For the Jets and Patriots, the running attack will be the focal point of their offense. Not so much for the Dolphins and Bills.
This is Part 2 of the Daily News’ series on the AFC East where we rank position groups within the division as the four teams close in on the start of training camp at the end of July.
Today we turn our attention to the players behind the quarterback in the backfield.
These rankings are based on production from last year and their immediate outlook for the 2021 season.
1) PATRIOTS
The Patriots (7-9 last season) used a running back by committee attack in 2020 to great success. Well, as much success as you can have when you don’t make the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade. Bill Belichick’s team averaged 146 rushing yards per game, which was third in the NFL. The committee featured Damien Harris, Sony Michel and Rex Burkhead.
Their lead back should be Harris — a third-round pick out of Alabama in 2019 — but with Belichick and the Patriots you never know. One year you could be the lead guy and the next year you could be a free agent (hello, Jonas Gray). In 10 games, Harris had 691 yards rushing (averaging five yards per carry) and two touchdowns. He missed six games with an ankle and finger injury. Pro Football Focus rated him as the second best running back with a grade of 90.3, behind only Titans star Derrick Henry.
Michel had 449 yards while Burkhead added 274.
But a big reason why the Patriots had an effective running attack was because of Cam Newton, who’s always a threat in the ground game. Newton had 592 yards rushing (second on the team) and added 12 touchdowns (most in the NFL by a quarterback).
If Newton is the starter throughout the year, there’s no reason to believe the Patriots run game won’t be the best in the division.
2) JETS
Last year, the Jets (2-14) running attack was below average … like every other part of the team. Gang Green averaged 105.2 yards per game, good for 22nd in the NFL. But under new offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur the Jets will have a run first offense and their wide zone blocking scheme will allow the running backs to eat.
Going into training camp the Jets’ running back situation is an open competition. Michael Carter, Tevin Coleman, La’Mical Perine, Ty Johnson, Austin Walter and Josh Adams will all have an opportunity to insert themselves into the “wave” that Robert Saleh wants to create.
The Jets added Carter in the fourth round out of North Carolina and he flashed his talent throughout the offseason. Coleman, who played for Saleh and LaFleur in Atlanta and San Francisco and signed on with the Jets in March, knows this offense extremely well.
Statistically, there isn’t much production returning from Gang Green’s running backs. Johnson, Adams and Perine combined for 643 rushing yards last season. Their lack of production is more on an unknown than a concern given that Adam Gase was the coach.
But with an improved offensive line the Jets running game should produce. And in this offense, running backs do extremely well, so regardless of who’s the lead horse.
Toss in a rookie quarterback in Zach Wilson and it is clear the Jets will pound the rock.
3) BILLS
The Bills (13-3) offense was potent last year but their running attack was mediocre. They averaged 104.2 rushing yards (24th in the NFL) and 24 attempts per game (26th in the NFL). But it was OK because of their explosive passing game.
Their running game was led by Devin Singletary, Zack Moss and star quarterback Josh Allen.
Singletary, in his second season out of Florida Atlantic, had a solid year as he led the Bills in rushing by averaging 4.4 yards per carry for 687 yards and two touchdowns. Moss finished second on the team with 481 yards. Allen contributed 421 yards with eight touchdowns.
The defending AFC East champions added Matt Breida, who had a disappointing year with the Dolphins after finishing with 254 yards, but is a home run threat.
The Bills didn’t need a prolific run game for their offense to click and probably won’t need a dominant run game to be dangerous in 2021. So I envision their run game just complementing their explosive pass attack.
4) DOLPHINS
The Dolphins (10-6) also didn’t have much of a ground attack in 2020. They were 21st in the NFL as they averaged 105.5 yards per game. Their lead back is Myles Gaskin, who had 584 yards in 10 games last season. He is again projected to be the lead back for the Dolphins.
They added veteran Malcolm Brown from the Los Angeles Rams but he only had 419 yards last season. They still have Salvon Ahmed, who flashed speed and vision at times in his six games, but finished with just 314 yards on 75 attempts.
They are solid players, but let’s be real, none of these names scare anybody in the AFC East.
The Dolphins running game will depend on the development of their offensive line. If the offensive line can improve from a rough year in 2020 then the running game will as well. The talent in the backfield isn’t there to overcome a poor O-line.
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PREVIOUS POSITION GROUP BREAKDOWNS
1. Quarterbacks
