With training camp around the corner, the 2019 Baltimore Ravens are expected to field a revamped backfield. Leading that charge is recent acquisition and former New Orleans Saint running back, Mark Ingram. The versatile two-time Pro Bowler should be a staple in the Ravens’ run-first approach while helping the team expand its abilities as a passing offense.
Ingram will have a chance to put himself on the list of the best running backs in Baltimore’s history. But for now, let’s take a look back at the best the Ravens players they have ever fielded.
Jamal Lewis
Lewis is the best Ravens running back ever, bar none.
In six seasons (2000-2007) rushing for Baltimore, Lewis amassed an astonishing 7,800 yards and 45 touchdowns. That includes his near record-breaking 2003 campaign where he rushed for 2,066 yards. Lewis also held the single-game rushing record at one point, putting up 295 yards on the ground against the Cleveland Browns in 2003. That record would be topped by Adrian Peterson in 2007 by just a single yard.
As a rookie, he helped the Ravens win their first Super Bowl, taking over for Priest Holmes by the middle of the season. Lewis’ legacy was cemented with the Ravens when he was given a spot in the Rong of Honor in 2012.
Ray Rice
A name that has become more taboo than honored, Rice comes in second on this list. Had Rice not been suspended and released following his domestic violence incident, he could have potentially supplanted Lewis at the top spot.
Rice got his first real shot in his second season and put together his first Pro Bowl campaign, rushing for 1,339 yards and seven touchdowns on 254 attempts while adding another 702 receiving yards and one touchdown on 78 catches. Over his six seasons with the Ravens, Rice saw 1,799 total touches, creating 9,214 all-purpose yards and 43 touchdowns.
In addition to being productive, Rice has perhaps one of the most iconic moments in Baltimore football history when he helped get the Ravens out of a 4th-and-29 situation, which led to beating the San Diego Chargers en route to Baltimore’s second Super Bowl run.
Regardless of how you feel about Rice personally, it’s impossible to discount what he did on the field for the Ravens.
Willis McGahee
Even though he spent time with four teams over his career, starting with the Buffalo Bills, McGahee chose to retire a Raven. And it’s clear to see why. Arriving via trade from the Bills, McGahee’s time in Baltimore (2007-2010) was significant.
In his first season with the Ravens, McGahee rushed for 1,207 yards and seven touchdowns. He’d prove a valuable part of Baltimore’s backfield, however, he played second fiddle to Rice for half of his time with the Ravens which limited his production. But he still had a pretty solid stat sheet in Baltimore, getting 769 touches for 3,346 all-purpose yards and 35 touchdowns over four seasons.
Justin Forsett
Signed on a one-year deal in 2014 as a backup to Rice and Bernard Pierce, Forsett made the best of an unexpected situation. Rice’s suspension and Pierce being sidelined with an injury propelled the journeyman running back into the starting job. And Forsett never looked back from there.
He played every game in his first year with the Ravens, rushing for 1,266 yards and eight touchdowns. After years of being the experienced backup everywhere he went, his play in 2014 earned him a three-year deal from Baltimore and the starting job.
Sadly, Forsett would end his next season on injured reserve with a broken arm after just 10 games. In 2016, Forsett was cut just a few games into the season and bounced around to the Denver Broncos and Detroit Lions before ending his career.
Still, Forsett was the right running back at the right time for the Ravens. He helped Baltimore move on from Rice and put up decent production during his time with the team. He rushed for 2,005 yards and 10 touchdowns on 417 attempts over 29 games.
Priest Holmes
While he’ll likely be remembered for his All-Pro time with the Kansas City Chiefs, Holmes began his career in Baltimore as an undrafted free agent. In four seasons (1997-2000) with the Ravens, Holmes collected over 2,100 rushing yards and helped the team on their Super Bowl XXXV run.
However, Baltimore wouldn’t get his best years as they parted with Holmes that offseason and instead invested in Jamal Lewis. He ended up leading the league in rushing yards that very next season, cementing himself as a Chiefs legend in his own right.
Alex Collins
Seemingly out of nowhere, Collins earned a role as the lead back in a Ravens offense that was searching for answers. Under the spotlight of Thursday Night Football, Collins ran for a career-high 113 yards against the Miami Dolphins and became a sensation overnight. He finished the season rushing for 973 yards and six touchdowns, while only starting half the season.
He may have been a “one-hit wonder” for the Ravens but for one season, he looked to be Baltimore’s long-term answer at a position they struggled to fill completely since Rice.
Bam Morris
This is a throwback for those old school Ravens fans. Morris only played with Baltimore for two seasons and was part of a double-headed attack at running back but he was effective when on the field.
Morris’ 1,511 rushing yards ranks seventh all-time for the Ravens, actually ahead of Collins. Had Morris not been more famous for his off-field issues and suspended in both seasons he was in Baltimore, he could have very well been a long-term fixture in the Ravens’ backfield and rocketed himself up this list.
Sadly, we’ll never really know what could have been for Morris’ football career. Multiple arrests on drug-related charges, including an arrest for drug trafficking in 2000 saw Morris sentenced to 10 years in jail — though he only served four years, being released in 2004.
Kyle Juszczyk
OK, he’s technically a fullback, but I think he deserves a spot on this list.
Drafted in the fourth round by the Ravens in 2013, Juszczyk was ultimately the successor to fullback Vonta Leach. The Harvard alumnus may not have been known for his yardage totals but he certainly proved to be a valuable asset to the Ravens on the ground, as a blocker and occasional receiver.
Juszczyk totaled 25 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in four seasons with the Ravens (2013-2016). But his real asset was being a receiver out of the backfield, adding 769 yards and 5 touchdowns on 97 receptions.
Juszczyk might not have been flashy but he did what was needed when called upon. That play earned him a record-setting deal from the San Francisco 49ers in 2017 where he’s continued to put up similar production.
