Last season was difficult for the NFL's highest-paid running backs. Dalvin Cook and Nick Chubb remained extremely effective when healthy, Austin Ekeler took over as a two-way force and Jonathan Taylor emerged as the league's best young back, but the players who expected to be elite weren't at that level.
Let's break down what happened in 2021 with four of the most prominent backs -- Christian McCaffrey, Derrick Henry, Alvin Kamara and Ezekiel Elliott -- to get a sense of what they might do this season.