The Baltimore Ravens have always been a team centered around the run game. They took this identity to a new level last season. In 2019, the Baltimore Ravens running back group broke the single-season rushing record for total rushing yards as a team. Behind 2019 MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson and a diverse comity of running backs, Baltimore set new benchmarks by averaging 204.9 rushing yards per game and totaled 3,296 rushing yards during the regular season.
The Ravens were simply unstoppable on the ground last year and will be bringing back each of their backfield contributors from last season in 2020. Their rushing attack centered around Jackson and his record-setting 1,206 quarterback rushing yards will also see each Mark Ingram, Gus Edwards, and Justice Hill back with the team for another season. Added to the fold is rookie J.K. Dobbins. Expecting Baltimore to beat the record they set last year is a tough ask but each running back will have a specific role to play in helping them excel again next season. They are all part of the same machine that led Greg Roman‘s offense to the second-most yards and most points per game in 2020.
Dominating on the ground has become the identity of the modern-day Ravens and Baltimore’s backs will need to properly fill their roles on for the team to replicate their team’s success from 2019. This is what the Ravens running back room will look like in 2020.
How the Baltimore Ravens Running Back Room Will Work
Lead Back – Mark Ingram
Outside of Jackson, Ingram is the engine that makes the Ravens running game go. Signed as a free agent in 2019, Ingram made an instant impact in his first year in Baltimore. His smash-mouth, angry, ground and pound rushing style fit in perfectly with the way head coach John Harbaugh and company ran the ball. He finished the year with 1,018 rushing yards (524 coming after contact) on 202 carries while punching in 10 touchdowns on the ground. Ingram also added 26 receptions for 247 yards and five scores through the air.
Now going into 2020, don’t expect Ingram’s role to change. He started each game he played in for the Ravens and is coming off of career-high in yards per touch (8.5) and his third-career Pro Bowl appearance.
The only thing potentially holding Ingram back from another productive season is his age. While he is not a historical injury-prone player, Ingram suffered an ankle injury Week 16 against the Cleveland Browns that noticeably hampered him into the Ravens Wild Card game against the Tennessee Titans last season. He has only missed nine games over the past five seasons but he is approaching age 30 — a pitfall in production for most running backs that make it that far. This could mean a potential decrease in touches in order for the coaching staff to keep him fresh. Ingram has always had one of the best motors in the NFL but keeping up elite play as an older running back has proved to be challenging for everyone.
If Ingram returns in 2020 in the same form he displayed in 2019, he will lead the Ravens backfield in touches and starts again in 2020. He was one of Baltimore’s best players last season and a primary tone-setter on the NFL’s highest-scoring offense.
Third-Down Back – Justice Hill
After being a fourth-round pick by the Ravens in 2019’s draft, Hill was solemnly used last season. The former Oklahoma State Cowboy saw just 66 touches all season and finished the year playing a total of 187 offensive snaps over the full 16 game season. Hill was thought of as a potential home run hitter in a backfield lacking true top-end speed. Instead, Ingram was able to play at such a high level on both run and passing downs that it religated almost every other back to the bench.
Now in 2020, Hill has a chance to be a breakout star on the Ravens. He showed decent ability as a rookie but was held back by only seeing double-digit touches once all season — Week 17 while Ingram was benched. His 4.4 speed makes him easily the quickest runner in the Ravens backfield and he should be able to turn some of his 2020 attempts into long gains. Coach Harbaugh said he expects Hill to “make a big jump” this season, likely implying he will gather far more t0uches than he saw a year ago.
For Hill to make the biggest impact he can next year, he needs to show consistency when catching the ball. He had 31 catches for 299 yards his junior year in college and would bring a new dimension to the Ravens offense if he can combine good hands with his impressive speed. Hill’s role is the most up in the air of any of the running backs on Baltimore but has the skill set of a very good third-down back if Ingram begins to slow up or needs rest.
Short Yardage Back – Gus Edwards
When you need a yard, Edwards is the player that will get it for you. The Ravens short-yardage back is a battering ram whose role should remain the same in 2020. He is a massive runner at 6’1″ 238 lbs and is coming off of another successful season in his second-year of NFL action. Edwards finished the year with 711 rushing yards and two touchdowns. However, his most impressive stat was his 5.3 yards per carry average that ranked third amongst qualifying rushers. The only running back to out gain him per carry was Raheem Mostert.
Edwards’ role is about as defined as it gets. He was almost always on the field when the Ravens were in need of two or fewer yards. That was despite having Ingram — a player that per PFF has the fewest percentage of carries going for a loss or no gain since 2016.
It’s possible that with so many players in the Ravens running back room that Edwards usage could take a hit, but Harbaugh never shied away from using him even with Ingram playing at such a high level last season. Edwards played over 40% of snaps in five games last season and made every touch count. If there is one runner in the Ravens backfield that you can expect not to be tackled for a loss, on any play, it’s Edwards.
Wild Card – J.K. Dobbins
The Ravens surprised a lot of people when they used their second-highest pick in the 2020 NFL Draft on a running back. Selecting the former-Buckeye with the 55th pick added one of college football’s most productive runners to the most productive backfield of all-time. Dobbins finished his college career with 2,003 rushing and 247 receiving yards in his sophomore season. The question now becomes where does the leading rusher from the Big-10 last season fit in with his new team.
Dobbins is not as polished a back as Ingram, not as powerful as Edwards, and not as fast as Hill. However, he is perhaps the most well rounded back outside of Ingram. If Ingram were to need rest as the season progressed, Dobbins could take over duties on a number of crucial downs. He touched the ball a total of 324 times his final season at Ohio State, averaging 6.94 yards per touch, and could ease his way into the rotation if any of the other backs falter.
There is no telling where Dobbins will make his mark with the Ravens in 2020 but he will gather carries despite being potentially the fourth runner on the depth chart. Roman has said he is “really excited to see J.K” implying the rookie already has a potential role with the current team, but still loves the players he already has on the roster. When a team that runs the ball as much as the Ravens do pick a running back in the top-two rounds, there’s a reason behind it.
Position Grade: A-
Going into 2020, there isn’t a weakness in the Ravens running back room. They have four very capable players at a position that was the focal point of their record-setting offense just a year ago. Keeping four different running backs on the roster is an abnormality in the modern-day NFL but one that will keep their opponents on their toes on every down. Couple this with a bizarrely talented athlete at quarterback in Lamar Jackson and you have an offense that – if their offensive line play holds up – should dominate on the ground for the second year in a row. There aren’t many teams in the NFL with as talented and diverse a backfield as Baltimore.
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