Baltimore Ravens 2020 season outlook: Mark Ingram

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JANUARY 11: Mark Ingram #21 of the Baltimore Ravens looks on prior to playing against the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 11, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JANUARY 11: Mark Ingram #21 of the Baltimore Ravens looks on prior to playing against the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 11, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) /
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The Baltimore Ravens running back room is absolutely loaded, so how will Mark Ingram look in 2020? We have a feeling he’ll still be pretty productive.

In his inaugural season in Baltimore, Mark Ingram put up a historic season for the Baltimore Ravens franchise. Ingram tied a franchise-record 15 touchdowns from scrimmage and posted over 1,250 scrimmage yards in 15 games. Ingram was exactly what the team believed it was getting when they signed him, and then some.

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The question moving forward is what will Ingram’s role be with the team? After all, Ingram was hardly used in the Ravens playoff loss to the Tennessee Titans and missed the end of the 2019 regular season with a calf injury. Baltimore also drafted J.K. Dobbins in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft and still have Gus Edwards and Justice Hill on the roster.

There’s no doubt that Mark Ingram is headed for a reduced role in 2020. However, there’s plenty of reason to believe he’ll still be a featured and productive player in this offense.

For one thing, Mark Ingram has terrific chemistry with Lamar Jackson and the offense as a whole. You don’t put up the numbers he did in your first year with the squad without some form of connection. Ingram is also a seasoned veteran with the team, meaning he’ll be relied on as a leader. These bode well for his chances to remain somewhat of a bellcow for Baltimore.

Ingram is no one-trick pony, either. While he does run downhill and violently, he can bounce outside and run in any lane paved before him. Ingram also has some prowess as a receiver, as evident by his five touchdown receptions in 2019. That kind of versatility will keep Ingram in the folds more so than someone like Gus Edwards or Justice Hill.

Mark Ingram’s biggest competition will be incoming rookie J.K. Dobbins. The two are practically clones of each other and Dobbins could get himself plenty of touches because of this. As it stands, Ingram will still likely be “the guy” to start the season. We could be looking at another Willis McGahee and Ray Rice situation.

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It’ll be hard for Mark Ingram to repeat what he did a season ago with more mouths to feed in the backfield, but I suspect he’ll find a way to remain productive… especially in the end-zone. Ingram has hit the dreaded age 30-years old mark for running backs, but he’s got plenty of gas left in the tank and will once again be a featured part of the Baltimore Ravens offense.

Mark Ingram 2020 projected stats: 180 carries, 850 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns, 20 receptions, 200 receiving yards, two touchdowns