The Baltimore Ravens lost running back J.K. Dobbins for the season to a torn ACL during their Week 3 preseason win against the Washington Football Team. His loss is a brutal blow for a Baltimore offense that was going to rely on him in a big way in 2021.
Fellow running backs Gus Edwards, Ty’Son Williams and Justice Hill will all be tasked with replacing the production that Dobbins would have brought to the table. However, that doesn’t mean the Ravens aren’t looking for other ways to soften the blow of losing their second-year running back. Field Yates of ESPN reported that Baltimore put a waiver claim in for former Denver Broncos running back Royce Freeman but weren’t awarded him due to being lower on the waiver order than the Carolina Panthers, who ended up securing him.
With J.K. Dobbins out for the season, the Ravens put in a waiver claim on new Panthers RB Royce Freeman, per source.
So too did the Raiders, but Carolina had priority (8th overall) and added the 2018 third-round pick to its backfield.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 3, 2021
In his first three NFL seasons Freeman has accumulated 297 rushes for 1,887 yards and eight touchdowns to go along with 69 receptions for 409 yards and one receiving touchdown. He would have been a solid addition to the Ravens’ running back room, but Carolina was able to pick him up with their higher waiver priority.
Since the Ravens put in a claim for Freeman, it’s likely that they are looking at other rushers in order to make sure they have enough depth in the event of an injury to Edwards or another one of their running backs. It wouldn’t be suprising to see Baltimore add a running back or two in the coming days or weeks.
