The Baltimore Ravens are still looking to improve at the running back position. They don’t have a proven workhorse on the roster:
The Baltimore Ravens had Joe Flacco throw the football over 600 times last season. Terrance West only had 193 rushing attempts in the 2016 season. Kenneth Dixon had just 88 rushes. It’s important to note that West averaged four yards per carry and Dixon averaged 4.3 yards per carry. The Ravens could run the football, they just never let the ground game get going.
The Ravens will walk into the 2017 season without a proven commodity at the running back position. Dixon is suspended for the first four weeks of the season so unless the Ravens get a running back in the draft, expect a heavy dose of Terrance West. Danny Woodhead is a proven pass catcher out of the backfield, but he isn’t a workhorse on the ground.
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West clearly has talent. He had five rushes over 20 yards in the 2016 season and one over 40 yards. West has the vision, power and balance that make him an exciting player to give the football too. The problem is that West was seldom given the chance to get on a roll.
The Ravens Created This Problem:
The Ravens now have three running backs that can get the job done in different ways. They have talent, but they don’t know which running back they will lean on. Running back has been left open as an option in the NFL Draft. It makes sense. There is uncertainty in the backfield. Make no mistake about it though, the Ravens created this uncertainty. If the offense was more balanced in 2016, the Ravens would know what they had coming into 2017.
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My hypothesis is that West is the type of running back that gets better as the game goes along. It looks like Dixon might be the same way too. The Ravens were going back and forth between running backs. What they really needed to do was to pick one and use the other as a change of pace. Adding Woodhead to the picture could actually make this problem even worse. By adding another running back to the picture, the Ravens could never let any of their running backs heat up. It’s hard to go with the hot hand when, you don’t let them get into a rhythm.
I wouldn’t be shocked if the Ravens drafted another running back in the middle rounds. They seem to be looking for a running back they are willing to commit to.