Carwell Gardner is a career quality starter β a running back whose body of work places Gardner in the top half of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Gardner's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
Carwell Gardner
A running back with a above-average career β the kind of consistent contributor every roster needs. Solid availability (excellent availability over their career) added to their value.
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 31 Β· #2613 Β· Role PlayerWorth 31 points of value above a freely-available replacement running back β top 57% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 6 of 8 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +5.2 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
6 cleared
2 replaced
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
50
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
6
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+5.2
Avg surplus
peak +7
6 seasons Γ ~5.2 surplus β VORP 31
Combined Season Grid
The full season-by-season grids, joined on one timeline. Every selected stat family stays visible at onceβno tab hopping.
3 grids split in one view
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Rushing | Receiving | Defense | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | TD% | 1D | 1D% | Fmb | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D | Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | |||||
| 1990 | β | BUF | 7 | β | 15 | 41 | 0 | 2.7 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | 3 | 3 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1991 | β | BUF | 16 | β | 42 | 146 | 4 | 3.5 | 9.5 | β | β | β | β | 3 | 20 | 0 | β | 6.7 | β | β | β | 10 | 0 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1992 | β | BUF | 16 | β | 40 | 166 | 2 | 4.2 | 5.0 | β | β | β | β | 7 | 67 | 0 | β | 9.6 | β | β | β | 8 | 8 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1993 | β | BUF | 13 | β | 20 | 56 | 0 | 2.8 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β | 4 | 50 | 1 | β | 12.5 | β | β | β | 5 | 4 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 1 | β | β | β |
| 1994 | β | BUF | 16 | β | 41 | 135 | 4 | 3.3 | 9.8 | β | β | β | β | 11 | 89 | 0 | β | 8.1 | β | β | β | 15 | 13 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1995 | β | BUF | 15 | β | 20 | 77 | 0 | 3.9 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β | 2 | 17 | 0 | β | 8.5 | β | β | β | 7 | 4 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1996 | β | BAL | 13 | β | 26 | 108 | 0 | 4.2 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β | 7 | 28 | 0 | β | 4.0 | β | β | β | 6 | 6 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 1 | β | β | β |
| 1997 | β | LAC | 5 | β | 7 | 20 | 0 | 2.9 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β | 2 | 10 | 0 | β | 5.0 | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| Career | β | 101 | β | 211 | 749 | 10 | 3.5 | 4.7 | β | β | β | 0 | 36 | 281 | 1 | β | 7.8 | β | β | β | 54 | 38 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | β | β | |
Rushing
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | TD% | 1D | 1D% | Fmb | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 24 | BUF | 7 | β | 15 | 41 | 0 | 2.7 | 0.0 | β | β | β | 3 |
| 1991 | 25 | BUF | 16 | β | 42 | 146 | 4 | 3.5 | 9.5 | β | β | β | 8.9 |
| 1992 | 26 | BUF | 16 | β | 40 | 166 | 2 | 4.2 | 5.0 | β | β | β | 8.9 |
| 1993 | 27 | BUF | 13 | β | 20 | 56 | 0 | 2.8 | 0.0 | β | β | β | 6.3 |
| 1994 | 28 | BUF | 16 | β | 41 | 135 | 4 | 3.3 | 9.8 | β | β | β | 9.9 |
| 1995 | 29 | BUF | 15 | β | 20 | 77 | 0 | 3.9 | 0.0 | β | β | β | 6.7 |
| 1996 | 30 | BAL | 13 | β | 26 | 108 | 0 | 4.2 | 0.0 | β | β | β | 5.9 |
| 1997 | 31 | LAC | 5 | β | 7 | 20 | 0 | 2.9 | 0.0 | β | β | β | 2.2 |
| Career | 101 | 211 | 749 | 10 | 3.5 | β | β | β | β | 51.8 |
Receiving
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 25 | BUF | 16 | β | β | 3 | 20 | 0 | β | 6.7 | β | β | β |
| 1992 | 26 | BUF | 16 | β | β | 7 | 67 | 0 | β | 9.6 | β | β | β |
| 1993 | 27 | BUF | 13 | β | β | 4 | 50 | 1 | β | 12.5 | β | β | β |
| 1994 | 28 | BUF | 16 | β | β | 11 | 89 | 0 | β | 8.1 | β | β | β |
| 1995 | 29 | BUF | 15 | β | β | 2 | 17 | 0 | β | 8.5 | β | β | β |
| 1996 | 30 | BAL | 13 | β | β | 7 | 28 | 0 | β | 4.0 | β | β | β |
| 1997 | 31 | LAC | 5 | β | β | 2 | 10 | 0 | β | 5.0 | β | β | β |
| Career | 94 | 0 | 36 | 281 | 1 | β | 7.8 | β | β | β |
Defense
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 24 | BUF | β | β | 3 | 3 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1991 | 25 | BUF | β | β | 10 | 0 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1992 | 26 | BUF | β | β | 8 | 8 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1993 | 27 | BUF | β | β | 5 | 4 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 1 | β | β | β |
| 1994 | 28 | BUF | β | β | 15 | 13 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1995 | 29 | BUF | β | β | 7 | 4 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1996 | 30 | BAL | β | β | 6 | 6 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 1 | β | β | β |
| Career | 54 | 38 | β | β | β | β | β | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | β | β |
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 54 Β· SolidA solid career by KV-H: a well-rounded profile that scores 54 of 100, era-normalized against rush yds/g peers across 8 scored seasons.
53
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
57
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 54.6 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 54Β· confidence 94%
What builds the career mark of 53
On-field 35.7
Availability 17.3
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative rush yds/g)
1990bestavg 491997
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position5
Depth
of 100
Reached 6% of the all-time Rushing Touchdowns leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
6% of the all-time Rushing Touchdowns leader6
0 categories β₯25% of the all-time leader0
A 0β100 scale where 100 = matched the all-time leaderat this position. Built only from visible encyclopedia data β career production vs. the all-time leader, plus efficiency (EPA) and comparable-player confidence β so it's a transparent context score, not a subjective rating. Tiers: Elite β₯ 85 Β· Strong β₯ 65 Β· Solid β₯ 45 Β· Depth < 45. Comparable-player confidence: 93%.
Career Aging Trajectory
vs. position group average Β· KV-H basisAmber = this player (normalized to own peak). Indigo = average RBs aging curve. Group peak age: 21. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (Louisville; Kentucky), but no parsed college box-score table is present in this profile artifact. The section stays here so every profile has a consistent college-stats landing point without fabricating unavailable rows.
Reference Graph
Career teammates and draft class, derived from year-by-year rosters β every name is linked.
Top Teammates
Bruce SmithDE6yAndre ReedWR6yCornelius BennettOLB6yThurman ThomasRB6yJim KellyQB6yPete MetzelaarsTE5yMarvcus PattonMLB5yHenry JonesDB5yMike LodishDT5yPhil HansenDE5yChris MohrP5yKenneth DavisRB5yFrank ReichQB5yDon BeebeWR5ySteve TaskerWR5ySteve ChristieK4yKurt SchulzFS4yMark MaddoxLB4yKeith McKellerTE4yJames LoftonWR3yBill BrooksWR3yRussell CopelandWR3yAl EdwardsWR3yJohn ParrellaDT2y
1990 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #42
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterCarwell inherited the Buffalo Bills RB room from Kenneth Davis (1989β1994), and handed it to Darick Holmes (1995β1998).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 1997team change
Joined LAC (from BAL)
- 1997final season
Last recorded season with LAC
- 1996team change
Joined BAL (from BUF)
- 1990draft
Drafted by BUF β Round 2, Pick 42
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts6'2" / 240 lb
Frame
Knox
StatVault's proprietary player intelligence, informed by full career data. How Knox works β
Historical Knox Β· KV-H
Era-normalized career quality β z-scored against 8-season peers. See all β
54
peak 57
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
D1990
C+1991
C+1992
C+1993
C+1994
C+1995
C+1996
F1997
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 8 seasons.
84%
Era Translator
Rush Yds translated to the 2025NFL β each season's standing among its own-era peers, projected onto 2025's scoring environment. Modern-era (1999+) coverage.
| Season | Actual Rush Yds | Rush Yds/G | β 2025 Rush Yds | β 2025 /G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 41 | 5.9 | 283+242 | 16.6 |
| 1991 | 146 | 9.1 | 366+220 | 21.5 |
| 1992 | 166 | 10.4 | 408+242 | 24 |
| 1993 | 56 | 4.3 | 301+245 | 17.7 |
| 1994 | 135 | 8.4 | 415+280 | 24.4 |
| 1995 | 77 | 5.1 | 366+289 | 21.5 |
| 1996 | 108 | 8.3 | 461+353 | 27.1 |
| 1997 | 20 | 4 | 348+328 | 20.5 |
Data: nflverse:draft_picks, nflverse:players, wikipedia:season-stats (CC-BY-SA, facts-only), nfl.com:official-stats (facts-only reference), espn.com:stats-api (games-played, facts-only reference) Β· multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle Β· updated 6/18/2026
Career Value Β· VORP
31 career value over replacement β #2613 all-time of 4,642. 3.9/season above a replacement-level RB.
Draft OutcomeValue β
Pick #42 (Rd 2) Β· BUF Β· 1990 Β· +4.2 vs expected KV-H
54actual
49.8 expected Β· Ξ+4.2
Fan Rating
Rate Carwell Gardner β All-Time
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