Ravens: 4 players with something to prove in preseason Week 2
By Justin Fried
2. Justice Hill, RB, Ravens
Few expected third-year running back Justice Hill to be on the roster bubble this summer, but it’s a legitimate conversation we need to have at this point.
Hill has never quite found his place in the Ravens offense and he saw a significant decrease in playing time last season. The former fourth-round pick received just 12 carries, although he did develop into a mainstay on special teams.
The hope was that Hill would take on a larger role in 2021 as the primary backup to J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, but that might not be the case.
Hill has underwhelmed this summer and rushed for just eight yards on five carries in Saturday’s preseason opener. Meanwhile, the duo of Ty’Son Williams and Nate McCrary each impressed.
Williams, a second-year former undrafted rookie, rushed for 41 yards on 10 carries and led the way with a team-best five catches for 23 yards.
Meanwhile, McCrary, an undrafted rookie out of Division-II Saginaw Valley State, rushed for 31 yards on just five carries for a highly efficient 6.2 yards per carry.
It’s still a little early to suggest that Hill won’t make the team, but he needs a bounce-back performance this weekend to quiet these talks.
If not, he might go into the final week of the preseason quite literally fighting to save his job.