Stacked box rate
Stacked box rate is the share of a back's carries run against eight or more defenders near the line. Quinshon Judkins of the Browns faced the most of 49 qualifying backs in 2025 at 45.2%; Alvin Kamara of the Saints the fewest at 10.7%.
The tracking data counts defenders within a few yards of the line at the snap. Eight or more is a stacked, or loaded, box — the defense committing to stopping the run. League-wide it happened on 8.8% of runs in 2025, against 54.6% into light boxes of six or fewer.
Updated Jul 26, 2026
Current leaders — 2025
| # | Player | vs 8+ Box | Att |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quinshon JudkinsRB · CLE | 45.2% | 230 |
| 2 | Derrick HenryRB · BAL | 39.1% | 307 |
| 3 | J.K. DobbinsRB · DEN | 36.6% | 153 |
| 4 | Zach CharbonnetRB · SEA | 35.3% | 184 |
| 5 | David MontgomeryRB · DET | 34.2% | 158 |
| 6 | R.J. HarveyRB · DEN | 32.9% | 146 |
| 7 | Jaylen WarrenRB · PIT | 32.2% | 211 |
| 8 | Kenneth GainwellRB · PIT | 31.6% | 114 |
| 9 | Kimani VidalRB · LAC | 31.6% | 155 |
| 10 | Rhamondre StevensonRB · NE | 31.5% | 130 |
See the full stacked box rate leaderboard — Quinshon Judkins leads.
Why it matters
Stacked box rate is the context that makes RYOE and yards per carry readable. A back facing loaded boxes on 45.2% of carries is running a harder job than one at 10.7%, and the raw averages will not say so. It is also a passing-game tell: defenses stack the box against offenses they do not respect through the air, so a high rate often marks a back whose team cannot force lighter looks. The catch is that league-wide the yardage barely moved — runs into heavy boxes produced -0.063 expected points against -0.050 into light ones.
Updated Jul 26, 2026
The counter
At the league level box count barely moves rushing efficiency; it matters most for reading one back's schedule of looks.
Updated Jul 26, 2026
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