Yesterday a report came out saying the Ravens were interested in signing running back Trent Richardson. If you’ve been under a rock for the past few years, Trent Richardson was the 3rd overall pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2012. Richardson has since been with the Indianapolis Colts and Oakland Raiders, however he has yet to make his mark in the NFL.
Richardson won the Heisman trophy in 2011 and was undoubtedly one of the best players coming into the draft. The Browns thought they were getting a franchise running back. What they got however, was a wasted first round pick. In his rookie year Richardson posted 950 rushing yards. In his career he has 2032 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. His numbers aren’t impressive, but not all that bad.
Richardson hasn’t lived up to his college standards, and a lot of that is because the NFL is much different from college. Perhaps Richardson hasn’t had the time to adjust and develop the way he needs to. Maybe this is the chance he needs to unlock his full potential. The Ravens have a crowded backfield already with Justin Forsett, Lorenzo Taliaferro, Buck Allen, and Terrance West. Adding Trent Richardson puts a lot of pressure on that group of guys, and that could be the main reason why the Ravens are looking to sign Richardson.
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Competition tends to bring out the best in players, and it could help the Ravens sort out their backfield. All in all, Richardson is a low risk, high reward type of signing, much like Justin Forsett’s first deal will the Ravens. We all know how Forsett turned out, maybe Richardson can do the same. Richardson is 230 pounds of force running straight at you, if he can find a way to use it to his advantage, he could see himself earn a big role in the organization.