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Baltimore Ravens: 3 reasons for renewed optimism on offense

By Nicholas Gardner

BALTIMORE, MD - DECEMBER 31: Running back Alex Collins #34 of the Baltimore Ravens dives for a touchdown in the third quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium on December 31, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - DECEMBER 31: Running back Alex Collins #34 of the Baltimore Ravens dives for a touchdown in the third quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium on December 31, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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BALTIMORE, MD – DECEMBER 31: Running back Alex Collins #34 of the Baltimore Ravens rushes for a touchdown in the third quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium on December 31, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD – DECEMBER 31: Running back Alex Collins #34 of the Baltimore Ravens rushes for a touchdown in the third quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium on December 31, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

Thanks to a few offseason moves and key players returning back to full health – there should be a lot of optimism on the offensive side of the ball heading into 2018. 

Coming off a season where the Baltimore Ravens ranked 27th in yards per game, 29th in passing yards per game, it wouldn’t surprise me if fans had doubt in their mind about the offense. When you look at this offseason the Ravens should be excited about the offense.

Here are three reasons why:

3) Consistency in the Run Game

Unlike 2017, the Ravens know exactly who their lead back is going to be heading into the start of this season. As a matter of fact, their leading rusher from last season, Alex Collins, wasn’t even on the opening day 53-man roster. And Collins, despite only starting 12 games last year, still ended up with a very respectable 973 yards on the ground.

Alongside their bell-cow rusher in Collins, the Ravens have two scat-backs in their backfield in Javorius “Buck” Allen and Kenneth Dixon. Allen opened a lot of eyes last year playing a huge role in the Ravens offense, especially on third down. Allen was second in rushing yards and was third in receptions on the team, which is impressive for a running back that split playing time.

The third guy to round out the trio of impressive running backs behind Flacco is Kenneth Dixon. Dixon, whom missed all of last season with a torn meniscus, flashed in his rookie campaign and was expected to make “the jump” in his second year before going down. The Ravens rushing attack, which fared well last year, should be counted on yet again to perform – and having consistency all throughout OTA’s and training camp should do nothing but help them.

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