Mark Ingram: Potential Baltimore Ravens Free Agent Target

Dec 28, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram (22) runs with the ball against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. New Orleans Saints defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

As we head into the offseason and prepare for the craziness that is NFL free agency, we thought it would be fun to take a look ahead at some players that the Ravens might be interested in pursuing.  While we can all dream about seeing our favorite team signing guys like Dez Bryant or Justin Houston (both free agents this year), we’re going to be a little more realistic and only look at players that might actually hit the market and draw interest from the Ravens.

Everybody loves Justin Forsett, myself included.  But with Forsett’s status in the air right now, we all have to consider the fact that he may not be back in purple and black next season.  And even if he is, can he repeat this season’s successes?  Forsett is 29, which is ancient in running back years.  He wore down as the 2014 season drug on. And what if he gets injured and misses time?

Ingram has prototypical size for a back at 5’9″ and 215 pounds, and is still relatively young at the age of 25.  He has a pretty fresh pair of legs after only logging 582 carries in his four NFL seasons as well.

Bernard Pierce proved, once again, that he isn’t the answer.  Unable to produce even in a limited or complimentary role, he is a real candidate for release this offseason.  Lorenzo Taliaferro flashed at times in his rookie season, but fought his own injuries and bouts of inconsistency this season.  He could very well be a lead back in the future, but it seems like he might need some time to learn and grow.

I would argue that the Ravens have to sign another back this offseason for those very reasons.  And one of the best free agent running backs who has a good chance of hitting the market is New Orleans Saints runner Mark Ingram.  After the Saints took Ingram in the 1st round of the 2011 draft, they used him in a rotation until 2013, when they finally decided to take the training wheels off.

The Saints fed him the ball 226 times this season and he responded by rumbling for 964 yards (4.3 avg) and 9 touchdowns across 13 games.  Ingram has prototypical size for a back at 5’9″ and 215 pounds, and is still relatively young at the age of 25.  He has a pretty fresh pair of legs after only logging 582 carries in his four NFL seasons as well.

Ingram has a pretty soft pair of hands as well, which makes him a nice fit for the Ravens’ offense.  He caught 29 passes for 145 yards this season, providing a nice security blanket for Drew Brees underneath. Ingram finished the season ranked as the 20th best running back by Pro Football Focus out of 57 qualifiers – 12th as a pure runner and 17th as a blocker.

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The Saints, who employ a three back rotation, never really gave Ingram much run despite trading up in the draft to get him.  It was an odd fit for their offense from the start and they seem likely to let him walk in free agency with a similar guy in Khiry Robinson already on the roster and cheaply signed.  Ingram should also be available for a reasonable price considering the overall devaluation of the running back market in recent years.

Signing Mark Ingram could give the Ravens a tough inside runner to pair with the shifty Justin Forsett, a duo that would be quite formidable.  They could let Taliaferro continue to learn and serve as the direct backup to Ingram, plus he could still get some snaps here and there.  Plus, they could cut Pierce loose after his years of disappointing play.