Ebony Bird
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2015 Baltimore Ravens OTAs: Five Things to Watch For

By Brett Foote

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Dec 27, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans tailback Javorius Allen (37) is pursued by Nebraska Cornhuskers linebacker Austin Williams (24) on a 44-yard touchdown run in the third quarter in the 2014 Holiday Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

What running back will backup Justin Forsett?

The Ravens entered last season playing a little running back roulette.  Everyone assumed that Bernard Pierce would take over following Ray Rice’s suspension, but he fell flat.  Justin Forsett, a free agent scrap heap pickup, amazingly seized the job and literally ran away with it, earning a Pro Bowl nod in the process.

Fourth round pick Lorenzo Taliaferro and even practice squad regular Fitzgerald Toussaint picked up the scraps, but neither showed much in limited duty.  Both return this year to once again battle for snaps, joined by 2015 fourth rounder Javorius Allen.  So who will step up behind Forsett in a change of pace role?

The smart money is on Javorius Allen at this point.  Both he and Taliaferro had wildly productive senior seasons in college, but Taliaferro’s small school background was exposed a little last season.  Allen is more of a complete back, both as a pass catcher and blocker.  Those are the attributes that lead to early NFL career playing time for running backs.

The Ravens also need someone to emerge as the running back of the future.  With Forsett teetering ever so closely to the age of 30+ (which generally signals the end for running backs), the hope is that one of the youngsters can step up and grab the job.

Next: Will two unknown commodities make an impact?

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