Comparing Ravens 2020 running backs with their 2008 trio

The Baltimore Ravens could look to their trio of running backs in 2008 as a template for making their 2020 running backs work in harmony:

The Baltimore Ravens have the best grouping of running backs they have had since the 2008 season when they had Willis McGahee, Le’Ron McClain and Ray Rice. The 2008 trio of running backs is the most comparable bunch to what the Ravens have now. Let’s take a look at how it worked in Joe Flacco’s rookie year to see how four running backs can fit into Lamar Jackson‘s offense.

McClain was actually a fullback, but that season he was the main attraction in the running game. It was one of the most delightful anomalies in the history of the purple and black. McClain had 1,310 career rushing yards and he had 902 of them in the 2008 season.

McClain got 232 rushing attempts and picked up 902 rushing yards. McGahee had 170 rushing attempts for 671 yards, while Ray Rice had 107 carries for 404 yards. In a ground and pound offense the top three ball carriers split 509 carries.

Rice had 33 receptions for 273 yards. McGahee had 24 for 173 yards. McClain caught 19 passes for 123 yards. The three most important assets to a rookie Flacco got 585 touches in the season. To anybody who says the Ravens have too many mouths to feed in the backfield, a trio worked wonders in the 2008 season.

The 2020 Ravens have four running backs. They have Mark Ingram, Gus Edwards, J.K. Dobbins and Justice Hill. In the 2019 season Ingram got 202 carries. Edwards had 133 carries while Hill had 58 rushing attempts. It’s worth noting that the quarterback had 176 carries, something that isn’t comparable to anything in Ravens history. So with Jackson included, Baltimore had 569 rushing attempts last season with their main rushers.

Jackson did more as a passer with a similar amount of passes as Flacco had in 2008. Jackson had 401 passing attempts for 3,127 yards and 36 touchdowns. Flacco’s rookie campaign got him 2,971 yards and 14 touchdowns on 429 passing attempts.

It is a very similar model in the sense that you’ll have over 500 rushing attempts split between a few players and that is the foundation of the offense. The difference in 2020 is that you actually have elite talent at the quarterback position. Jackson is so efficient as both a runner and a passer and it makes this style of offense more dynamic.

In this comparison between seasons it’s not a perfect translation because McClain got the most carries in 2008. McClain’s role is obviously being taken up by Edwards. Ingram fits the McGahee model, but gets the most work in the backfield rotation. J.K. Dobbins and Justice Hill could split the Ray Rice functions. In this scenario you get two feature backs in Ingram and Edwards, two complementary pieces that act as back 3A and back 3B and a quarterback who can rush for over six yards per attempt.

The Bottom Line:

The fact of the matter is that the Ravens can split up the running back duties just fine in the 2020 season. The ground and pound offense with over 500 carries isn’t something new. It is what they did last year. It’s what the Ravens did in 2008, on the way to the AFC Championship Game.

If anything, adding Dobbins allows the Ravens to have Jackson run the ball a little less. Jackson doesn’t need to run the ball 178 times next season. If the Ravens get that number down to about 100, that could be the safest sweet spot. Jackson always has to have his running ability a factor. In the end expect the Ravens to get their four running backs 500-600 touches without losing anything in the passing game. Last year’s model won’t change much. Plus the 2008 team went about it a similar way, at least in their volume of running back touches.