After taking care of the quarterbacks previously, Silver and Black Pride’s AFC West position rankings are moving on to running backs to see how the Las Vegas Raiders’ roster stacks up with the Denver Broncos’, Kansas City Chiefs’ and Los Angeles Chargers’ rosters heading into the 2026 season. This is an interesting position group for the division because it didn’t have a 1,000-yard rusher in it last year, but a newcomer is shaking up the list below.
All stats referenced below are from the regular season unless otherwise noted.
Advertisement
1. Kenneth Walker, Chiefs
2025 Stats: 221 carries, 1,027 yards (4.6 ypc), 5 TDs, 31 receptions, 282 receiving yards, 0 receiving TDs (17 games)
Fresh off of winning a Super Bowl together with the Seattle Seahawks, Walker and Raiders’ head coach Klint Kubiak will still see each other twice a year, but they will be on opposite sidelines moving forward. The Super Bowl MVP joins the Chiefs after rushing for 1,000 yards for the first time since his rookie season in 2022. He brings some big play ability to Kansas City’s rushing attack, ranking third among running backs with 18 “breakaway” (more than 15 yards) runs and seventh with 398 yards on such carries during the regular season, per Pro Football Focus.
That’s enough to be the top back in the division heading into the season. But it does beg the question of whether Walker’s 2025 production was the result of playing in Kubiak’s offense or was Kubiak’s system effective in Seattle because of Walker? We’ll find out soon enough.
Advertisement
2. J.K. Dobbins, Broncos
2025 Stats: 153 carries, 772 yards (5.0 ypc), 4 TDs, 11 receptions, 37 receiving yards, 0 receiving TDs (10 games)
Putting it simply, Dobbins would be the top running back in the division if he could just stay healthy. He’s the most efficient runner listed here, and he was one of eight backs to have at least 65 carries and average five yards or more per carry last season, per PFF. For context, De’Von Achane (5.7), Derrick Henry (5.2), James Cook (5.2), Bijan Robinson (5.1) and Jahmyr Gibbs (5.0) make up five of the other seven players to accomplish that feat. The difference is that all of them played in at least 16 games a year ago.
In other words, Dobbins could at least be in the conversation as one of the NFL’s best running backs if it weren’t for the multitude of injuries he’s endured. The problem is that if history tells us anything, it’s not a matter of if he’s going to miss games, but when.
Advertisement
3. Ashton Jeanty, Raiders
Ashton Jeanty vs. Chargers
2025 Stats: 266 carries, 975 yards (3.7 ypc), 5 TDs, 55 receptions, 346 receiving yards, 5 receiving TDs (17 games)
Despite having what was widely considered a disappointing rookie season, Jeanty led the AFC West in rushing by nearly 200 yards. Of course, that doesn’t include Walker, and Dobbins was much more efficient. But that’s no small feat for a first-year player, especially since the 2025 No. 6 overall pick also ranked second behind RJ Harvey as a receiver and comfortably led the position in total yards from scrimmage. That’s without even mentioning Las Vegas’ offensive line issues.
Advertisement
A big part of what gives hope for the Boise State product moving forward is that he was tied for fifth with Walker in missed tackles forced (61) and was one shy of tying Gibbs and Cook for third place across the entire league, per PFF. With better blocking in front of him, Jeanty could easily shoot up this list and be the top running back in the division by this time next year.
4. Omarion Hampton, Chargers
2025 Stats: 124 carries, 545 yards (4.4 ypc), 4 TDs, 32 receptions, 192 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD (9 games)
Hampton also had a less-than-stellar rookie stat line a year ago, but his was more injury-related. A broken ankle caused the North Carolina product to miss about half of the season, but he did show some promise on a smaller sample size. While Hampton had about half as many MTFs as Jeanty, per PFF, his 32 on 124 attempts was slightly more efficient than Jeanty’s rate, with a missed tackle once every 3.88 attempts compared to one every 4.36 attempts. Additionally, the former Tar Heel finished 12th among running backs league-wide with 3.35 yards after contact per attempt. He just needs to prove it on a bigger sample size.
Advertisement
5. RJ Harvey, Broncos
2025 Stats: 146 carries, 540 yards (3.7), 7 TDs, 47 receptions, 356 receiving yards, 5 receiving TDs (17 games)
Harvey made his biggest impact as a pass-catcher out of the backfield last season, leading AFC West running backs and ranking eighth among NFL backs in receiving yards. Also, his 12 touchdowns from scrimmage led the division and were tied for 10th league-wide at the position. That’s a pretty good rookie year for a complementary back, especially since Sean Payton likes to have a steady rotation in the backfield.
Honorable Mention: Kimani Vidal (LAC)
