This is a list of National Football League running backs by total career rushing attempts. This list includes all running backs with at least 2,500 attempts.
Active players listed in bold type.
Players with at least 2,500 rushing attempts
edit| Rank[1] | Player | Attempts[2] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emmitt Smith | 4,409 |
| 2 | Walter Payton | 3,838 |
| 3 | Frank Gore | 3,735 |
| 4 | Curtis Martin | 3,518 |
| 5 | Jerome Bettis | 3,479 |
| 6 | Adrian Peterson | 3,210 |
| 7 | LaDainian Tomlinson | 3,174 |
| 8 | Barry Sanders | 3,062 |
| 9 | Edgerrin James | 3,028 |
| 10 | Marcus Allen | 3,022 |
| 11 | Eric Dickerson | 2,996 |
| 12 | Franco Harris | 2,949 |
| 13 | Tony Dorsett | 2,936 |
| 14 | John Riggins | 2,916 |
| 15 | Thurman Thomas | 2,877 |
| 16 | Eddie George | 2,865 |
| 17 | Marshall Faulk | 2,836 |
| 18 | Steven Jackson | 2,764 |
| 19 | Thomas Jones | 2,678 |
| 20 | Warrick Dunn | 2,669 |
| 21 | Ricky Watters | 2,622 |
| 22 | Corey Dillon | 2,618 |
| 23 | Ottis Anderson | 2,562 |
| 24 | Jamal Lewis | 2,542 |
| 25 | Fred Taylor | 2,534 |
Active player with at least 2,000 attempts
editThrough 2023 season; numbers in attempts.
| Ezekiel Elliot (2065) and Derrick Henry (2030) are the only active players with at least 2000 career rushing attempts.[3][4] |
Notes
edit- ^ Rank is through 2022 season.
- ^ Total is through 2022 season.
- ^ "Ezekiel Elliott – New England Patriots Running Back".
- ^ "Derrick Henry Career Stats – NFL".