Baltimore Ravens wise to reach out to Justin Forsett
One of the biggest breakout players of the 2014 season moved from the Baltimore Ravens to the Buffalo Bills, Corey Graham, but the Ravens received three breakout performances that were arguably bigger. Ricky Wagner surprised us all by turning right tackle from a projected weakness into a massive strength, Jimmy Smith took the next step to being a shutdown corner before suffering a season-ending injury, and running back Justin Forsett had a surprising career year after putting himself on the map by clearly outplaying the more touted Bernard Pierce and Lorenzo Taliaferro.
According to the NFL Network’s Kevin Patra, Forsett stated that the Ravens have expressed interest in re-signing the former Seattle Seahawks change-of-pace back, with Forsett unsurprisingly adding that he would like to return. Gary Kubiak and his famed running scheme are now a part of the Denver Broncos organization, but Forsett shouldn’t be affected with the shrewd Marc Trestman replacing Kubiak as the offensive coordinator.
It’s great to see that the Ravens are interested in bringing Forsett back, because he’s a huge reason for their playoff appearance and strong showing in the postseason. His 100-yard day against the New England Patriots balanced defense nearly spurred the team to an upset victory on the road, though the Ravens banged-up pass defense didn’t exactly hold up their end of the bargain.
Forsett was one of the most consistent rusher last season, as he led the league with 5.4 yards per carry and rarely failed to move the chains for his offense. He showed plenty of wiggle for a 29-year-old, which is a huge positive for the Ravens. Backs Forsett’s age usually decline after a couple of seasons of solid play, but there’s reason to believe he could last a bit longer. He hasn’t taken much wear-and-tear to this point in his career after being sparingly used, he’s one of the most well-rounded backs around, and he takes good care of himself.
His all-around ability should be particularly attractive to the Ravens, since he can function as either an every-down back or a change-of-pace guy with his burst, pass-catching, and pass blocking. As we saw in the postseason, there are few running backs who are more reliable in blitz pick-up than Forsett, who isn’t afraid to do what it takes to keep his quarterback clean. He’s also a safe option as a receiver, hauling in a career-high 44 receptions last season.
It makes plenty of sense for the Baltimore Ravens to reach out to him, because there’s always a place for him on their team. Even though he was a monster last season with over 1,200 rushing yards and eight touchdowns to his credit, there’s always a chance he was a one-year wonder.
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Based on his vision, ability to break runs to the outside, and sneaky toughness, I don’t think that will be the case. He’s due for a come-down (5.4 YPC is an unrealistic back-to-back projection), but even if he does play significantly worse, he can still have a role on passing downs.
It will all come down to money, but I think Forsett will prove to be worth the price tag, since he shouldn’t cost too much. He seems very willing to return, though it’s important to note that he has plenty of motivation to cash in; this is a big chance of him to collect the biggest, final payday of his career after a breakout campaign. That being said, it was Forsett’s only year as a feature back, his age doesn’t help his case, and the Ravens can say that he won’t have a better situation anywhere else.
Forsett won’t come cheap, per se, but he won’t exactly be expensive either. We’ll see how far apart both sides are in negotiations, but it’s clear to me that Forsett has a key role on this team. Joe Flacco had a really nice bounce-back year behind better blocking and elite play at the running back position, and he also had a back who could protect him and work as a safety valve for him as a receiver.
Reaching out to Justin Forsett was the least the Ravens could do, so the focus will be on how things progress from here. It’s realistic to think that both sides can agree to a deal before the start of free agency, and the situation is an excellent one for Forestt with Trestman intent on keeping the zone-blocking scheme, which suits his linemen and running back well.