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Key to the future: 2021 Baltimore Ravens offensive wish list 2.0

By Ronald Toothe

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - OCTOBER 06: Rashod Bateman #13 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers celebrates a touchdown against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first quarter of the game on October 6, 2018 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - OCTOBER 06: Rashod Bateman #13 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers celebrates a touchdown against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first quarter of the game on October 6, 2018 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – DECEMBER 20: Running back J.K. Dobbins #27 of the Baltimore Ravens stiff arms linebacker Myles Jack #44 of the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half of their game at M&T Bank Stadium on December 20, 2020, in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Todd Olszewski/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – DECEMBER 20: Running back J.K. Dobbins #27 of the Baltimore Ravens stiff arms linebacker Myles Jack #44 of the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half of their game at M&T Bank Stadium on December 20, 2020, in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Todd Olszewski/Getty Images) /

Backfield: J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, Chuba Hubbard, Patrick Ricard

Slight change here, but the top of the pecking order remains the same. J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards will again be the prominent 1-2 punch for the Ravens in 2021 after the team picked up Edwards’ option last month. Eric Decosta also made mention of the fact that the goal was to lock Gus into a longer-term deal, but that has yet to come to fruition. Should Edwards have another solid season as the bruiser of the Ravens backfield, a test of the market to maximize his bottom line during the next free agency period would be all but a guarantee.

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With the likelihood of this being very high, the Ravens should think ahead about an option to spell Dobbins for the future. Chuba Hubbard takes the spot of Justice Hill here, as one Oklahoma State Cowboy running back gets swapped for another. Chuba Hubbard had an electric 2019 in which he amassed over 2,000-yards for Oklahoma State, but a less than stellar 2020 in which he was not 100% health-wise has his draft stock falling. While he may not have the stature of Gus Edwards, Hubbard still runs very well between the tackles and has the cutting ability to make a real difference in a zone-run scheme like the one the Ravens utilize.

Most mocks currently have Hubbard in the #9-11 range at the running back position in this year’s draft, and should he begin to slip down the board, the Ravens would be smart to give him serious consideration. Justice Hill is an important special teams player currently though and has shown minor flashes in games. Should the Ravens not go this route in the draft, he’s still a deserving option to hold that #3 spot.

Rather than dedicate an entire section to Pat Ricard, which admittedly he does deserve, I’ll include him here just for the sake of acknowledging how little needs to be said about his role in the offense. Perhaps the heart and soul of the whole thing, Ricard will be knocking heads all year in 2021.

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