There is talk around the NFL about devaluing running backs, so maybe the individual isn’t as important as he once was. But an effective ground game still matters a lot on Sunday.

It’s just that teams aren’t paying that No. 1 guy as much as they used to. Many of the good teams are getting it done with two or more players.

Other 2023 Rankings: Top 10 Backup QBs | Top 5 Receiver Groups | Top 9 Receivers | 5 Best Offseason Moves | Top 14 Players over 30 | 6 Most Intimidating Players |

Top 7 Rushing Backfields

7. Jonathan Taylor, Anthony Richardson

Jonathan Taylor by himself is a duo. When he’s at the height of his powers, he really is like two people. I’m adding rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson into it because we know that Taylor is going to get his carries if he’s healthy.

He will put up numbers similar to what he put up in 2021 (1,811 yards, 18 touchdowns) again if he’s healthy and the Indianapolis Colts’ offensive line gets back to form. But you have to add an accessory to it. You need someone who can help you carry this along.

We know about Richardson’s talent but also his inexperience. One thing he does really well is run the football at 6-foot-4, 244 pounds with around a 4.4 40 time. So when you put it all together, they can create something special there, and it’ll help the development of that young quarterback in a big way. — Davis

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6. Breece Hall, Michael Carter

This is mostly because of Breece Hall and his versatility. Last year, he got hurt in the seventh game of the season.

Before that, his numbers were phenomenal. He averaged nearly 6 yards per attempt. Any time a top back is around five, that’s really, really good. He averaged more than 10 yards per reception and had 681 yards from scrimmage. So he was having an unbelievable season. I would love to see him back Monday night, Sept. 11, against the Bills.

Whenever he comes back, Michael Carter will become that much better. Is he a lead-back? Maybe not. Is he a good No. 1 or No. 2? Yes, he is.

When you consider everything, Hall can do from the backfield or the slot position. Throw in Carter for 10-12 touches a game. And I love what QB Aaron Rodgers has behind him.

If you’re a defensive coordinator, prepare for the New York Jets. What’s your No. 1 concern? Maybe it’s Rodgers to WR Garrett Wilson. But it might be that 1-2 combo: the versatility and the range that Hall and Carter can give you. — Burmeister

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5. Jalen Hurts, RB Trio

We’re going to have to make the definition of tandem elastic because we’re talking about the Philadelphia Eagles. Newly acquired RB D’Andre Swift came from Detroit, and he probably will be their lead back

Kenneth Gainwell was their 2-minute to 4-minute back at times. Then there was Boston Scott, the New York Giants Strangler. But if we forget Jalen Hurts, we’re remiss.

This is a group that comes at you in so many different ways. The biggest thing that happens with this organization is they build from the offensive line first. We know how terrific they have been, but it’s an organizational commitment led by their head coach, Nick Sirianni. He’s almost Jon Voight in “Varsity Blues.”

They are a running football team, and that’s what they are going to do. They’re going to come at you in a variety of ways.

Can Swift realize his potential in Philadelphia? But the other guys’ pace plays a big role as well. Then here comes Hurts, who carried the ball 165 times, more than your normal quarterbacks did last year. We’ll see if those numbers keep up. But every time he touches it, he is dangerous.

Think about this organization: running the football is paramount in Philadelphia. They don’t care who’s going to carry it. The Eagles have quality people, but they’re going to run the football and set the tone each and every Sunday. They want to control the clock and make you chase them. — Davis

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4. Derrick Henry, Tyjae Spears

If you asked somebody during the past five years who is the best running back, Derrick Henry is going to get a lot of those responses, and deservedly so.

About tandems, though, the Tennessee Titans wouldn’t have even been on your radar until draft time this year. Henry can get them over 1,000 yards, maybe even 1,500 again.

Tyjae Spears from Tulane got everybody’s attention in the Cotton Bowl by running wild around USC’s defenders. During the past two seasons, he’s up around 3,000 total yards rushing and receiving. That’s why Tennessee took him in the third round.

Yes, Henry’s getting up there in age (29), but the gulf between Henry and the next-best runner in Tennessee the past few years has been eye-opening, and not in a good way. They’ve had Ryan Tannehill at times as their second-best runner, and if their second-best runner in these past few years has been close to 200 yards, that’s been a win.

Now you combine Henry with a running back who can line up as a slot back and catch the ball and spell him a little bit and maybe gain 600-800 yards as well. That will make the best thing about your team, Henry, even better. I’m excited to see it because it’s something we have not seen in Tennessee since Henry has become perhaps the best running back in the league. — Burmeister

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3. Christian McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell, Deebo Samuel

We talk about how much Kyle Shanahan is a quarterback whisperer and how he develops guys. But boy, he loves to run the football, doesn’t he?

That’s what the San Francisco 49ers want to do. You’ve got Christian McCaffrey, whom they acquired last season, and Elijah Mitchell, who was another revelation for them from the University of Louisiana. And because Shanahan’s brain works in ways most of ours don’t, Deebo Samuel is a wide receiver who comes in and takes carries just like a running back.

They have as much run offense in their playbook as anyone in the league. They’re varied in what they do. The 49ers are committed to running the football, and they do it also well. If a defense doesn’t slow them down, Shanahan may set a record one day with the least number of passes in modern football. It won’t bother him at all to hand it to his backs 50 or 60 times if they’re not being slowed down. — Davis

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2. AJ Dillon, Aaron Jones

How will QB Jordan Love do in Green Bay as he finally takes the reins? In the background, this entire time has been a really solid, steady, dependable group of offensive linemen. And the Green Bay Packers possess one of the best tandems of running backs, AJ Dillon and Aaron Jones.

They have been not just kind of good the last couple of years, they’ve been really good. Dillon and Jones have been similar in the way they produced the past two seasons, with almost 2,500 total yards in 2022 and more than 2,300 total yards in 2021.

It’s not like one is getting 70 percent of the carries, and the other is just kind of filling in. They’re very similar, with different kinds of bodies, but very similar and consistent with how they produce. This isn’t going to be a big turn here if Green Bay goes mostly to the run.

Even as Aaron Rodgers was having an MVP season, they were in the top half of the league in terms of running commitment, running percentage and how often they ran the football compared to passing it. The Packers could lean into it even more and get into the top 10 with these two as they figure it out with Love. It wouldn’t be like they’re changing identity or becoming somebody completely different on offense. — Burmeister

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1. Lamar Jackson, J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards

Even when their lead back is not playing, the Baltimore Ravens still are committed to running the football. People may call it a brand. It’s an identity for them.

Playing like a Raven means running the football on offense, sticking with it and beating people up. They take pride in being in the AFC North. They want to be right in the thick of it, dealing with Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Cleveland and having fistfights every week.

The Ravens have J.K. Dobbins back full go. Gus Edwards is back. But the bottom line is Lamar Jackson is back there.

Yes, there’s a new offensive coordinator in Todd Monken and everyone thinks he will expand the passing game. But Monken is also a smart offensive coordinator. He won’t totally go away from what works. And when you have a 1,000-yard-a-year running quarterback who confounds defenses, you stay with it.

This is the best running attack in the league for so many different reasons. Jackson wasn’t the first quarterback that teams had to deal with running the football, he’s the latest in the evolution. No one’s done it better and more consistently than him.

The ability to think each and every year, you start with him getting 1,000 yards and work back from there. That tells you all you need to know. Jackson picks up key yards at key times, and he allows head coach John Harbaugh to be aggressive throughout a game. Fourth-and-4, fourth-and-5, because of those legs doesn’t mean let’s not go for it. We’re going to go for it.

The Ravens keep their foot on the gas because Jackson may be a quarterback, but he’s the lead back in Baltimore. – Davis

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Charles Davis is an NFL analyst for CBS and NFL Network. He joined the sports media world after playing safety at the University of Tennessee.

Paul Burmeister, a former starting quarterback at Iowa, is a studio host with NBC Sports and the radio voice of Notre Dame Football. For a decade he worked as a studio host at NFL Network. Follow him on Twitter at @PaulWBurmeister