Five running backs and the Baltimore Ravens’ lone fullback handled the ball in the team’s backfield in 2022, totaling just over 1,200 yards and nine touchdowns between them. Still, none of the Ravens’ rushers were able to out-produce quarterback Lamar Jackson on the ground, with the exception of Kenyan Drake, who managed to score one more touchdown that the MVP signal caller.
Under then-offensive coordinator Greg Roman’s direction the Ravens’ offense was expected to feature one of the NFL’s best running games in 2022, and they did just that, finishing second in total yards and third in yards per attempt. However, Jackson accounted for almost 30 percent of Baltimore’s total rushing output in just 12 games, and seemed to be the team’s most viable option on the ground until his injury late in the season.
Third-year running back J.K. Dobbins put in some good work for the Ravens in the eight games he appeared in, rushing for an impressive 520 yards, but he only found the end zone twice. Likewise, fan-favorite back Gus Edwards managed to gain 433 yards on the ground in nine contests, but only managed to hit pay-dirt three times.
Justice Hill, the Ravens’ fourth-year speedster, played in the most games of any of the team’s backs with 15 appearances but was relegated to a limited role, only producing 262 yards and failing to score a touchdown in the 2022 campaign despite showing solid skills.
Veteran running back Mike Davis and fullback Patrick Ricard were the only other non-receivers or quarterbacks to carry the rock for Baltimore this season, and gained 34 yards on 15 carries between them. Neither scored a touchdown.
Clearly, the team values the running game, and showed flashes in that department over the course of the year. Dobbins seems to be their best bet to lead the team on the ground from the running back position as they seek to pursue a Super Bowl title next season, but they have other qualified options such as Edwards.
