The New England Patriots have had some solid running backs in the franchise’s history, but who stands out as the best?
Throughout the years the New England Patriots have produced star talent. From Tom Brady to Troy Brown, so many of the game’s greats have taken a stop by One Patriots Place.
This list is difficult because it seems throughout Patriots history one position hasn’t garnered a lot of great players: running backs. Due to the great lineage of Patriots quarterbacks, the team has not necessarily needed to have an all-time running back. However, this doesn’t mean that there haven’t been some great backs to dawn a Patriots uniform.
The Criteria
The “best” is interpreted in multiple ways. However, this list is purely based off of production a player had while as a member of the Patriots. Therefore statistics of a player on another team are irrelevant in this discussion. This list will also not be based on pure rushing as receiving yards out of the backfield will also be a factor. Years of great success will also be valued over players who were long-tenured on the team who produced average production.
#5 Kevin Faulk: 1999-2011
Kevin Faulk was never a star back, but he was a very dependable one.
Faulk’s Patriot career started in 1999 when he was selected in the 2nd round of the NFL Draft out of Louisiana State University. A great downhill runner with good power, Faulk proved to always have a solid role in the New England Patriots backfield.
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It was clear that Faulk didn’t have what it took to be a three-down back at the next level, but that clearly didn’t stop him. He earned a role as a very solid pass catching back, as he surpassed 300 receiving yards 6 times in his career. Faulk was arguably a prototype for how Bill Belichick makes his backs run and catch; no matter how large they are.
In his Patriot career, Faulk amassed for over 7,000 yards from scrimmage and a crazy 68 touchdowns. Although he was never the best back on the field, that still didn’t stop him from producing. He performed his role perfectly and is one of the longest-tenured Patriots in team history.
His winning mentality and overall just solid career earns him the #5 spot on this list.
#4 Corey Dillon 2004-2006
Corey Dillon is the classic case of quality over quantity. Dillon was a fantastic running back for the Cincinnati Bengals before he came to Foxborough in 2004. In 6 of his first 7 years in Cincinnati, Dillon rushed for a 1,000 yards.
His debut season in New England was one of the greatest complete seasons by a running back in NFL History. With over 350 touches that year, Dillon amassed over 1,700 yards from scrimmage and scored 13 total touchdowns. Dillon was the focal point of an offense that went 14-2 that season, en route to the team’s third title in four years.
In 2005 Dillon fell off a bit due to injuries, but still was effective when he was available.
2006 was the end of Dillon’s tenure in New England, as the team selected Minnesota star Laurence Maroney in the first round of that year’s draft. In his last season, Dillon looked like a shell of his former self, but still put up a respectable 800 yards.
Although his time was short, his mind-blowing 2004 season, as well as his consistency, earns Corey Dillon the #4 spot on the list.
#3 Sam Cunningham 1973-1982
Although Sam might not be as famous as his younger brother Randall, he still is a very important figure to the Patriots franchise.
Surprisingly, it is Sam “Bam” Cunningham who is the New England Patriots franchise all-time leading rusher.
Cunningham was a first-round selection by the Patriots in 1973, coming off a very incredible run at USC. Although he wasn’t as great of a player as he was while with the Trojans, Cunningham still had a very solid career.
In just his second season in the league, Cunningham amassed 1,000 yards from scrimmage and had 9 rushing touchdowns.
Sam was never a star back, but his dedication to the team was unmatched. He did have a Pro Bowl under his belt, but he was never considered a real star. However, Cunningham was a great role player and deserves the number 3 spot on the list.
#2 Jim Nance 1965-1971
Do not get confused with the amazing broadcaster Jim Nantz, this is the legendary fullback, Jim Nance.
Nance was one of the best players in the history of the then AFL. As a member of the Boston Patriots, Nance was taken in the nineteenth round of the 1965 Draft.
He was a huge fullback for the time, standing at 6’1″ and weighing over 250 pounds. It was clear early on that his physical stature would lead to great success.
In just his second season, Nance rushed for over 1400 yards and a whopping 19 touchdowns. That season Nance won the AFL MVP and became the first player in the history of the league to rush for over 1400 yards.
The next season Nance became the first player in AFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards in back to back seasons.
All his accolades show that not only was he an amazing Patriot, but he was also one of the best players of the AFL era. After he was eventually traded to the Eagles, he retired with virtually all of the Patriots rushing records.
Even though it was before footballs modern era, Nance’s contribution to the Patriots and amazing play will forever loom large in the Pats franchise.
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 12: (Photo by Ben Hider/Getty Images for The Buoniconti Fund)
#1 Curtis Martin 1995-1997
There was a good reason why Curtis was Patriots fans “favorite Martin”.
For a third-round pick, Martin is one of the biggest drafts steals in NFL history, and that was quite evident early on.
In his rookie season, Martin took the league by storm. He had just a hair under 1500 rushing yards to go along with 15 total touchdowns.
His violent downhill running and fluid hips were ahead of his time and he was one of the first backs who had an incredible balance of power and speed.
Although he only rushed for 100 yards twice the following season, he still easily surpassed 1,000 yards.
In a Playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Martin rushed for a franchise postseason record of 166 yards and carried the Patriots to victory.
1997 was Martins last year in Foxborough, but once again he rushed over 1,000 yards and had a very solid 4.2 yards per carry. His tenure wasn’t long, but it was quite obvious who the best player on the field was when he was playing.
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Martin is one of the best running backs to ever play the game, and it all started with his time playing with the Patriots. Martin is not only the best Patriots RB of all time but one of the best players to ever wear a Pats jersey.