The 10 best running backs in the history of the Cincinnati Bengals

Back in 1967, the Cincinnati Bengals were born. Almost immediately, the running back position became of great importance. Except, funny enough, the Bengals used multiple backs over the first several years of their existence, similar to how today's NFL sees teams deploy several backs.

The running back position might be one of the most exciting in all of the game for fans to watch. For years, it's been one of those positions which is easiest for younger fans to watch and understand. Many fans grew up watching some of the best quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers in the game when they first fell in love with this sport.

And, the Bengals have had a few key running backs come through their organization. But, which of them qualify as the best of the best in franchise history? And how do we qualify them as such? Before we get into the top 10 running backs in Bengals history, let's talk about how we put this list together.

Criteria for selection

Of course, the old saying "stats don't lie" certainly takes the cake, for the most part. If you're going to be labeled as one of the best to ever do it in the history of the team, you better be able to say you rank pretty high up on the team's all-time rushing list.

But, that isn't necessarily the end-all, be-all. One also has to consider a few other things, such as just how efficient a player was in terms of yards per game, and even per carry. Also, did that running back contribute in the passing game at all?

We try and take an objective look at the Bengals' history at the running back position, looking at everything from total yards with the team but also their efficiency, maybe how many career touchdowns they accumulated in Cincinnati all while taking career longevity into consideration as well.

Let's break 'em down.

The top running backs in Bengals history

10. Essex Johnson

Essex Johnson came to Cincinnati as a sixth-round pick out of Grambling St. back in the 1968 NFL Draft. He spent all but one of his NFL seasons with the Bengals, yet was not a starter for the majority of his career. Still, he's no. 9 on the team's all-time rushing list with 3,070 yards. Why is he lower than no. 9 on this list?

It's pretty simple, actually. Johnson only averaged just over 31 yards per game during his stint with Cincy, but that wasn't because he was inefficient. It was more so because the Bengals didn't view him as a starting back, yet he was still used often.

For example, back during the 1971 season, the Bengals had three different players rush for over 400 yards, Johnson included.

His best season with the Bengals came in 1973 as the starting running back, when he rushed for a career-best 997 yards on 195 carries.

9. Jeremy Hill

As a second-round pick back in the 2014 NFL Draft, Jeremy Hill burst onto the scene with the Bengals. His rookie campaign saw Hill rush for 1,124 yards and nine touchdowns. It was really too bad that his rookie rushing total would go on to be a career mark.

Hill didn't fall off immediately, as he gave the Bengals three solid seasons to start his career. In Year 2, Hill led the league in rushing touchdowns with 11. He would go for 794 yards on the ground that year, and follow it up with 839 yards and nine touchdowns in his third season.

In 2017, Hill endured an injury which ended his season prematurely. But, the Bengals had already drafted Joe Mixon to come in alongside Giovani Bernard, making it easy for the team to move on. Hill sits no. 11 on the all-time Bengals rushing list.

8. Harold Green

Checking in at no. 8 on our list and the Bengals' no. 7 all-time rusher is Harold Green. Coming out of South Carolina, Green was a second-round pick by the Bengals back in the 1990 NFL Draft. Green would go on to play six seasons for Cincinnati, topping 500 rushing yards in four seasons, 600 in three, and went for a career-high 1,170 during the 1992 season. That year, Green also saw his only career Pro Bowl bid.

One interesting factoid about Green's career with the Bengals? He never finished with more than two rushing touchdowns in an entire season in Cincinnati. Yet, he finds himself in the top 10 of Cincy's all-time rushing list. It's quite odd, but it's a fact.

Green would go on to play one season for the St. Louis Rams followed by two for the Atlanta Falcons before his career was ultimately called. With 3,727 career rushing yards, Green is just one spot above this next player, but wasn't as versatile.

7. Giovani Bernard

As one of the more fun players to watch in franchise history, Giovani Bernard did it all at the running back position. More than anything, he did his job. Whether he was asked to run the ball, pass block or make plays as a receiver, Bernard did it and did it well.

As a running back, Bernard rushed for 3,697 yards in eight years with the team, checking it at no. 9 on the Bengals' all-time rushing list. But, he made a serious impact in the passing game as well. Bernard caught at least 40 passes in five of his seasons in Cincinnati, and averaged at least 9.0 yards per catch in three of those seasons, ending his stint with 367 career receptions for 2,989 yards and 14 scores in that department.

Never really being the team's full-time starter, Bernard still saw plenty of action. But, it makes his impact that much more impressive; the fact that he wasn't "the guy."

Bernard would go on to play two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021 and 2022, but he played very little. After 2022, it was time to call it a career.

6. Cedric Benson

Before we get into the numbers and background, we have to respectfully recognize the tragic passing of former Bengals running back Cedric Benson, who passed back in August of 2019 at the young age of just 36 years old.

Benson was the no. 4 overall pick by the Chicago Bears back in the 2005 NFL Draft, and after three mediocre seasons there, he went on to Cincinnati where he flourished. The 2009 campaign saw Benson end with a career-high 1,291 yards in the first of three-straight 1,000-yard seasons. that career number also came in a season where Benson missed three contests, so his total could have been even higher as he was averaging over 96 yards per game.

After his final season in Cincinnati, Benson signed in Green Bay and spent just one season with the Packers before his career would come to an end following the 2012 season.

5. Pete Johnson

Gone are the days where NFL teams use full backs regularly, at least in terms of a runner. But, back in the 1977 NFL Draft, the Bengals took Pete Johnson out of Ohio State in the second round. A fullback drafted in the second round? Those were the days.

The Bengals would put him to good use, too, as Johnson went on to become the Bengals' fifth-leading rusher in franchise history. As his pro career went on, Johnson would receive more and more carries per game, becoming a staple in the team's run game. As a rookie, he'd receive just shy of 11 carries per game, but by 1983, that number rose to over 19.

Regardless of how many carries he'd receive, Johnson was consistent. He'd total over 700 rushing yards in five different seasons. Johnson's best season as a Bengal came in 1981 when he rushed for 1,077 yards, 12 touchdowns and made his only Pro Bowl. That season also saw him make a big imprint in the passing game, catching 46 passes for 320 yards and four more scores.

He ended his time with Cincy with 5,421 career rushing yards and still, to this day, Johnson has a franchise-best 64 career rushing touchdowns.

4. Rudi Johnson

In the fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft, the Bengals selected running back Rudi Johnson out of Auburn. What was curious about this pick was the fact that Cincinnati still had Pro Bowler Corey Dillon on the roster and in the thick of his prime. So, Johnson would begin his career as a reserve and hardly played his first two seasons.

But, in 2003, Johnson would receive more opportunity because of injuries to Dillon. He started five games while appearing in 13, and rushed for 957 yards in his third year. From then on, it was Johnson's job, as Dillon was traded (more on him later).

Johnson then ripped off his three best seasons as a pro, each seeing him go over 1,300 yards and topping 1,400 yards in two of them. In 2004, his first full season as the starter, Johnson rushed for a career-high 1,454 yards and 12 touchdowns. Funny enough, he'd score 12 rushing touchdowns in three-straight seasons from that point on.

Now, Johnson sits no. 4 on the team's all-time rushing list with 5,742 yards. He would play for the Bengals from 2001-2007 before one final season with the Detroit Lions, then called it a career.

3. Joe Mixon

As we enter the top three, things start to get real close between the no. 2 and no. 3 spots. At no. 3 on our list, and the third-leading rusher in Bengals history, is Joe Mixon. The former Oklahoma standout came to Cincy as a second-round pick back in the 2017 NFL Draft. Mixon had an impressive collegiate career with the Sooners, averaging a healthy 6.8 yards per carry en route to 2,027 rushing yards in two seasons, plus another 894 through the air.

Mixon would go on to play seven seasons with the Bengals which resulted in a Pro Bowl season in 2021, plus four 1,000-yard campaigns in total. In his second season, Mixon burst onto the scene with his first 1,000-yard campaign, rushing for 1,168 yards and eight scores. The 2021 season would see Mixon rush for a career-best 1,205 yards and 13 touchdowns (also a career-high).

That 2021 season was also when Mixon started to see more usage in the passing game, as it began a stretch of three-straight years with at least 40 receptions and a minimum 300 receiving yards. After such a strong career with the Bengals, it was odd to see the team trade him to the Houston Texans for only a seventh-round pick. But, rumor had it, Cincinnati was going to release him anyway. It was a tough way to see the team move on from one of the franchise's best, but in the end, Mixon was victim of the business.

2. James Brooks

The second-straight running back on our list out of Auburn, James Brooks was originally drafted in the first round by the San Diego Chargers back in the 1981 NFL Draft. It was a curious pick, because the Chargers already had Chuck Muncie starting in the back field. After three years with the Chargers, Brooks would make his way to Cincinnati and become the Bengals' starting running back.

In his first year with the team, Brooks onoly went for 396 yards on 103 carries. By his third year with the team, though, Brooks would make his first Pro Bowl after rushing for 1,087 yards and leading the NFL in yards per carry with 5.3. The following season was cut short by injury, but then Brooks would continue what he started en route to three-straight Pro Bowls between 1988-1990.

In eight seasons with Cincy, Brooks went over the 1,000-yard mark three times and topped 900 yards in another two. He remains the no. 2 all-time rusher in Bengals history with a total of 6,447 yards. What was also real impressive about Brooks' game was the fact that he was key in the passing game. During his time with the Bengals, he totaled 3,012 receiving yards and 27 touchdowns in that aspect of the game.

It ended up being real close between Brooks and Mixon at the no. 2 and no. 3 spots, but the fact that Brooks did so much as a receiver was what kept him just a shade ahead.

1. Corey Dillon

We have come to the legend, the fan favorite, Corey Dillon. The Bengals' all-time leading rusher still sits atop the list with 8,061 career rushing yards. Dillon came into the league as a second-round pick by the Bengals back in the 1997 NFL Draft. Having played just one year in college at Washington, Dillon made his jump to the pros. That lone year with the Huskies, though, saw Dillon rush for 1,555 yards and 22 touchdowns. He also added 273 yards and a score through the air.

From the get-go, the job ended up being Dillon's. He would say "hello" to the NFL in 1997 by rushing for 1,129 yards and 10 touchdowns. In Year 2, Dillon ran for one more yard than he did in his rookie campaign, funny enough, but his touchdown total fell down to four.

His third year, Dillon finally started to get the respect he deserved, as he earned his first of what would end up being four Pro Bowl selections after going for 1,200 yards on the ground and 290 through the air. The 2000 season was Dillon's best as a Bengal, as he ran for 1,435 yards and earned yet another Pro Bowl appearance.

During the 2001 season, Dillon would impress the football world with his career-long run of a whopping 96 yards against the Detroit Lions.

The 2003 season wound up being Dillon's last in Cincinnati after an injury-shortened season saw him lose his job to Rudi Johnson. But, Dillon would go on to have a career year the next season with the New England Patriots, rushing for 1,635 yards and 12 scores. Dillon played three seasons with the Patriots and becoming a champion in Super Bowl XXXIX.