Mack Brown runs for 149 yards at Tampa Bay, and Robert Kelley finishes 1 yards short of giving Washington both of the only 100-yard rushers of the preseason. But that doesn’t necessarily mean either will be worth much of anything when the real games start.
In the last five years, 13 running backs have finished the preseason with over 200 yards (in all four games combined). None of those players were particularly valuable in the regular season. Rashad Jennings is the biggest name on this list (twice, in fact), but he finished with under 700 rushing yards in both 2012 and 2014.
LEADING PRESEASON RUSHERS SINCE 2011 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Player | Att | Yards | Avg | Long | TD |
2012 | William Powell, Ariz. | 42 | 249 | 5.9 | 67 | 3 |
2014 | Lorenzo Taliaferro, Balt. | 65 | 243 | 3.7 | 12 | 1 |
2011 | Kendall Hunter, S.F. | 35 | 231 | 6.6 | 53t | 1 |
2013 | Khiry Robinson, N.O. | 49 | 228 | 4.7 | 18 | 0 |
2016 | Mack Brown, Wash. | 39 | 227 | 5.8 | 60t | 1 |
2013 | Jordan Todman, Jac. | 29 | 223 | 7.7 | 63t | 2 |
2013 | Joseph Randle, Dall. | 55 | 215 | 3.9 | 18 | 1 |
2011 | DaRel Scott, NYG | 14 | 213 | 15.2 | 97t | 2 |
2014 | Joe Banyard, Minn. | 36 | 212 | 5.9 | 56 | 0 |
2014 | Rashad Jennings, NYG | 35 | 212 | 6.1 | 73t | 1 |
2012 | Rashad Jennings, Jac. | 47 | 209 | 4.4 | 17 | 0 |
2012 | Nate Eachus, K.C. | 34 | 206 | 6.1 | 20 | 1 |
2013 | Christine Michael, Sea. | 40 | 201 | 5.0 | 43t | 1 |
2016 | Robert Kelley, Wash. | 38 | 198 | 5.2 | 18 | 1 |
—Ian Allan