Ezekiel Elliott and the Dallas Cowboys have finally agreed to agree on a contract, which is the richest for an RB in NFL history. The former Ohio State star has gotten off to a brilliant start in his first three seasons. Where does it rank him in yards per game with the other elite running backs in NFL history?
Tom Pennington/Getty Images
20. Todd Gurley
Todd Gurley is averaging 78.4 ypg through his first four years. He is one of a quartet of active rushers in the Top 20 on this list. The former Georgia star averaged a career best 89.4 ypg in 2018.
19. Domanick Williams
Domanick Williams has to be the least known player on the list. He played three seasons for the Texans and finished at 79.9 ypg. Williams played college ball at LSU. He had two 1,000-yard seasons in the NFL. A knee injury ended his career.
18. LaDainian Tomlinson
Back to familiar names. Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson averaged 80.5 ypg in a career that spanned 2001-11. Tomlinson led the league in yards per game once.
17. Jamal Lewis
Jamal Lewis played nine years and clocks in at 81 ypg. His best season was 2003 when he averaged 129.1 ypg for the Ravens.
16. Emmitt Smith
The elite Emmitt Smith led the league in yards per game three times in his Hall-of-Fame career. He finished at 81.2 ypg, playing for the Cowboys and Cardinals.
15. Arian Foster
Arian Foster’s best season was 101 ypg — 1,616 yards — in 2010. The former Tennessee RB wound up his career averaging 81.6 ypg.
14. Earl Campbell
The “Tyler Rose,” Earl Campbell had a brilliant career. A bruising runner the former Texas great led the league in yards per game in his first three seasons and finished with an average of 81.8.
13. Edgerrin James
Edgerrin James came from Miami to the Indianapolis Colts. He played seven seasons in Indy and averaged 96.7 ypg. Overall, he wound up at 82.7 as his career slowed with Arizona and Seattle.
12. O.J. Simpson
O.J. Simpson averaged 83.2 ypg. He was almost at 91 ypg with the Buffalo Bills for nine years. His production was halved in his last two seasons as a Niner.
11. Curtis Martin
Curtis Martin was incredibly consistent. He averaged 83.8 ypg in eight seasons as a Jet. Prior to that, he averaged 84.4 ypg for New England in three years.
10. Billy Sims
Like many others of his generation and prior, Billy Sims had his career ruined by knee injuries. He never led the league in rushing or yards per game but finished his five-year career at 85.1 ypg.
9. Le’Veon Bell
Le’Veon Bell returns to the NFL as a New York Jet after holding out in 2018. Bell will look to improve on the 86.1 ypg he averaged for the Steelers.
8. Clinton Portis
Clinton Portis played two years for Denver and seven for Washington. He also never led the league in rushing yards or yards per game in his career, yet finished at 87.8 ypg.
7. Walter Payton
Ah, Sweetness. Walter Payton is a legend among running backs. The brilliant Bears’ RB led the league once in ypg, notching 132.3 in 1977. He finished his 13-year career at 88 ypg.
6. Adrian Peterson
Adrian Peterson continues to roll. Currently in Washington, Peterson checks in at 89.4 ypg.
5. Eric Dickerson
The elite Eric Dickerson starred for the Rams and Colts. The former SMU great led the league in yards per game five times and finished at 90.8 ypg. In `1984, he averaged 131.6 ypg,
4. Terrell Davis
Terrell Davis checks in at 97.5 ypg. The former Bronco great and Hall of Famer led the league in rushing with 2,008 yards in 1998. Injuries limited Davis to four full seasons in a seven-year career.
3. Barry Sanders
Barry Sanders wound up his 10-year career at 99.8 ypg. One season, 1997, he averaged more than 128 yards per game. Sanders led the league in rushing four times.
2. Ezekiel Elliott
Ezekiel Elliott has averaged 101.2 yards per game. The best of his three seasons was his rookie year when he accounted for 108.7 ypg. He has led the league in ypg all three seasons.
1. Jim Brown
The incomparable Jim Brown tops the list. The Cleveland Browns’ star rushed for an average of 104.3 yards per game in a nine-year career. Brown led the NFL in rushing eight times.
