Breaking down the Baltimore Ravens running game

A couple of pleasant surprises emerged from the Baltimore Ravens roster last season. Perhaps the biggest came at the running back position, where veteran Justin Forsett rushed for 1,266 yards (5.4 yards-per-carry) and eight touchdowns. After totaling just 1,692 yards in the first five years of his career combined, there is no question that the 29-year old had a breakout year.

With that being said, every Ravens fan is wondering the same thing: Will Forsett perform as well, or be even a shell of what he was in 2014? The odds of him repeating his success from last year are slim-to-none, which is exactly why I am not banking on that. Even 1,000 yards is a stretch. 2014 was Forsett’s first season as a starting running back in the NFL. Until he proves that he can consistently perform at a high level, I will not expect that out of him.

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The other option at halfback is second-year man Lorenzo Taliaferro. The six-foot, 225-pound running back played in 13 games last year, receiving only 68 carries for 292 yards. He did, however, manage  four touchdowns on the ground. Taliaferro is one of those big, hard-nosed backs that will fight for every yard. But that also means that nothing he does is flashy either.

Although the Ravens will be looking to him as a No. 2 option and maybe even a starter depending on how he performs, injuries have already started to plague the 23-year-old. He left the second preseason game with an MCL injury and missed Week 3 as well. He is also doubtful to play in the preseason finale, but is hopeful to be out there for opening day, two weeks from today.

Rookie Javorius Allen and second-year man Fitzgerald Toussaint will battle it out for the third spot. So there you have it – those are the running backs that the Ravens will be relying on at the running back position.

A lot of question marks do surround this group. Will Forsett repeat what he did last season? Will Taliaferro be a consistent running back in this league, and if so, will he stay healthy? Who will be placed as the third running back on the depth chart? All these questions will be answered in the next few months as we get set to begin the 2015 NFL regular season.

Next: Starters okay, backups not against the Washington Redskins