While the roster of opposing quarterbacks featured a wide range of established veterans and emerging stars, the opposing running backs Dallas will see is no different.
The top end of this group will feature Jonathan Taylor and Derrick Henry, two of the premier players at the position and both in the AFC South. From there, Dalvin Cook and Joe Mixon round out the upper tier on the schedule with a whole host of other formidable rushers to compete with.
DallasCowboys.com and our writing staff compiled our annual running back rankings with Ezekiel Elliott included as well. How does he stack up?
The Cowboys are set to square off against an excellent group of running back during the upcoming 2022 season. How does Zeke compare to them? We rank the best running backs on the schedule.
10. David Montgomery
Montgomery started 13 games for the Bears last season and totaled 225 rushes for 849 yards and seven touchdowns. He proved to be a nifty pass-catcher out of the backfield as well with 301 receiving yards, something that could prove useful for Justin Fields in his second year and a Chicago squad looking for reliable skill players.
9. Aaron Jones
Coming off a career year in 2020, the UTSA product in Jones posted his lowest rushing yard totals since 2018 with just 799 yards and four touchdowns with the Packers. On the other hand, Jones has become one of the premier pass-catching backs in the league and posted six scores for 391 receiving yards. With Davante Adams now in Vegas, Green Bay will be looking for Jones to round back into 2020 form.
8. Antonio Gibson
It was a breakout sophomore campaign for Gibson in 2021, racking up over 1,000 rushing yards and seven TDs to go along with nearly 300 receiving yards and three scores. Washington already boasts a strong offensive core with Terry McLaurin and Logan Thomas along with a new quarterback under center with Carson Wentz. Gibson looks to build even further entering his age 24 season.
7. Saquon Barkley
After taking the league by storm in his first two seasons in the NFL, it has been tough sledding for Barkley the last two years due to injuries. In just 13 games in 2021, Barkley rushed for just under 600 yards and averaged under four yards a carry. The Giants will be looking to him to help take the pressure off Daniel Jones in a pivotal year for both players.
6. Leonard Fournette
Despite talks that he would leave for elsewhere during free agency, Fournette elected to return to Tampa Bay for a third season. He posted his best season since 2019, running for over 800 yards and eight TDs and more than 450 receiving yards and established himself as the No.1 back for the Bucs. No doubt Tom Brady and Co. will be happy to have the former first rounder back.
5. Ezekiel Elliott
Zeke proved that he could still be a premier running back in the NFL last season with his fourth 1,000-yard season in six years, scoring 12 total touchdowns and racking up nearly 300 receiving yards. While Tony Pollard has shown he is a capable back as well, Dallas now has one of the better running back duos in the league. That will be something they lean in their quest to conquer the NFC East again.
4. Joe Mixon
For all of the offensive talent that the Bengals display during their run to their first Super Bowl appearance since 1989, Mixon might have been the most underrated. He posted a career year with over 1,200 rushing yards and 13 scores, all while totaling over 300 receiving yards and three TDs. The University of Oklahoma product has post three 1,000-yard seasons since entering the league in 2017, and Cincinnati will no doubt look to him to take pressure off Joe Burrow again.
3. Dalvin Cook
Cook missed four games last season due to injury, playing in only 13 games, yet still rushed for nearly 1,200 yards while averaging almost five yards a carry. The Vikings already carry one of the top wide receiver duos in the league with Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen along with Kirk Cousins under center. The hope is that new head coach Kevin O'Connell can take the Minnesota offense to a new level, including Cook.
2. Derrick Henry
A broken foot cost Henry almost half of the 2021 season, forcing him to miss eight games coming off a 2020 campaign where he rushed for over 2,000 yards. He did not return until the Titans playoff loss against the Bengals, totaling over 900 yards and 10 TDs. Henry is still widely considered the No.1 back in the NFL and could carry more of the offensive load following the departure of AJ Brown to the Eagles.
1 Jonathan Taylor
Taylor was a one-man wrecking crew for the Colts last season, leading the league with over 1,800 yards and 18 touchdowns. He averaged over 100 yards a game, also to lead the league, to go along with 360 receiving yards. There is no question that Indianapolis' offense runes through Taylor as he begins his age 23 season.
