Baltimore Ravens running back Justice Hill has always served as a dynamic special teams threat, but he could gain a much larger role in the offense in 2022.
Like many other Ravens players, Hill suffered a season-ending injury in 2021 and had to work his way back up to full health this year.
His running back mates, J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, are also trying to make a triumphant comeback from their respective injuries, and Dobbins recently starred in his 2022 debut in Week 3 against the Patriots.
Dobbins shined in his first start for the Ravens and clearly has a higher ceiling than Hill, yet he faces a tough challenge in staying healthy all season long. Dobbins is reportedly dealing with a chest injury that limited him in Wednesday’s practice, and that’s after just a few quarters of NFL action.
If Dobbins continues to stay in injury limbo, Hill could break out as a surprisingly effective ball carrier for Baltimore.
Justice Hill’s recovery isn’t talked about as much as it should be. For an RB to come back from that injury & still have that explosiveness has NEVER been done before in the NFL at that position
— Chris (@ChrisJustJoking) September 29, 2022
Justice Hill can offer Ravens more than just specials teams value in 2022
So far in 2022, Hill has logged a career-high 34 percent of offensive snaps, and he’s coming off of one of his more productive games of the season.
In Week 3, Hill shared rotational duties with Dobbins, and though Dobbins out-snapped him by just one snap, Hill led the running back corps with 60 rushing yards that game, averaging 10 yards per attempt.
It’s no coincidence that Dobbins’ return led to the Ravens’ most effective rushing performance of the season thus far, and this one-two punch of Dobbins and Hill seems to have sparked something in Baltimore’s previously dormant running game.
With Gus Edwards still rehabbing his injury, Hill could see plenty of starting snaps these next few weeks, especially with Dobbins aching from Week 3.
Hill, a 2019 fourth-round pick, has never recorded more than 225 rushing yards in a single season for the Ravens, yet that could change this year.
Compared to the disappointing debuts of new signings Mike Davis and Kenyan Drake, Hill has shown tremendous potential as a workhorse back and could take on a sizeable role in Baltimore’s run game in 2022.
This is bad news for Dobbins’ fantasy owners but good news for Hill’s future with the Ravens — keep an eye on Hill’s usage for the rest of the season.