Baltimore Ravens: Running back competition might be best battle at camp

There will be some training camp competitions to watch for the Baltimore Ravens, but the running back competition might be the best.

The Baltimore Ravens took J.K. Dobbins in the second round of the NFL draft. Many considered the pick to be excellent, Eric Decosta even said it would be “irresponsible” to not take him in the second round. With J.K Dobbins on the roster, the Ravens seem to have three starting running backs and all of them will compete for one spot.

I wonder what was going through the head of Eric Decosta as he watched Dobbins fall in the draft. Of course, there are many analysts that say that you shouldn’t take a running back in the first or second rounds of a draft, but Decosta couldn’t allow a talent like Dobbins to go to a team like the Dolphins and become a star.

The pick was made and now the Ravens backfield, which was loaded with talent, looks like the best in the NFL. Dobbins broke records at Ohio State, averaged 6.7 yards per carry, scored 23 total touchdowns, and had some of his best games against the best competition.

He was a borderline first-round pick and probably has a chip on his shoulder because he was chosen later than he should have been. Adding Dobbins to the Ravens backfield will make the running back competition very interesting, to say the least.

The Ravens already had a strong backfield with Mark Ingram, Gus Edwards, and Justice Hill. Ingram’s impact was felt immediately, his hard running style fits Baltimore well and he was a locker room leader from the get-go. The Ravens also have a  very underrated player in Gus Edwards.

Edwards has been very good since he came onto the scene in 2018 in which he was the lead back. Mark Ingram was signed last year and took some carries away from him, but he still managed to average over five yards a carry. Last year he looked like a better runner and showed off his own explosiveness and power. Ingram ran very well last year, but so did Edwards, throw in Dobbins and the lead running back is up in the air.

I say all of this while knowing that Justice Hill might be in the conversation as well. Though he is smallest the running back on the roster, he might be the best athlete out of the other three running backs. His combine numbers were freaky, he has good hands and is a problem when he has some space.

He won’t wow you running between the tackles, but he might have more utility than the other running backs when it comes to runs on the outside. However, Justice Hill has the longest odds of becoming the lead back in Baltimore. His size is a huge limitation and he will need to add some more weight before he can be thought of as the lead back.

The bottom line:

The running back position will be one of many training camp battles to watch. There will competition at the wide receiver position, right guard, and safety, but running back looks to be the hottest one at camp. For my money, I think Ingram will remain the starter with Gus Edwards being his immediate backup.

That may change over the course of the year as Dobbins will be given some opportunities to show off his ability on the field, but it will still be an upfield battle for Dobbins. Actually it will more than likely be a battle for everyone in the running back room. Every fan should closely watch the running back room, it will be exciting to see how the running back group shakes out. I would not be surprised if the starting running back changes once or twice during the year.