The AFC West is shaping up as one of the most interesting running back divisions in the league heading into 2026. Between a Super Bowl MVP changing teams, two first-round picks with breakout buzz, and a veteran coming back from injury, there’s real intrigue at the position across the board.
And when you start sorting out the best backfield duos in the division, the conversation comes down to more than just the headline name. The starter matters most, sure, but the second back can be the piece that lets an offense keep leaning on the run without losing juice.
- Los Angeles Chargers: Omarion Hampton & Keaton Mitchell
The Chargers land at the bottom of this ranking, but there’s still a path to something better here if Omarion Hampton takes a leap in Year 2. His rookie season was rough enough that it’s fair to be cautious, but the context matters. Los Angeles was dealing with a patchwork offensive line last year, and injuries piled up until both Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt went down for the season.
That line still has questions as those players work their way back, but Hampton has breakout potential if the blocking stabilizes. New offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel brings real credibility in the run game, with a track record that stretches through both Miami and San Francisco.
He’ll have a bruiser in Hampton and a change-of-pace speed option in Keaton Mitchell, who arrived from the Baltimore Ravens without much fanfare. Mitchell averaged 6.3 yards per carry on 121 attempts in Baltimore, and McDaniel has already shown he knows how to create space for smaller, faster backs on the edges.
- Kansas City Chiefs: Kenneth Walker & Emmett Johnson
The Chiefs may not know exactly who settles in behind Kenneth Walker yet, but the overall shape of the room looks much better than it did a year ago. Kansas City added Emari Demercado from the Cardinals, brought back Brashard Smith, and drafted Emmett Johnson in the fifth round. The return of Eric Bieniemy to coach the running backs also gives this group another lift.
Walker is the centerpiece. He just won Super Bowl MVP with the Seahawks and posted a career-high with more than 1,300 yards from scrimmage last season. If he can bring that kind of production to Kansas City, it changes the way the offense can function.
The Chiefs also had to completely remake the position. With Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco gone, they’re replacing more than 280 carries. That makes Walker’s arrival even more important.
- Las Vegas Raiders: Ashton Jeanty & Mike Washington Jr.
The Raiders have one of the more compelling setups in the division because the upside is obvious, even if one half of the duo remains something of a projection. Ashton Jeanty had to fight for everything last season behind a bad offensive line, but he still finished with more than 1,300 yards from scrimmage and 10 total touchdowns while averaging just 3.7 yards per carry.
Now he gets Klint Kubiak’s system, and that pairing has a chance to really click. Jeanty looks built for a three-down role in that offense, and there’s plenty of excitement around what Year 2 could look like.
The Raiders also added Mike Washington Jr., a high-cut runner with real straight-line burst. At 6-foot-1 and 223 pounds, he ran a 4.33 40-yard dash, and that speed should fit nicely in Kubiak’s one-cut approach. Jeanty will handle most of the load, but Washington gives Las Vegas a legitimate change-up.
- Denver Broncos: JK Dobbins & RJ Harvey
The Broncos take the top spot, even if JK Dobbins’ injury history keeps the setup from feeling totally clean. Before the Week 10 injury, he was in the top five in the NFL in rushing yards with 772, was averaging 5.0 yards per carry, and was tied for fourth with 21 runs of 10-plus yards. He was putting together the best season of his career before the Lisfranc injury against the Raiders stopped it.
Denver liked enough of what it saw in the recovery to bring him back on a two-year deal, and the bet is clear: Dobbins returns to form, and second-year back RJ Harvey takes another step as a three-down threat.
Harvey didn’t exactly spark the Broncos’ run game after Dobbins went down, but he still finished with well over 1,000 yards from scrimmage including the playoffs and added 12 total touchdowns. He also came through in key moments, which is part of why Denver feels good about the pairing entering 2026.
In Other News...
Chargers Suddenly Face A Massive Rashawn Slater Question In 2026
Rashawn Slater has already built the kind of rsum the Chargers hoped for when they took him 13th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, becoming a Pro Bowl tackle and one of the most important pieces on the roster when healthy. But his career has also been defined by stops and starts, with injuries interrupting what looked like a steady rise and forcing Los Angeles to keep recalibrating around one of its best offensive linemen.
Now the conversation around Slater is shifting again as 2026 approaches, because the Chargers need to know what they can count on from a player who has already been through a torn bicep and other setbacks. The urgency is obvious with his big extension on the books, and the team suddenly has to answer a hard question about whether it can still build around him the way it once planned. [Read more 🡒]
Mike McDaniel Faces A Huge Justin Herbert Test In Los Angeles
Mike McDaniel is getting a very different kind of offensive canvas in Los Angeles, one that looks nothing like the speed-driven setup he helped build in Miami. The Chargers are not built around a Tyreek Hill-style outside eraser, so the emphasis shifts to a more layered attack, with a real commitment to the run game, motion and play-action, all designed to create balance instead of trying to win every snap the same way.
Justin Herbert is the reason that approach has real staying power. His arm talent, size and ability to make off-platform throws give the Chargers a higher baseline than McDaniel had before, which is why this offense can afford to be more adaptable than a straight copy of the Miami blueprint. The challenge now is making the pieces around Herbert, including Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston and Tre Harris, consistently handle their own roles well enough to let the whole thing function. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Face A Real Test Of How Aggressive Joe Hortiz Will Be
The idea of the Chargers making a real move at corner has gained traction with Clevelands willingness to listen after the Myles Garrett trade shook up the Browns approach. Denzel Ward fits the kind of upgrade Los Angeles would at least have to consider if Joe Hortiz wants to be aggressive, because the former Pro Bowl corner would immediately raise the ceiling of a secondary that is still sorting out its pecking order.
Ward also brings the kind of contract questions that make any deal harder to pencil in cleanly. His deal carries a hefty 2026 cap hit, and a trade would likely come with the need for a new extension, while Clevelands contract structure could complicate how both sides value the return. For the Chargers, the real question is not whether Ward would help, but how much Hortiz is willing to pay in picks and future flexibility to find out. [Read more 🡒]