The NFC West has no shortage of running back talent, but the gap between the top and bottom of the division still comes down to one thing: certainty. San Francisco has it.
Arizona is building toward it. Los Angeles already knows what it has.
Seattle, on the other hand, is walking into camp with more questions than answers.
At the top of the list sits San Francisco, and Christian McCaffrey remains the standard. A healthy McCaffrey is still arguably the best running back in the league, and he’s been a perfect fit next to quarterback Brock Purdy. When he’s on the field, he’s an annual Offensive Player of the Year candidate and a true cheat code for the 49ers offense.
Arizona may not usually get lumped into the same conversation as the division’s strongest rosters, but its backfield deserves real attention. James Conner is still making a difference, and the Cardinals added major upside by taking Jeremiyah Love at No. 3 overall.
Love was arguably the best overall prospect in the 2026 NFL draft. They also brought in Tyler Allgeier in free agency, giving this group three-headed monster potential.
Los Angeles rounds out the middle of the division, and the Rams have a backfield with a clear lead option and a strong insurance policy. Kyren Williams has locked himself in as a top-10 back in the NFL, and he’s now put together three straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons. Behind him, Blake Corum showed plenty last year, piling up 746 yards and six touchdowns and proving he’s one of the better handcuffs in the league.
Then there’s Seattle, where the offseason overhaul has left the Seahawks with the most uncertainty in the NFC West. They lost Super Bowl 60 MVP Kenneth Walker III to free agency and replaced him by drafting Jadarian Price.
But the questions don’t stop there. Will Price be ready to handle the load as a rookie?
When will Zach Charbonnet be healthy and available? How involved will George Holani be?
For now, that uncertainty is enough to leave Seattle last in the division.
In Other News...
How Many New Cardinals Can Actually Claim Starting Jobs In 2026
A lot has changed around the Cardinals since the 2025 season ended, and the overhaul is already giving Mike LaFleur a different kind of roster to sort through. With a new head coach in place and fresh arrivals at quarterback, running back, receiver and along the offensive line, Arizona suddenly has more moving parts than it did a year ago, which is usually a sign that training camp will matter a lot more than usual for sorting out the depth chart.
Some of those jobs look easier to project than others, but the Cardinals still have several spots where the competition could shape the offense well into the summer. Kendrick Bourne gives LaFleur another versatile pass catcher to work with, Brandon Seumalo brings experience to the interior line, and Isaiah Bisontis and Dennis Wilkinson add more intrigue up front, where Arizona is trying to turn all that turnover into something stable before the 2026 season gets here. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Still Have One Big Question Behind Trey McBride
The Cardinals are building a new offense under Mike LaFleur, and the tight end room figures to be a bigger piece of it than it has been in recent years. Trey McBride is locked in as the featured option, but the team wants to lean on multiple tight-end looks and different personnel groupings, which puts a little extra weight on who settles in behind him.
Tip Reiman and Elijah Higgins are the names to watch for that secondary role, and Reiman brings a very different profile to the competition. The rookie showed up in all 17 games last season and carved out work as a blocking presence, the kind of player who can help the run game and give the offense some flexibility, so his place in the rotation could matter as much as any camp battle on the roster. [Read more 🡒]