.

Jordan Mason played 12 games, and rushed for 789 yards on 153 carries, good for 5.2 yards per attempt and three touchdowns. Behind Mason, Isaac Guerendo managed 420 yards and four scores on 84 attempts, an even 5.0 yards per carry.

Granted, this ranking is dependent on whether or not McCaffrey is healthy and proficient going forward, but it's hard to count him out, and with a room this deep, the 49ers are the obvious division leader on the ground, but perhaps only for the time being.

2: Arizona Cardinals

I don't need to explain to Cardinals fans what a dominant force James Conner can be. Conner posted a second straight 1,000-yard season, despite missing a full game and taking only four carries after the first half of week 16 in Carolina.

Still, Conner had 1,094 yards on the ground and another 414 through the air, with nine total touchdowns. He pounded his way to 4.6 yards per carry, 2.4 yards per carry after contact.

That might not rival what McCaffrey is able to do when healthy, but Conner has become the true driving force of Arizona's offense.

While we didn't get to see much out of rookie Trey Benson in 2024, he could be poised for a breakout season. If the Florida State product emerges as a strong second option, Arizona could boast the best running back room in the division, depending on the health and consistency of San Francisco.

3: Los Angeles Rams

The Rams have an incredible young back in Kyren Williams, whose raw production can be truly baffling.

The 24-year-old picked up 1,299 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2024, with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons following just his third year of NFL action.

It honestly feels wrong to rank him this low, but Los Angeles doesn't have much in the way of depth at the position. It's quite possible rookie Blake Corum develops into a perpetual thorn in the side of the NFC West, and if that happens, the Rams will speedily move up the ranks.

But the Rams relied quite heavily on Williams alone, and while he did put up incredible volume, his per-carry production was a half yard lower. He carried the ball 80 more times than Conner, but only managed 205 more yards.

For now, the lower efficiency and one-dimensional nature of their running back group puts the Rams at third, but it might be impossible to Williams' ability to simply rack up yards and scores. That is what wins you games in this league, ultimately.

But at least for now, Williams alone can't measure up to the 49ers, and Conner's bruising efficiency and pure size factor outweigh those extra yards.

4: Seattle Seahawks

Again, it feels wrong to rank Kenneth Walker this low, but the Seahawks are currently. the weakest link from a talent perspective at running back.

When healthy and playing well, Walker can compete with any, but he just hasn't had that consistency of production in his young career yet. He played just 11 games in 2024, and picked up only 573 yards on 153 carries, a 3.7 yard-per-carry clip.

He did score seven touchdowns, and has a nose for the end zone, with 24 scores over his three-year career.

His patience and acceleration both in space and through gaps is admirable, and he's certainly a dangerous player in the backfield, but he's only managed one 1,000-yard season. He's never played more than 15 games in a season, and missed six weeks in 2024.

Zach Charbonnet has emerged as a solid change-of-pace back, and even excelled in the games he started the prior season, with 569 yards and eight touchdowns in his limited action this season.

Eventually, Charbonnet's added value could deepen this group enough to catapult it to the top of the division, but it will depend on his running mate staying healthy and increasing his efficiency. For now, the Seahawks come in fourth in the rankings.