Future Hall of Famer Derrick Henry headlines the AFC North’s running back position. At the same time, Rico Dowdle’s experience and production join the division, giving the Steelers a solid 1-2 punch. Quinshon Judkins had a terrific rookie season in Cleveland, but it ended with a gruesome injury. And Cincinnati’s Chase Brown is struggling to take that step forward as a No. 1 RB.
So, how do the RB depth charts in the AFC North shake out ahead of the 2026 season?
1. BALTIMORE RAVENS
Once again, the Baltimore Ravens reign supreme at the running back position in the AFC North, thanks to the presence of King Henry.
Though Henry’s numbers declined slightly last season, the future first-ballot Hall of Famer ran for 1,595 yards and 16 touchdowns on 307 carries. Despite finishing second in rushing yards and scoring the second-most rushing touchdowns in the league, Henry failed to earn Pro Bowl or All-Pro accolades for the first time in four seasons.
He is still an elite-level running back, even entering his age-32 season. He has plenty of mileage on his tires, but he shows no signs of slowing down.
Behind Henry, the Ravens lost Keaton Mitchell in free agency. But they still have Justice Hill and drafted Clemson’s Adam Randall, giving them plenty of size and speed. Hill is the dependable third-down and special teams piece. Randall is the headliner behind Henry, as the Ravens’ owner personally drafted the former wide receiver-turned-running back.
Rasheen Ali returns for another season, too, while the Ravens have undrafted free agents Elijah Tau-Tolliver and Dontae McMillan on the roster battling for a special-teams spot. This group goes as Henry goes, and right now, few are better than him.
2. PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Losing Team MVP Kenneth Gainwell in free agency initially felt like a big blow for the Steelers, but they pivoted quickly. Pittsburgh signed Rico Dowdle, potentially an upgrade over Gainwell, to pair with Jaylen Warren.
Dowdle isn’t the pass-catcher that Gainwell is. Instead, he’s a better runner who brings more physicality, matching the style of play head coach Mike McCarthy wants. Dowdle rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season in Carolina and had a dominant stretch in the middle of the season. Now, he’s reunited with McCarthy and could take over the No. 1 role in the Steel City.
Warren played well in his role last season with the Steelers, rushing for a career-high 958 yards and six touchdowns. He was a hammer between the tackles and showed off his ability to hit home-run plays. But with Dowdle in the mix, Warren could slide back into that third-down role he had early in his career, where he was a great pass catcher and pass protector.
Regardless, the Steelers are in very good shape with the 1-2 punch.
Depth is a bit of a concern behind them, though. Second-year pro Kaleb Johnson looks to bounce back after a lost rookie season. He’s now in a new scheme that doesn’t exactly fit what he did best coming out of Iowa, and could be a surprise roster cut or trade this summer. Travis Homer is a special teams ace and has barely played RB in recent years, so there’s a concern there as well.
Lew Nichols played well in the preseason last year and stuck around, making it possible that he breaks out once again this summer. Max Hurleman and rookie Eli Heidenreich are do-everything pieces that might make more of an impact on special teams. Heidenreich projects as a seamless receiving replacement for Gainwell if the Steelers choose to do that.
3. CINCINNATI BENGALS
Stepping into the No. 1 role, Chase Brown responded with a 1,000-yard season for the Bengals, rushing for 1,019 yards and six touchdowns. Though he averaged 4.3 yards per carry and had some explosive showings, like Thursday Night Football against the Steelers, it was an up-and-down season for Brown.
He only had three games with more than 100 rushing yards. But he also had a career-high 69 receptions for 437 yards and five touchdowns. proving to be a solid dual threat for Cincinnati. Now, with Joe Burrow healthy, Brown’s arrow is pointing up.
The Bengals have some good depth in the room, too, with veteran Samaje Perine back in the mix. Perine is entering his 11th season in the league and performed well last season with the Bengals, rushing for 382 yards and three touchdowns in limited duties. He runs well between the tackles and offers some short-yardage power.
Cincinnati also has Tahj Brooks back for another season. I really liked him coming out of Texas Tech last year, but he didn’t really get a chance to prove himself. He has great feet and underrated long speed, and could be a nice change-of-pace back for Brown.
Undrafted free agents Kentrell Bullock and Jamal Haynes are intriguing names to watch in training camp and the preseason. Kendall Milton returns for Year 2, and veteran Gary Brightwell, who has special-teams value, is also in the mix.
4. CLEVELAND BROWNS
I strongly debated between the Bengals and Browns as the final two teams. Quinshon Judkins’ late-season injury to end an impressive rookie season settled Cleveland into No. 4 in the rankings. Judkins was a revelation for Cleveland after finally getting onto the field.
He rushed for 827 yards and seven touchdowns last season despite averaging 3.7 yards per carry. He was good in short-yardage situations and produced some highlights, but lacked consistency. Judkins had five games rushing for under 40 yards last season, but he also had five games of 80+ yards.
If he can get back to full health, the arrow is pointing up.
Cleveland’s depth is concerning. Dylan Sampson was a nice pass-catching back for the Browns, but he offered very little as a runner, rushing for 175 yards, averaging 2.69 yards per carry. He projects as a nice third-down back, but nothing more at this point.
Cleveland also has Raheim Sanders and Ahmani Marshall back for Year 2. Sanders rushed for 92 yards and a touchdown last season, while Marshall spent the season on the practice squad. Undrafted free agents Davon Booth and TJ Harden will compete for playing time in the preseason, with Harden looking more like an AFC North running back at 6-foot, 218 pounds.
If Judkins is still recovering from the gruesome knee injury early in the season, Cleveland’s backfield could be in some real trouble.
2025 AFC North RB Rankings
No. 1 – Baltimore Ravens
No. 2 – Pittsburgh Steelers
No. 3 – Cleveland Browns
No. 4 – Cincinnati Bengals
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