Do Devonta Freeman and Latavius Murray Factor in Ravens Future?
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens turned to Devonta Freeman and Latavius Murray when they lost their top three running backs training camp.
It took some time for Freeman and Murray to adjust to Baltimore's offense, but they wound up being mostly solid contributors.
Running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards should be ready for training camp at some point and they'll likely retake their spots as No. 1 and No. 2 on the depth chart.
This means Murray and Freeman might not be in their plans unless Dobbins or Edwards has a setback.
Baltimore also has two other young running backs that could be factors.
Ty'Son Williams is an exclusive rights free agent and the Ravens signed Nate McCrary to a Reserve/Future deal this week.
Baltimore finished third in the NFL with 145.8 yards per game despite all of the challenges at running back.
Freeman took over the starting job and finished with 576 yards and five touchdowns.
Murray also had some effective moments and had 501 yards and six touchdowns.
Williams (185 yards, one touchdown) was expected to embrace a bigger role but he struggled with blocking, did not play special teams, and fell out of favor with coach John Harbaugh.
Dobbins finished with 805 yards rushing with nine touchdowns as a rookie in 2020. Edwards, who is signed through the 2023 season, ran for 723 yards with six touchdowns.
Both players will add a new dimension to the offense. Their teammates are anticipating their potential return but appreciated what Freeman and Murray brought to the team.
“I am very excited to see what J.K. and Gus can do," guard Kevin Zeitler said. "It’s truly unbelievable what happened way back when at the end of training camp, but I know those two guys are working hard. It’ll be really cool to see what they can do when they come back.
"Also, just a huge shoutout to Latavius and Devonta. Coming in the way they did, the way they were able to learn the offense, the different ways they ran and how they were able to be effective was really cool getting to see them go.”
