By Anthony Fallas Edited by Peter Cordi
With Justin Forsett’s one-year contract expiring, the Baltimore Ravens will have to decide if they want to keep the most surprising breakout player of 2014. Forsett has been on the Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks, Houston Texans, and Jacksonville Jaguars before coming to the Ravens; all of his old teams cut Forsett due to his lack of production. The Ravens did not think that Forsett would be their starting running back by the end of the season. In fact, Forsett was set to be the third string running back, under Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce. Because of Rice’s domestic violence suspension and Bernard Pierce’s injuries and lack of production, there was an opportunity for Forsett to lead the running back show. 235 attempts for 1,266 yards made Forsett the Ravens’ most valuable player, but with his price rising, will the Ravens be able to bring Forsett back or will they draft a new running back?
Former Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, recently hired as head coach of the Denver Broncos, coached Forsett in the 2012 season with the Texans. People say that the reason Forsett was so successful in Baltimore was because he was comfortable with his offensive coordinator. Now that Kubiak is gone and OC Marc Trestman has been hired, it might be a little different. When Kubiak entered Baltimore, he brought a type of offense that the Ravens were not very familiar with- the west coast offence. This type of offense relies more on the short passing scheme more than the running. Even though the Ravens say they will keep the west coast offense, it will not be the same as it was in the last season. Forsett will have more of a work-load, which will either tire him or bring him to his fullest peek.
The decision to part with Forsett or to draft a young, fresh running back will be tough for the Ravens, considering their need for other positions to be taking care of. The Ravens have a very weak secondary, so they are likely trying, during this free agent period, to have as less of needs on the offensive side of the ball in the draft so they can draft defensive backs. So keeping that in mind the Ravens must keep Forsett. Here are two scenarios that might happen to Forsett to keep him in Baltimore:
1. The Ravens first need to renegotiate Haloti Ngata’s contract. If they lower Ngata’s cap hit, the Ravens salary cap will be reduced thus allowing them to have enough money to sign Forsett again.
2. This last scenario is a possibility, but not likely. The Ravens can use a franchise tag on Forsett to block him from hitting free agency, then signing Forsett to a contract the Ravens can afford.
With Justin Forsett’s one-year contract expiring, the Baltimore Ravens will have to decide if they want to keep the most surprising breakout player of 2014. Forsett has been on the Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks, Houston Texans, and Jacksonville Jaguars before coming to the Ravens; all of his old teams cut Forsett due to his lack of production. The Ravens did not think that Forsett would be their starting running back by the end of the season. In fact, Forsett was set to be the third string running back, under Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce. Because of Rice’s domestic violence suspension and Bernard Pierce’s injuries and lack of production, there was an opportunity for Forsett to lead the running back show. 235 attempts for 1,266 yards made Forsett the Ravens’ most valuable player, but with his price rising, will the Ravens be able to bring Forsett back or will they draft a new running back?
Former Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, recently hired as head coach of the Denver Broncos, coached Forsett in the 2012 season with the Texans. People say that the reason Forsett was so successful in Baltimore was because he was comfortable with his offensive coordinator. Now that Kubiak is gone and OC Marc Trestman has been hired, it might be a little different. When Kubiak entered Baltimore, he brought a type of offense that the Ravens were not very familiar with- the west coast offence. This type of offense relies more on the short passing scheme more than the running. Even though the Ravens say they will keep the west coast offense, it will not be the same as it was in the last season. Forsett will have more of a work-load, which will either tire him or bring him to his fullest peek.
The decision to part with Forsett or to draft a young, fresh running back will be tough for the Ravens, considering their need for other positions to be taking care of. The Ravens have a very weak secondary, so they are likely trying, during this free agent period, to have as less of needs on the offensive side of the ball in the draft so they can draft defensive backs. So keeping that in mind the Ravens must keep Forsett. Here are two scenarios that might happen to Forsett to keep him in Baltimore:
1. The Ravens first need to renegotiate Haloti Ngata’s contract. If they lower Ngata’s cap hit, the Ravens salary cap will be reduced thus allowing them to have enough money to sign Forsett again.
2. This last scenario is a possibility, but not likely. The Ravens can use a franchise tag on Forsett to block him from hitting free agency, then signing Forsett to a contract the Ravens can afford.