The backs who carried the load: 2025

James Cook III finished the 2025 season on top of the league for rushing yards with 1,621, playing for Buffalo Bills.

The top five

1. James Cook III (BUF) 1,621 — 2. Derrick Henry (BAL) 1,595 — 3. Jonathan Taylor (IND) 1,585 — 4. Bijan Robinson (ATL) 1,478 — 5. De’Von Achane (MIA) 1,350.

The gap between first and fifth is 271, which is the honest measure of how much daylight the leader actually had.

Longer term, the interesting question is repeatability. Turnover margin swings from season to season; yards per play does not, and that is the number to trust in a projection.

The full board is on the leaders page, filterable by position, and every name on it links through to the player card and the season stat line behind the number.