Ravens make decision on Le'Veon Bell, Devonta Freeman vs. Raiders

Baltimore has made its decision on which running backs will be suiting up Monday night in the season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Ravens signed three veteran running backs last week in Le’Veon Bell, Devonta Freeman and Latavius Murray.

Only Murray will see playing time as the Ravens have decided to promote safety Anthony Levine and defensive lineman Justin Ellis from their practice squad. This means Bell and Freeman will have to wait at least another week until they return to play.

The rush to sign running backs comes after the team lost multiple running backs throughout the preseason.  Just weeks after losing JK Dobbins due to an ACL injury, Baltimore’s depth at the position took another shot when third-year tailback Justice Hill tore his achilles in practice. Not long after, Gus Edwards tore his ACL and was ruled out for the rest of the season.

While Freeman and Bell will not play in Week 1, they will surely be used at some point this season. Murray will see carries Monday night, however, along with Ty’Son Williams and Trenton Cannon. Murray was recently released by the Saints, after he refused to take a paycut.  He looked impressive during his last two seasons in New Orleans, rushing for over 600 yards each year. 

Murray started just 15 games the past two seasons, but he racked up over 1,200 rushing yards and nine touchdowns for the Saints. The talented all-purpose tailback also hauled in 411 receiving yards on 57 catches in his two seasons with New Orleans. He hit season-high averages of 4.5 yards per carry and 7.7 yards per catch last year.

What Bell, Freeman bring to Ravens

Bell has remained unsigned since the start of free agency. The 29-year-old running back bounced around last season, playing for the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs. He finished the year with 328 rushing yards and two touchdowns in 11 games. The Chiefs did not re-sign him after he carried the ball just twice for six yards in the playoffs; he did not appear in the Super Bowl. Adding the tailback could give the Ravens a talented tailback with an illustrious NFL career. In his six seasons with the Steelers, he was a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro. 

The Michigan State product set Pittsburgh franchise records for most catches by a running back in a single season, receiving yards by a running back and most total yards by a Steelers rookie tailback. 

Freeman spent six seasons with Atlanta, drafted by the Falcons in the fourth round out of Florida State. He was Atlanta’s featured back for a number of years, including 2015 and 2016 when he was an All-Pro. The Falcons released Freeman after the 2019 season. He spent part of last season with the New York Giants before signing with the Bills practice squad. The Saints scooped him up for training camp but were then released. 

The Oklahoma State product was drafted by the Ravens in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. In two seasons, the running back has carried the ball 70 times for 285 yards and two touchdowns. He also has 13 receptions for 90 yards.