The Baltimore Ravens, after losing three running backs to season-ending injuries during the preseason and then scrambling to replace them, have received trade inquiries from teams interested in their current group of running backs, league sources told ESPN.
The Ravens may not end up trading any of their running backs, but the inquires — some of which came as recently as last week — affirm that Baltimore successfully made up for the season-ending injuries to J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards and Justice Hill all in a span of 10 days starting in late August.
Baltimore responded by signing former New Orleans Saints running backs Latavius Murray and Devonta Freeman, as well as former Kansas City Chiefs running back Le’Veon Bell. That veteran trio joined second-year running back Ty’Son Williams, who currently is Baltimore’s second-leading rusher behind star quarterback Lamar Jackson.
The NFL’s trade deadline this season is Nov. 2.
Despite the rash of injuries and their rebuilt backfield, the Ravens enter Monday night’s game against the Indianapolis Colts with the NFL’s fourth-best rushing offense, averaging 164.5 yards per game.
Jackson, the only quarterback in league history with multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons, has run for 279 yards on 42 carries over Baltimore’s first four games, averaging 6.6 yards per carry. Williams has 164 rushing yards on just 27 carries, averaging 6.1 yards per attempt, while Murray has 151 yards and a team-leading three touchdowns on the ground.
Playing time has been more limited for Freeman (41 rushing yards) and Bell (11), who made his Ravens debut in last Sunday’s record-breaking victory over the Denver Broncos.
