Baltimore Ravens: Is Alex Collins the Ravens future at running back?

Alex Collins has to be one of the few bright spots for the entirety of the Ravens 2017 season. But just how much stock should we put into Collins play?

Alex Collins, the second all-time leading rusher at the University of Arkansas, was selected in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL draft by the Seattle Seahawks. Collins was the second running back selected by the Seahawks, two rounds after former Notre Dame running back C.J. Prosise, in an attempt to replace the legendary Marshawn Lynch in their backfield.

After a rookie season that saw Collins accumulate 125 rushing yards (4.0 YPC) and a single touchdown, Collins was released on September 5, 2017. The Seahawks made an offseason addition of Eddie Lacy to their backfield and with the supposed “resurgence” of Thomas Rawls and a healthy C.J. Prosise, Collins was simply viewed as expendable and took up a roster spot.

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Alex Collins was then scooped up by the Ravens just two days later and was signed to the team’s practice squad. The Ravens would activate Collins for a week two game against the Cleveland Browns and, well, you know the rest.

Alex Collins has been the man of this Ravens offense. Collins is second in the league in YPC at 5.6 and is on pace for just shy of 1,000-yard rushing season. He has demonstrated excellent patience as a runner and has proven week-in and week-out that he deserves more and more touches.

But one has to wonder just how good Collins can become. On a Ravens team that criminally under-uses Collins, one has to wonder what Collins could do if he were to receive bulk carries. And that, of course, begs the question…

Is Alex Collins the future at running back for Baltimore?

Let’s start off by looking at Alex Collins himself. Alex Collins is just 23-years old with almost no mileage on him at a professional level. He’s 5’10” 210-pounds and has shown the ability to be a successful one-cut style runner. Collins has solid vision and can run over and make defenders miss. That sounds pretty good to me.

I do have one glaring problem, however. Collins has a big fat zero in the touchdown column. Is that more of an opportunity issue? Maybe. But with nearly 100 touches this season, not scoring a touchdown is certainly noteworthy.

Another issue is Collins isn’t much of a receiving option. Now, with that said Buck Allen and Danny Woodhead (upon return) are good pass catching options at running back, so perhaps Collins simply doesn’t see the opportunities. But even at Arkansas, Collins was never a receiving threat. Collins had just 27 career receptions in 38 games played.

Here’s what we know

Alex Collins will be an exclusive rights free agent following the 2017 season (per spotrac.com). Essentially, if the Ravens opt to tender Collins as an ERFA, he will be back for the 2018 season on a one-year deal, more than likely at the league minimum salary for running backs. So, that means we should have more than enough time to decide whether or not Collins is the future.

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Meanwhile, Buck Allen and Terrance West are free agents after this season and Danny Woodhead has an opt-out clause following the 2017 season if the Ravens decide to cut him. That leaves Collins and Kenneth Dixon, who will serve a 10-game suspension to start the 2018 season, as the remaining running backs on the Ravens roster. And at this point, Dixon isn’t even a lock for the 2018 53-man roster.

The bottom line

Alex Collins looks tremendous, but is that because he is only a part-time back? We can’t decipher whether or not that is true until we give him more touches. The Ravens need to give Collins the ball 15+ times consistently. Heck, 20+ carries wouldn’t hurt, either.

I am a huge Alex Collins supporter, but I can’t put all my eggs in one basket. Collins isn’t without flaws, after all. As of now, it seems like it’s too soon to tell. The Ravens future at running back is extremely cloudy, given all the potential free agents. They will also have to take a hard look at a potentially great 2018 running back draft class. Without a shadow of a doubt, the Ravens need to draft at least one running back.

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Collins should be back with Baltimore in 2018 but could face more competition. So, for the rest of the 2017 season, Collins has to continue performing at an above-average level. The more he can sway the front office, the better his chances are at being considered the future at running back. We, the fans, are already excited about Collins’ future. Here’s hoping Collins lives up to our expectations.