Running backs may not be the centerpiece of NFL offenses the way they once were, but there are still teams built to put a huge load on that position. In 2026, a few clubs don’t really have the luxury of easing off their backfield stars. They’re going to need production, touches, and answers from the ground game.
Ashton Jeanty is one of those players in Las Vegas.
The Raiders spent the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Jeanty with the idea that he could step in as an immediate workhorse for Pete Carroll’s offense. Instead, his rookie year got messy fast. Bad quarterback play, even worse offensive line play, and a thin supporting cast around him made things difficult, and Las Vegas eventually moved on from Carroll after just one season.
Now the whole operation has a new look. Klint Kubiak is in as head coach, and Fernando Mendoza is set to start the next chapter at quarterback.
Mendoza has plenty of upside, but as a rookie, there are bound to be rough stretches. The Raiders also don’t have elite talent at wide receiver to soften the load. That’s where Jeanty comes in.
The offensive line should be much better this season with star center Tyler Linderbaum joining the mix and Jackson Powers-Johnson returning after his 2025 season was cut short by injury. Powers-Johnson’s return gives the line back a rising young piece, while Linderbaum’s arrival lets him slide back to guard.
Put it all together - a better line, a rookie quarterback, and a new system - and Jeanty looks like the kind of player who can become the offense’s security blanket.
De'Von Achane is in a similar spot in Miami, only the Dolphins have stripped things down even more around him.
Miami overhauled a major part of its offense this offseason, bringing in quarterback Malik Willis and moving on from Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. That leaves Achane as the one clear holdover and, in all likelihood, the biggest playmaking threat on the roster.
First-year head coach Jeff Hafley doesn’t sound interested in hiding that fact. During an appearance on the Rich Eisen show this preseason, Hafley said he told Achane to be in elite shape and that there are some games he could touch the football as much as 40 or 45 times.
That might be a stretch, but even getting close would be the kind of workload that used to define the position in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Achane has earned that kind of trust. He’s coming off a Pro Bowl 2025 season in which he piled up 1,838 yards from scrimmage and 12 total touchdowns.
He has gone over 1,400 yards from scrimmage in each of the past two seasons and scored 12 touchdowns in each of them. He’s one of the league’s best dual-threat backs, and Miami is going to lean on him heavily if it wants to stay in the mix.
He should be running it, catching it, and leading the Dolphins in both categories.
Then there’s Jeremiyah Love in Arizona, where the Cardinals made one of the most aggressive draft decisions in recent memory by taking him No. 3 overall.
Whether that was the best use of a top-three pick for a team that’s already in rough shape is fair debate. But there’s no argument about the talent. Love was the best player in the draft, or at least right there at the top of the board.
And Arizona may not have a choice but to turn him loose quickly.
The offense is thin outside of tight end Trey McBride. Marvin Harrison Jr. is the top wide receiver, but his career has been a major disappointment so far, and there isn’t much behind him. The quarterback situation also lacks top-tier quality, and the defense is shaky enough that the Cardinals will need to protect it with a ball-control approach.
That’s a setup built for Love to see a ton of touches right away.
In Other News...
Malik Willis Is Giving Dolphins Fans A Real QB Debate
Malik Willis first start for the Dolphins offered a reminder that the conversation around Miamis quarterback room is no longer just about depth or development. After a slow offseason, he bounced back with a touchdown drive in his debut, and the way he handled the moment matched what he flashed during a strong training camp. For a fan base that has been looking for more than just a backup storyline, that was enough to turn a routine preseason-type evaluation into something a little more serious.
What makes the situation especially interesting is the ripple effect it could have beyond this season. Willis play has already fueled speculation about whether he can grow into something more than a short-term option, and Miamis long-term planning could eventually reflect that if he keeps trending upward. The bigger question is whether the Dolphins approach to the quarterback position in 2027 starts to look very different depending on what he does over the coming months. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Get A Rookie Boost But One Question Still Looms
The Dolphins got a small but meaningful lift this week with the activation of rookie wide receiver Chris Bell from the non-football injury list, adding another young piece to an offense that already had plenty of reasons to be watched closely. Bell is coming back from the season-ending knee injury he suffered in college, and Miami views his return as a welcome boost to its group of weapons as camp moves toward the regular season.
Bells presence now gives the Dolphins a better chance to sort through their receiver depth with more options on the field, which is especially useful as the opener approaches. The next question is less about whether Miami wants him available and more about how quickly he can put himself in position to help when the team lines up for the start of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Chris Bell Gives Dolphins Receiving Battle Real Intrigue Again
The Dolphins receiving group got a little more interesting this week with rookie wideout Chris Bell coming off the Non-Football Injury list as he keeps working back from the torn ACL he suffered before training camp. Bells return to the practice mix gives Miami another young option to evaluate as the preseason schedule approaches, and it adds a little more shape to a competition that had already been drawing attention around the roster.
Jeff Hafley and Bobby Slowik have both pointed to Bells progress while also stressing patience, which makes sense given how much time he has missed and how careful the team needs to be about avoiding a setback. Even so, the fact that he is now positioned to be available for the preseason and possibly the regular-season opener gives the Dolphins one more name to watch in a receiver battle that suddenly feels a lot less straightforward. [Read more 🡒]