The Baltimore Ravens have re-signed former Cleveland Browns running back Terrance West. West is the fourth back in this rotation behind Javorius Allen, Lorenzo Taliaferro and Justin Forsett. Injuries made his spot on this roster incredibly necessary as the 2015 season saw both Taliaferro and Forsett go down with pretty significant injuries. Signing West gives this running back corps some extra depth, but the Ravens should select a rookie later on during the draft.
In 2015, the Ravens had quite possibly the worst string of injuries to hit an NFL team in history:
— Star wide receiver Steve Smith tore his Achilles, ending his season. While he is looking to return this season, it will be a long road to recovery.
— Starting running back Forsett broke his forearm, which put a dagger in any chance the Ravens had of heading to the playoffs.
— Franchise quarterback Joe Flacco tore both his MCL and ACL, forcing the Ravens to possibly consider selecting a quarterback in the near future, as it is anyone's guess to how Flacco will respond to such a devastating injury.
— Wide receivers Darren Waller and Michael Campanaro went down as well, which forced them all onto the injured reserve list.
— Defensive captain Terrell Suggs tore his Achilles, which sidelined him for the rest of the year and also forced the Ravens to think about drafting for the future.
The Ravens cannot afford to not have a youthful productive pass rusher if they hope to make the playoffs again. A lot of these injuries were career shortening, and most of the veterans in the Ravens locker room are well passed their prime. Of course the addition of Eric Weddle should aid this Baltimore pass rush, as teams may need to be more careful throwing the deep ball against the Ravens. However, this does not change the fact that this roster is getting older, not younger.
The Ravens will need to select the right players in the upcoming 2016 NFL draft if they hope for some quality depth on this roster. With Suggs and Elvis Dumervil only getting older, the Ravens could look to pick up a new dominant outside linebacker in the draft, and they should have plenty of options to choose from. With Myles Jack, Darron Lee, Leonard Floyd and even Jaylon Smith improving their draft stock as of late, the franchise could look to one of these young prospects to lead this defensive unit into the future. Re-signing West will, at least, give the Ravens some breathing room to take a few other prospects before investing in a late round running back.
