RBs A Priority For Ravens In Offseason

2024 March 1st, at 7:04 p.m. CST through Ely Allen
Similar observations were made back in February, but the Ravens have indicated recently that bolstering their group of running backs will be a top priority throughout the offseason. The best way to put it is to state that they need more than two running backs, and general manager Eric DeCosta said as much to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. They could accomplish this by signing experienced free agents, re-signing expiring contracts, or going for a rookie prospect.

With contracts expiring across the board for the Ravens in 2023, they have a lot of work ahead of them, but DeCosta is well aware of which players could be leaving the team most quickly. This spring, practice squad backs Melvin Gordon and Owen Wright (who, despite being an undrafted rookie, has signed a futures deal with the organization) and late-season addition Dalvin Cook will all be eligible for free agency. Former undrafted veteran Gus Edwards and former second-round choice J.K. Dobbins will also be eligible. Thus, the only two running backs with in-game experience on the roster going forward will be Justice Hill and Keaton Mitchell, another undrafted rookie.

Hill is currently in the last season of a two-year contract that he signed a year ago. Even though 2023 was his finest season to date, he has yet to score four touchdowns or more than 400 rushing yards in a single season. This year, he added 206 receiving yards, which increased his role. With eight games played and an incredible 8.43 yards per run average, Mitchell was a nice surprise as a rookie. When healthy, the small back shown exceptional speed and playmaking skills, but he suffered an ACL tear in mid-December, meaning the team will likely be without its dynamic second-year playmaker for the entire offseason.

We outlined the cases for Dobbins and Edwards in our earlier discussion of the topic. As a rookie, Dobbins had a ton of promise, but he has since had a lot of trouble staying on the field. Before forming a partnership with Dobbins and Hill, Edwards had supported Mark Ingram in the early stages of Jackson’s career as a dependable goal-line and short-yardage back. Despite having six seasons under his belt, the large-framed running back known as “Gus the Bus” hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. This season, he has a career-high 990 scrimmage yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. DeCosta stated that the organization has not ruled out the possibility of bringing the two back during the NFL scouting combine. DeCosta really asserted that the group was

The concept of free agency was also covered in our earlier post. This offseason, a lot of big names are hitting the open market, and Baltimore has already been linked to a handful of them. Derrick Henry, the bell-cow of the Titans, has been associated withBlake Corum the team since the trade deadline. There have also been other well-known names suggested, like Tony Pollard of the Cowboys, Josh Jacobs of the Raiders, and Saquon Barkley of the Giants.

Though there are a few intriguing prospects to watch in the draft, such as Texas running back Jonathan Brooks and Michigan rusher , Baltimore has been keeping an eye on Wisconsin’s Braelon Allen. Should the group decide not to sign any of the aforementioned veterans, the Ravens shouldto make an early draft chase of one of these players. But Baltimore will probably be happy to accept a late-round acquisition or perhaps look again at the undrafted scraps if a big name signs a contract.

In 2024, additions will be required anyway. The squad cannot really expect to be successful going into the 2024 NFL season with just Mitchell, Hill, and Wright, especially with Mitchell just returning from a major injury. Someone will need to join the three running backs currently in the room, whether they pick a high-end prospect, sign a big-name free agent like Barkley or Henry, or bring back Edwards or Dobbins.