The Baltimore Ravens were the league’s best rushing team last season, with 191.9 yards per game.
Credit that to their punishing run game led by Gus Edwards, J.K. Dobbins, and Lamar Jackson.
Unfortunately, losing Dobbins to a season-ending injury will diminish their ground attack.
On a positive note, both Jackson and Edwards will have more opportunities to reach 1,000 yards in 2021.
But their run offense is not the same without their backup running back.
Ty’Son Williams will try to fill the void that Dobbins and Justice Hill left.
I appreciate all the love and support, it means the world to me 💜 I’ll be back and I’ll be back better than ever…. James 1:12
— Jk dobbins (@Jkdobbins22) August 31, 2021
Yet, with their backfield depth chart still shallow, the Ravens brought Le’Veon Bell to their practice squad.
However, he is set to join the final team roster barring any concerns.
At his best, he is an explosive runner who can burst through tacklers.
He has three 1,000-yard seasons under his name, including his sophomore year with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Bell became part of the first-team All-Pro that season because of his 1,361 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.
He also caught 83 passes for 854 yards and three touchdowns.
The Ohio native made his second first-team All-Pro in 2017, wherein he finished the season with a career-high 321 carries and 1,291 yards.
they motivate me by sayin I can’t…part 2 pic.twitter.com/pcwLTOEEyq
— Le'Veon Bell (@LeVeonBell) September 7, 2021
Unfortunately, his career went south after that impressive year.
He missed the 2018 season due to a contract dispute and returned to the NFL a year later with the New York Jets.
His production dipped to 789 rushing and 461 receiving yards in 2019.
The Kansas City Chiefs took a gamble on him for the 2020 season despite reduced numbers.
But he lasted just nine games with the Super Bowl LIV winners before returning to New York.
Bell is coming off his worst season in the NFL with 466 total yards from scrimmage.
Last Chance For Bell
He isn’t the same dominating running back he once was.
Players in that position typically regress as years go by, and he is no different.
Suffering knee, groin, and hamstring injuries over the years diminished his explosive speed as well.
Lucky for him, he needs to contribute enough to keep Baltimore’s vaunted run game clicking.
Getting 1,000 yards is an overreaching goal, though the Ravens will be happy if he can return to that form.
But Edwards will be the featured back, and he will get most of the snaps.
It’s impressive that Edwards amassed 723 rushing yards on an average of nine carries per game.
Born in the middle of the Liberian Civil War, @GodsGiftGus13 and his family fled the violence to find a better life in the United States. But no part of it was easy.
Cover Story: The American Dream.
📰: https://t.co/f433D2vVRN pic.twitter.com/AjEQO0xpWL
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) July 4, 2021
He and Jackson will lead the charge, but they will need someone to help them catch their breath.
Bell can be that guy, and it’s impossible to see him getting beyond 15 carries per game.
He has done his job if he can get 50 yards per game.
Anything beyond that will be a welcome surprise for the Ravens.
On his part, Bell must treat this as an audition for his next contract.
It’s his last chance to prove that he is still NFL-worthy.
There’s no way that the Ravens will prioritize him once Dobbins and Hill return.
But he can get another contract if he does well in his brief stint with the Ravens.
NEXT: Le'Veon Bell Finds A New Home With The Ravens
