
The old saying “stats don’t lie” holds a lot of truth, especially when considering a player’s legacy within a team. To be recognized as one of the best in the franchise’s history, a player must rank high on the team’s all-time rushing list. However, ranking alone is not the only factor. We must also evaluate the player’s efficiency in yards per game and yards per carry. Additionally, it’s essential to assess whether the running back contributed to the passing game. This analysis will objectively examine the Bengals’ history at the running back position. We will consider total rushing yards with the team, efficiency, career touchdowns scored in Cincinnati, and the longevity of each player’s career. If you love lists like this, check out the Top 10 Cincinnati Bengals Quarterbacks of all-time.
If not for career-altering injuries, Ickey Woods and Paul Robinson would have made this list.
Charles Lee “Boobie” Clark was a 12th-round pick in the 1973 NFL Draft. He played six seasons throughout his career but never replicated the impressive numbers from his breakout rookie season. In 1973, Clark rushed for 988 yards and scored eight touchdowns while catching 45 passes for 347 yards. His outstanding performance earned him the Sporting News and UPI Rookie of the Year awards. Clark currently ranks 10th in franchise history for career rushing yards, with a total of 2,978 yards, and he is ninth in rushing touchdowns, with 25.
The Cincinnati Bengals selected Essex Johnson as a sixth-round pick from Grambling State in the 1968 NFL Draft. He spent nearly all of his NFL career with the Bengals, although he wasn’t a starter for most of that time. Despite this, he ranks ninth on the team’s all-time rushing list with 3,070 yards. Johnson averaged just over 31 rushing yards per game during his time in Cincinnati, but this wasn’t due to inefficiency. Instead, it was mainly because the Bengals did not see him as a starting running back, even though he was utilized frequently. For instance, during the 1971 season, the Bengals had three players, including Johnson, who each rushed for over 400 yards. Johnson’s best season with the Bengals was in 1973, when he served as the starting running back, achieving a career-high of 997 yards on 195 carries.InsertRetryMake it persuasive
Giovani Bernard is one of the most entertaining players in franchise history. He excelled at the running back position, consistently fulfilling his responsibilities, whether running the ball, blocking for passes, or contributing as a receiver. During his eight years with the Cincinnati Bengals, Bernard rushed for 3,697 yards, placing him ninth on the Bengals’ all-time rushing list. He also significantly impacted the passing game, catching at least 40 passes in five of his seasons with the team. He averaged at least 9.0 yards per catch in three of those seasons, finishing his time in Cincinnati with 367 career receptions for 2,989 yards and 14 touchdowns. Although Bernard was never the team’s primary starter, he still received ample playing time, which makes his contributions even more impressive given that he wasn’t “the guy.”
Jeremy Hill, a second-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, made an impressive debut with the Cincinnati Bengals. He rushed for 1,124 yards in his rookie season and scored nine touchdowns. Unfortunately, that rushing total would end up being his career-high. Hill didn’t decline immediately; he gave the Bengals three solid seasons to start his career. In his second year, he led the league in rushing touchdowns with 11 while rushing for 794 yards. He followed that up with another strong performance in his third season, accumulating 839 yards and nine touchdowns. However, in 2017, Hill suffered an injury that cut his season short. By then, the Bengals had already drafted Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard, allowing the team to move forward without him. As it stands, Hill ranks 11th on the all-time Bengals rushing list.
Benson was the fourth overall pick by the Chicago Bears in the 2005 NFL Draft. After three mediocre seasons with the Bears, he moved to Cincinnati, where he thrived. In the 2009 season, Benson achieved a career-high of 1,291 rushing yards, marking the first of three consecutive seasons with over 1,000 rushing yards. Notably, this career total was accomplished despite missing three games, as he was averaging more than 96 yards per game. Following his time in Cincinnati, Benson signed with the Green Bay Packers, where he played for just one season before his career ended after the 2012 season.
Mixon played seven seasons with the Bengals, earning a Pro Bowl selection in 2021 and achieving four seasons with over 1,000 rushing yards. In his second season, he made a significant impact by rushing for 1,168 yards and scoring eight touchdowns. The highlight of his career came in 2021 when he set personal records with 1,205 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, his highest totals.
That same season marked the beginning of Mixon’s increased involvement in the passing game, as he recorded at least 40 receptions and a minimum of 300 receiving yards for three consecutive years. After such a strong career with the Bengals, it was surprising to see the team trade him to the Houston Texans for only a seventh-round pick.
The days when NFL teams regularly utilized fullbacks as runners are long gone. However, in the 1977 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals selected Pete Johnson out of Ohio State in the second round. A fullback drafted in the second round? Those were different times. The Bengals put Johnson to good use, as he became the team’s fifth-leading rusher in franchise history.
He saw increased carries per game throughout his professional career, becoming a key component of the Bengals’ running game. As a rookie, he averaged just under 11 carries per game, but by 1983, that number surged to over 19. Despite his workload, Johnson remained consistent, surpassing 700 rushing yards in five seasons. His best year with the Bengals came in 1981 when he ran for 1,077 yards and 12 touchdowns, earning a spot in the Pro Bowl. That season, he also significantly impacted the passing game, catching 46 passes for 320 yards and four additional touchdowns. By the time he finished his career in Cincinnati, Johnson had amassed 5,421 career rushing yards. He still holds the franchise record with 64 career rushing touchdowns. Plus, the Bengals traded him to get James Brooks, who is even higher on this list.
In the fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals selected running back Rudi Johnson from Auburn. What was curious about this pick was that the Bengals already had Pro Bowler Corey Dillon on the roster, who was in the middle of his prime. As a result, Johnson began his career as a reserve and hardly played during his first two seasons.
However, in 2003, Johnson received more opportunities due to injuries to Dillon. He started five games and appeared in a total of 13, rushing for 957 yards in his third season. From then on, Johnson’s job was to lead the backfield, as Dillon was later traded. Johnson then enjoyed three of the best seasons of his career, each with over 1,300 rushing yards and topping 1,400 yards in two of those seasons. In 2004, during his first full year as the starter, Johnson ran for a career-high 1,454 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. Interestingly, he would score 12 rushing touchdowns in three consecutive seasons from that point onward. Johnson ranks fourth on the Bengals’ all-time rushing list with 5,742 yards. He played for the Bengals from 2001 to 2007 before finishing his career with one final season on the Detroit Lions.
James Brooks was originally drafted in the first round by the San Diego Chargers during the 1981 NFL Draft. This selection was somewhat surprising, as the Chargers already had Chuck Muncie starting in the backfield. After three years with the Chargers, Brooks joined the Cincinnati Bengals, where he became the starting running back.
In his first year with the Bengals, Brooks rushed for only 396 yards on 103 carries. However, by his third year with the team, he made his first Pro Bowl after rushing for 1,087 yards and leading the NFL in yards per carry with an impressive 5.3. Although his following season was curtailed by injury, Brooks continued to excel and earned three consecutive Pro Bowl selections from 1988 to 1990. Over his eight seasons with Cincinnati, Brooks surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark three times and topped 900 yards in two additional seasons. He currently ranks as the second all-time leading rusher in Bengals history, amassing 6,447 rushing yards. Notably, Brooks was also a significant contributor in the passing game; during his tenure with the Bengals, he recorded 3,012 receiving yards and 27 touchdowns.
We now turn to the legend and fan favorite, Corey Dillon. He remains the Bengals’ all-time leading rusher, having accumulated 8,061 career rushing yards. The Bengals selected Dillon as a second-round pick in the 1997 NFL Draft. With only one year of college experience at Washington, where he rushed for 1,555 yards and scored 22 touchdowns, Dillon leaped to the professional level.
From the very beginning, the starting job was Dillon’s. He announced his arrival in the NFL in 1997 by rushing for 1,129 yards and scoring 10 touchdowns. Interestingly, in his second year, he rushed for precisely one more yard than in his rookie season, totalling 1,130 yards, but his touchdown count dropped to four. By his third year, Dillon began gaining the recognition he deserved, earning his first of four Pro Bowl selection after rushing for 1,200 yards and adding 290 receiving yards.
The 2000 season marked Dillon’s best performance as a Bengal, as he rushed for 1,435 yards and secured another Pro Bowl appearance. In the 2001 season, Dillon impressed the football world with a career-long run of 96 yards against the Detroit Lions. The 2003 season turned out to be Dillon’s last in Cincinnati, as an injury-shortened campaign led to him losing his job to Rudi Johnson.
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