OWINGS MILLS —With four-time Pro Bowler Derrick Henry likely watching from the sideline, the Ravens will get an extended look at their young running backs in the first preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday.
Justice Hill will be the main backup to Henry, and he could see limited action if he plays at all against Philadelphia. That means rookie fifth-round pick Rasheen Ali, second-year player Owen Wright, and undrafted rookie Chris Collier will have a chance to showcase their skills to become the No. 3 running back.
“[I’m] really excited for Rasheen, [and I’m] excited to watch him play in preseason. The challenge is just learning the speed of the game [and] understanding the offense,” Ravens running backs coach Willie Taggart said. “Owen has grown so much from last year, coming in as an undrafted free agent. From that time to the last preseason when he played against the [Tampa Bay Buccaneers] that’s when he showed everyone that he can play at this level; and he just constantly got better over the year, and practicing against our defense helps.
“[It’s] the same thing with ‘Collier’ back there – I really like our running back room, not just because I’m the running backs coach, but because I think we have some talented men back there. I think we’ll all get to see it once we go in preseason and see what they can do.”
Ali had 1,135 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns on 212 carries in 12 games last season at Marshall. He also caught 28 passes for 213 yards with another score. As a freshman in 2021, Ali had 250 carries for 1,401 yards with 23 touchdowns — the most in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Protecting the football has been an issue for Ali, who had 11 fumbles in the last three seasons in college. That will be an area the Ravens will be watching closely in the first preseason game.
“I think that young man is special, and I think he’s going to show us all that we’re – [executive vice president and general manager] Eric [DeCosta] and those guys did a good job of drafting a running back,” Taggart said.
Wright has been impressive throughout training camp and has shown explosiveness out of the backfield. He spent last season on the Raven practice squad and signed a reserve/future contract on January 29th.
“We’re seeing right now is a young man that is playing with confidence – that’s going to help,” Taggart said.
Collier also has the speed and strength to battle for a roster spot. He is the first player from Division II Lock Haven to sign with an NFL team since 2011. Last season, he had 1,393 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns in 11 games. He also had 22 catches for 238 yards and 3 touchdowns and ran a 4.48 in the 40-yard dash at Temple’s Pro Day.
“In Chris’s case, he was a dominant player at that level, and you expect him to be able to play in the NFL,” coach John Harbaugh said at the OTAs. “He came out here and looked like he belonged. He’s quick and fast and strong and just looks the part, so he’s going to have a chance to make the team, just like everybody else. He looked really good.”
