Ian Allan

May 19, 2023

Durable backs

Can any running back be counted on to play 17 games?

Austin Ekeler and Najee Harris have both started all 17 games the last two years? Can we count on these guys to stay healthy? Or is running back simply an inherently dangerous position (with every player a substantial risk to have his season ruined)?

Some guys seem more durable than others, of course. Jim Brown and Walter Payton cranked out games year after year, while guys like D’Andre Swift and Rashaad Penny never seem to stay healthy. And other running backs seem to do a better job of avoiding high-impact collisions.

Harris hasn’t missed any games as a pro, but there have been some nicks. He missed most of a playoff game against KC as a rookie, and he left the Colts game last year.

With Ekeler (pictured) there’s the contract issue. He’s understandably miffed that he’s more important to the Chargers than either Keenan Allen or Mike Williams but making less than a third as much. But that’s a question for another post; here, I’m looking just a durability.

But let’s look at a few numbers. In the 32-team era, I see 48 running backs who played in every game two years in a row, finishing with top-15 overall numbers in each of those seasons. (Like Ekeler and Harris have just done.) Of those 48 games, 12 of them (and even 25 percent) missed a least a quarter of their next season. I see 2015 Matt Forte playing 13 games; I’m not sure how to label that season. And I see the remaining 35 (of 48) playing at least 14 games – I will call those guys relatively healthy.

Of the 48 players, just over half (25) played in the full 16 games).

In the chart below, at how those 48 players fared after two consecutive healthy, productive seasons. I put the black dot next to the names of the players who missed at least four games. There are five who missed at least half the season, and I gave them double dots.

PRODUCTION OF "DURABLE" RUNNING BACKS
Year	Player	Age	G	Run	Rec	Yards	TD	PPR	Rk
2002	Curtis Martin, NYJ	29	16	1,094	362	1,456	7	238.6	17
2002	Charlie Garner, Oak.	30	16	962	941	1,903	11	347.3	4
2002	Ahman Green, G.B.	25	14	1,240	393	1,633	9	274.3	11
2003	Ricky Williams, Mia.	26	16	1,372	351	1,723	10	282.3	9
2003	Shaun Alexander, Sea.	26	16	1,435	295	1,730	16	311.0	7
2003	LaDainian Tomlinson, S.D.	24	16	1,645	725	2,370	17	444.1	2
2003	Charlie Garner, Oak.	31	14	553	386	939	4	165.9	26
2004	Shaun Alexander, Sea.	27	16	1,696	170	1,866	20	329.6	4
2004	Tiki Barber, NYG	29	16	1,518	578	2,096	15	351.6	1
2004	LaDainian Tomlinson, S.D.	25	15	1,335	441	1,776	18	340.5	2
2004	Fred Taylor, Jac.	28	14	1,224	345	1,569	3	210.9	19
2004	• Jamal Lewis, Balt.	25	12	1,006	116	1,122	7	164.2	28
2005	Tiki Barber, NYG	30	16	1,860	530	2,390	11	361.0	4
2005	Shaun Alexander, Sea.	28	16	1,880	78	1,958	28	378.8	1
2005	• Ricky Williams, Mia.	28	12	743	93	836	6	136.6	28
2006	Rudi Johnson, Cin.	27	16	1,309	124	1,433	12	238.3	11
2006	Tiki Barber, NYG	31	16	1,662	465	2,127	5	300.7	6
2006	Reuben Droughns, Cle.	28	14	758	169	927	4	143.7	34
2006	• Shaun Alexander, Sea.	29	10	896	48	944	7	148.4	33
2007	LaDainian Tomlinson, S.D.	28	16	1,474	475	1,949	18	367.8	2
2007	• Rudi Johnson, Cin.	28	11	497	110	607	4	99.7	49
2007	•• Larry Johnson, K.C.	28	8	559	186	745	4	128.5	37
2008	LaDainian Tomlinson, S.D.	29	16	1,110	426	1,536	12	277.6	6
2009	LaDainian Tomlinson, S.D.	30	14	730	154	884	12	180.4	24
2009	•• Clinton Portis, Was.	28	8	494	57	551	2	76.1	58
2010	Thomas Jones, K.C.	32	16	896	122	1,018	6	151.8	27
2010	Matt Forte, Chi.	25	16	1,069	547	1,616	9	268.6	9
2010	Adrian Peterson, Min.	25	15	1,298	341	1,639	13	277.9	5
2010	Maurice Jones-Drew, Jac.	25	14	1,324	317	1,641	7	240.1	13
2011	Chris Johnson, Ten.	26	16	1,047	418	1,465	4	227.5	9
2011	Ray Rice, Balt.	24	16	1,364	704	2,068	15	376.9	1
2011	• Matt Forte, Chi.	26	12	997	490	1,487	4	224.7	11
2012	Michael Turner, Atl.	30	16	800	128	928	11	177.8	22
2012	Chris Johnson, Ten.	27	16	1,243	232	1,475	6	219.5	12
2012	Ray Rice, Balt.	25	16	1,143	478	1,621	10	283.1	4
2013	Chris Johnson, Ten.	28	16	1,077	345	1,422	10	244.2	9
2013	Ray Rice, Balt.	26	15	660	321	981	4	182.1	22
2014	Chris Johnson, NYJ	29	16	663	151	814	2	117.4	39
2014	Marshawn Lynch, Sea.	28	16	1,306	367	1,673	17	306.3	4
2015	Matt Forte, Chi.	30	13	898	389	1,287	7	216.7	8
2015	• LeSean McCoy, Buff.	27	12	895	292	1,187	5	182.7	17
2015	•• Marshawn Lynch, Sea.	29	7	417	80	497	3	82.7	61
2016	Lamar Miller, Hou.	25	14	1,073	188	1,261	6	193.1	19
2017	Frank Gore, Ind.	34	16	961	245	1,206	4	173.6	20
2017	•• David Johnson, Ariz.	26	1	23	67	90	0	15.0	110
2018	• Mark Ingram, N.O.	29	12	645	170	815	7	144.5	32
2019	Christian McCaffrey, Car.	23	16	1,387	1,005	2,392	19	471.2	1
2020	•• Christian McCaffrey, Car.	24	3	225	149	374	6	90.4	54
2023	Austin Ekeler, LAC	28	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
2023	Najee Harris, Pitt.	25	?	?	?	?	?	?	?

When I first started looking at this, I considered backs who had played in all 16 games in back-to-back seasons and finished with top 20 numbers. I later trimmed it down to the 48 listed in the first chart. Below, for those who want to look through what ended up on the cutting room floor, are the 21 more backs who had two healthy seasons, with at least one of them of the 16th to 20th range (using PPR scoring).

There were also a few backs who simply didn’t come back and play at all (including Tiki Barber, who retired). I think there were 3-4 of those backs, and they’re not listed.

SECOND LEVEL "DURABLE" RUNNING BACKS
Year	Player	Age	G	Run	Rec	Yards	TD	PPR	Rk
2002	Corey Dillon, Cin.	28	16	1,311	298	1,609	7	245.9	16
2002	Eddie George, Ten.	29	16	1,165	255	1,420	14	262.0	14
2003	Eddie George, Ten.	30	16	1,031	163	1,194	5	171.4	23
2003	Curtis Martin, NYJ	30	16	1,308	262	1,570	2	211.0	18
2003	Corey Dillon, Cin.	29	13	541	71	612	2	84.2	46
2003	• Garrison Hearst, S.F.	32	12	768	211	979	4	146.9	32
2004	Curtis Martin, NYJ	31	16	1,697	245	1,942	14	319.2	5
2005	• Curtis Martin, NYJ	32	12	735	118	853	5	139.3	27
2006	Warrick Dunn, Atl.	31	16	1,140	170	1,310	5	183.0	25
2006	Willis McGahee, Buff.	25	14	990	156	1,146	6	168.6	26
2008	Marion Barber, Dall.	25	15	885	417	1,302	9	236.2	12
2008	Edgerrin James, Ariz.	30	13	514	85	599	3	91.9	56
2011	Rashard Mendenhall, Pitt.	24	15	928	154	1,082	9	180.2	22
2013	Frank Gore, S.F.	30	16	1,128	141	1,269	9	196.9	18
2013	• Shonn Greene, Ten.	28	11	295	39	334	4	63.4	60
2014	Frank Gore, S.F.	31	16	1,106	111	1,217	5	162.7	21
2014	Alfred Morris, Was.	26	16	1,074	155	1,229	8	187.9	17
2015	Alfred Morris, Was.	27	16	751	55	806	1	96.6	53
2016	Jeremy Hill, Cin.	24	15	839	174	1,013	9	176.3	22
2018	Frank Gore, Mia.	35	14	722	124	846	1	102.6	47
2020	• Nick Chubb, Cle.	25	12	1,067	150	1,217	12	209.7	11

—Ian Allan

Austin Ekeler Najee Harris

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