Outside of a couple of good seasons with the Seattle Seahawks early in his career, Baltimore Ravens running back Justin Forsett hadn't put up much in the way of major NFL production prior to this past season in Baltimore when he exploded for a 5.4 yards per carry average and more than 1,000 yards rushing.
Even as he approaches his 30th birthday - the fantastical age at which NFL running back skills often seem to somehow decline precipitously - Forsett is set to parlay that career year into a fairly decent NFL free agency bidding war.
"NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Friday that the Washington Redskins and New Orleans Saints are poised to make a run at the free-agent running back who led Baltimore last season with 1,266 yards on the ground," writes Marc Sessler of NFL.com.
The diminutive running back - 5-foot-8, 197-pounds - had topped out at 619 yards rushing on 114 carries in a rotational role for the Seahawks in the 2009-10 season.
He then followed that with a decent campaign, gathering 523 yards on 118 carries.
A down year for the Hawks in 2011 after the team acquired Marshawn Lynch led to his moving onto the Texans for one minimally effective season and then one injury-marred season in Jacksonville before busting out with the Ravens this past year.
Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome said recently that the team would "work to try and retain Justin," per Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun, but it seems he is set to at least test the NFL free agent waters.
For the Saints, Forsett could be the lightning to Khiry Robinson's thunder.
The oft-injured Robinson has moved unofficially to the head of the depth chart after Pierre Thomas was released. Travaris Cadet is another bigger back the team likes but he only logged 10 rushing attempts all of last season.
The Redskins could use Forsett in a similar way, pairing him with bell-cow back Alfred Morris. Washington is expected to lose Roy Helu Jr. in free agency and Silas Redd has an extremely short NFL history.
