Baltimore Ravens: 5 most important players for next 5 years

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) /
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Baltimore Ravens
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) /

With the Baltimore Ravens not making the playoffs over the last three seasons. These five players will be pivotal to the Ravens success over the next five years.

5. Alex Collins

Since Ray Rice, The Baltimore Ravens have been troubled in search of a running back they can rely on for the future of the franchise. Justin Forsett had that lone season that gave the fanbase hope. Buck Allen hasn’t exactly shown he could be a game changer. And while Kenneth Dixon sure looked like a draft steal two years ago, he can’t seem to stay on the field. But in 2017, running back Alex Collins looked to be a back that could change the course of the team’s offense. Collins was a fifth round draft pick that didn’t make it with the Seattle Seahawks. Picking up Collins was one of the few breaks the team has had on offense the last few seasons.

Collins is a star:

In 2018, Marty Mornhinweg and coach Harbaugh should look to lean on Collins a lot more to bolster the team’s offense. They shouldn’t hold him back, they should let him loose. Now that they have the ammunition on offense, they shouldn’t hesitate to feed Collins the ball. Maybe then the offense wont struggle like they did last season.

Must Read: Predicting what rookies will play in 2018

Last season, Collins was ranked 11th in rushing, getting the ball 212 times. Every other back that rushed for more yards carried the ball at least 230 times. Coach Harbaugh should certainly be planning on increasing his carries and giving Joe Flacco a running game to count on.

In Ozzie Newsome’s final draft, he didn’t take a running back with all the picks he gathered. One could suggest that they too, expect Alex Collins to be the running back of the future in Baltimore.