When naming the best running backs in football, Nick Chubb easily was in the conversation. A 1,000-yard merchant with the Cleveland Browns, Chubb had four of them in his first five seasons and was on his way to a fifth straight before tearing his ACL in just the second game of the 2023 season.
That ACL tear sidelined Chubb until midway through the 2024 season, as the Browns running back underwent two reconstructive knee surgeries during his time away from the football field. The first surgery was to repair Chubb’s MCL and the second was for the ACL to repair the inside of his knee. This was the second major knee injury for Chubb, who tore his MCL, LCL and PCL at the University of Georgia in 2015.
Despite that gruesome injury in college, Chubb’s ACL was still intact. That wasn’t the case with Chubb’s 2023 injury, and his performance declined upon his return in 2024. Chubb played eight games and rushed for 332 yards (102 carries) while averaging 3.3 yards per carry.
This wasn’t the same Chubb who is fourth in the NFL in career yards per carry (5.11), has the third-most rushing yards in Browns history (6,843), and the most rushes of 10-plus yards in the fourth quarter since 2018 (62). Chubb was one of the best running backs in the NFL and is looking to recapture that glory with the Houston Texans, as he is expected to sign a one-year deal with the team.
Chubb isn’t the first running back in the NFL to tear his ACL and switch teams, and he won’t be the last. How have other running backs fared switching teams post-ACL injury?
There are some good players who had success in another uniform after an ACL tear, which used to be the death sentence for a running back’s career.
Tore ACL: 2020 | Signed with new team: 2024
Barkley tore his ACL just 25 touches into his 2020 season, his third in the league. The former New York Giants running back did recover to rush for 1,312 yards during the 2022 season, leading the Giants to franchise tag him after his rookie deal was completed.
While Barkley was several years removed from his ACL tear when he signed with the Eagles in 2024, he had one of the best individual seasons by any player in NFL history. Barkley rushed for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns in the regular season with the Eagles, the ninth player in league history to rush for 2,000 yards. He had seven touchdown runs of 60-plus yards in the 2024 season (including playoffs), an NFL record for a season and three more than the next-highest player. Three touchdown runs of 60 plus yards came in the postseason, a feat no other player has accomplished in their entire playoff career.
Barkley finished with the most rushing yards in a season in NFL history with 2,504 (including playoffs), the first player ever to have 2,500 rushing yards in a season. He also finished with 2,857 yards from scrimmage, the most ever in a season in league history (including playoffs).
Saquon Barkley Hall of Fame debate: Why early retirement could keep Eagles RB out of Canton
Bryan DeArdo
Tore ACL: 2021 | Signed with new team: 2024
Dobbins had one of the most productive rookie seasons by a running back in NFL history before tearing his ACL prior to the start of the 2021 regular season. He returned the next season, but later tore his Achilles in 2023 — ending his tenure with the Baltimore Ravens.
Signing with the Los Angeles Chargers, Dobbin had a bounce-back season in 2024. He rushed for a career-high 905 yards and averaged 4.6 yards per carry in 13 games. He also rushed for nine touchdowns, but is currently a free agent.
Tore ACL: 2011 | Signed with new team: 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021
Just one year after tearing his ACL, Peterson rushed for 2,097 yards — the second-most in a season in NFL history — and won the league MVP. Peterson led the NFL in rushing twice after tearing his ACL, but his career didn’t end with the Minnesota Vikings.
Peterson’s 2017 season with the New Orleans Saints and Arizona Cardinals was a disaster, but Peterson landed with Washington and rushed for 1,042 yards at the age of 31. He also rushed for 898 yards in 2019 with Washington and 604 yards in 2020 with the Detroit Lions before ending his career with the Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks.
Peterson rushed for 8,166 yards and 57 touchdowns after tearing his ACL, with four 1,000-yard seasons.
Jamal Lewis
Tore ACL: 2001 | Signed with new team: 2007
Lewis still had incredible years of football left in him after tearing his ACL during training camp before the 2001 season. He rushed for 1,327 yards in 2022 for the Ravens, then followed that up with 2,066 rushing yards in 2003, one of the exclusive members of the 2,000-yard club.
Having four 1,000-yard seasons with the Ravens post-ACL injury, Lewis signed with the Browns in 2007. He rushed for 1,304 yards and nine touchdowns in his first season with Cleveland, and followed that up with 1,002 yards the next season.
By the time Lewis’ career ended after the 2009 season, he had rushed for 9,243 yards and 52 touchdowns after tearing his ACL. He also won the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award in 2003.
Terry Allen
Tore ACL: 1993 | Signed with new team: 1995, 1999, 2000, 2001
Allen rewrote the narrative for running backs who suffered ACL injuries, having his best years after tearing the ACL in both of his knees. He rushed for 1,031 yards and eight touchdowns in 1994 with the Vikings before signing with Washington prior to the 1995 season.
Allen’s best years were in Washington, as he led the NFL with 21 touchdowns in 1996 while rushing for a career-high 1,353 yards. He had three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons after tearing his ACL in 1993.
Playing until he was 33 years old, Allen rushed for 896 yards with the New England Patriots in 1999 before finishing his career with the Saints and Ravens. Allen amassed 6,850 yards and 58 touchdowns post-ACL tear.
Go to Source
Author: Jeff Kerr
June 9, 2025 | 4:30 pm
