I have been impressed by Alex Collins. He was cut by the Seahawks a month ago, and now he’s fast becoming the primary runner for the Ravens – a team that’s running the ball surprisingly well.
Collins wasn’t a flop in Seattle, which selected him in the fifth round a year ago. The Seahawks were just overloaded with Chris Carson emerging and Thomas Rawls returning to full strength. They signed Eddie Lacy. (With Carson suffering what appeared to be a season-ending leg injury Sunday night, they’re probably wishing they still had Collins.)
The Ravens didn’t have great talent at tailback, so they signed Collins to their practice squad, then added him to their active roster after Danny Woodhead got hurt in their first game.
Three games later, Collins is fast becoming Baltimore’s primary runner. He’s carried the ball at least 7 times in every game, and he’s averaged at least 6.0 yards per carry in every game. Terrance West, on the other hand, has carried 18 times for 41 yards in those games. Javorius Allen has picked up 88 yards on 24 carries in the three games Collins has been with the team.
It’s early, but looks like Collins is going to lead the Ravens in rushing. Allen is their best pass catcher, so he could settle into more of a third-down role.
And this team is running the ball far better than anybody thought they would. Just 82 yards against Pittsburgh (which is solid against the run) but over 130 yards in all three of their other games.
They lost Marshal Yanda to a season-ending injury; that increases the degree of difficulty. But this should be an above-average rushing team, and Collins looks like their top back.
| BALTIMORE RUNNING BACKS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Collins | West | Allen |
| Cincinnati | DNP | 19-80 | 21-71 |
| Cleveland | 7-42 | 8-22-1 | 14-66 |
| Jacksonville | 9-82 | 6-26 | 8-15 |
| Pittsburgh | 9-82 | 4-(-7) | 2-7 |
—Ian Allan