Bernard Pierce’s Status in Doubt as Ravens Promote Fitzgerald Toussaint

Sep 11, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Bernard Pierce (30) runs with the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Bernard Pierce was a surprise addition to the injury report on Wednesday with a thigh injury.  He put in limited practices all week, and on Friday he was officially listed as questionable for Sunday’s game in Cleveland.

On Saturday the Ravens made some roster moves which may be an indication that Bernard Pierce’s status is in doubt and that he is in real danger of missing the team’s road opener against the Browns.

The Ravens announced Saturday afternoon that they have promoted running back Fitzgerald Toussaint from the practice squad and cut wide receiver Deonte Thompson to make room on the active roster.  This would seem to indicate that the team is truly concerned about Pierce’s availability on Sunday.

If Bernard Pierce is truly unable to go on Sunday, Justin Forsett would likely be the main benefactor, but the team clearly views him as a change of pace option only. This could mean a big opportunity for third round rookie Lorenzo Taliaferro, who has yet to receive a carry through two games.

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Taliaferro is a big, physical, early down type of running back that is also excellent in pass protection.  He should theoretically be able to step in and fill Pierce’s role with no problem, and may even prove to be an upgrade at this point.

There are a lot of Ravens fans who are anxious to see what he can do in some real game action after leading the NFL in preseason rushing.  On Sunday, they may just get that opportunity.

Toussaint, meanwhile, projects to fill Taliaferro’s role as a backup and might see a snap or three to give him a breather.  We don’t expect him to see a lot of action, as he will serve as more of an emergency backup option in the event of an injury. Toussaint had a relatively quiet preseason but did go over 100 yards in the finale.

No matter who starts, it’s a great matchup against a Brown’s defense that has given up three rushing touchdowns and 152.5 yards per game thus far (5.4 average).