Baltimore Ravens: Who Will Get The Bulk of The Carries?

Sep 7, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Justin Forsett (29) dives past Cincinnati Bengals strong safety George Iloka (43) for a 13-yard touchdown during the third quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

With Ray Rice out of the mix in Baltimore, the big question becomes: Who will replace him as the Baltimore Ravens starting running back?

We have three candidates at the moment for this spot.

First off, let’s talk about the guy who is probably in the lead – Justin Forsett. Why would a seven-year veteran that has never been a starting running back in the NFL be in the driver’s seat? His week one performance will answer that question.

After Bernard Pierce fumbled towards the end of the first half in the week one game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Forsett took over for the rest of the game. He carried the ball 11 times and totaled 70 yards, 6.3 yards-per-carry. Not bad for a guy that was slated to be the fourth-string running back.

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However, what about that Bernard Pierce? He was supposed to be the starting running back in the first two weeks during Ray Rice’s suspension; but with Rice gone, is he slated to start? After his poor showing in week one in which he rushed for 14 yards on six carries, I’m not so sure. Although Pierce did have a 2.9 yard-per-rush average last season, he ran for 4.9 yards-per-rush in his rookie year, so he has the ability to be a starter in this league.

The Third candidate is rookie Lorenzo Taliaferro, who saw the field on a number of occasions on opening day, but failed to receive any carries. The big back led the league in rushing yards in the preseason and certainly deserves to get a shot after being selected in the third round by the Ravens.

Those will most likely be the three candidates, but there a couple of other options. First, the Ravens could always promote Fitzgerald Toussaint back to the 53-man roster and give him a shot, but it’s unlikely that he would receive a significant amount of carries. Another choice could be to acquire a tailback, whether it would be trading or picking one up. The San Francisco 49ers just released Lamicheal James, perhaps he is a possibility?

At the end of the day, the Ravens probably won’t have one man taking all the carries as they did with Rice for six years. However, I expect Forsett to receive the most carries, with Pierce and Taliaferro following in that order.