The Ravens have had some very productive and impactful running backs this century. Which one takes the top spot as the All Quarter Century Team’s RB1?
Welcome to the start of our journey in finding the Ravens All Quarter Century Team!
ESPN recently made waves by dropping a Quarter Century Team for the entire NFL and it happened to include a host of Ravens. To expand on the idea, we’re running a host of polls to decide an entire All Quarter Century Team made up solely of Ravens based on their contributions from 2000-2024.
Today, we’re beginning with running backs because I think it’s one of the more fun and competitive races we’ll see amongst the position groups.
So away we go!
The Ravens have been blessed with some stellar running backs since the turn of the century. They’ve been very good at making sure the franchise does not go too long without a premiere ball carrier to root for and unsurprisingly they’ve been one of the best teams in the NFL almost every year during that span.
Today, we need to figure out the first running back of the two that will eventually grace the Ravens All Quarter Century Team. There are some really good choices so I’m excited to see where everyone leans!
Let’s dive in!
Jamal Lewis (2000-2006)
Lewis was drafted by the Ravens with the fifth-overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. He played seven seasons for Baltimore, totaling 7,801 rushing yards and 45 touchdowns during his time donning the purple.
Lewis’ best season came in 2003 when he rushed for 2,066 yards and scored 14 touchdowns en route to earning First-Team All-Pro honors to go with being named the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year. On January 31, 2010, Lewis was one of four running backs to be named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2000s.
On top of it all, he helped bring the Ravens a championship during the 2000 season as Baltimore beat the Giants 34-7 in Super Bowl XXXV.
Ray Rice (2008-2013)
Rice’s time with the Ravens — and his entire NFL career — may have been cut short due to off-field issues, but there’s no denying he was one of the best in the NFL during his six years in Baltimore.
After sitting his rookie season behind veteran Willis McGahee, Rice broke out in his sophomore campaign with 1,339 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. He also proved to be one of the best dual-threat backs in the league by adding another 702 yards through the air with another score. That was just the first of his two career seasons where he totaled over 2,000 yards of total offense. The second ended up being his best as he totaled 1,364 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns, 704 receiving yards, and three scoring grabs. All of those were new career highs across the board.
By the end of his career, Rice averaged 1,030 rushing yards and 505 receiving yards per season for over half a decade.
Derrick Henry (2024-present)
I know you might be wondering how a one-year Raven makes this nomination list, but did you see what Henry did this past season?
In his first season as a Raven, Henry rushed for 1,921 yards and scored 16 touchdowns (led the NFL), both of which were good for the second most in a season during his career. He was also named a Second Team-All Pro and nominated to his fifth Pro Bowl.
One year or not, it just felt wrong not including Henry on this list.
Willis McGahee (2007-2010)
After four years with the Buffalo Bills, McGahee joined the Ravens in 2007 where he earned the starting job right away. In his lone season as the full-time starter for Baltimore, he rushed for 1,207 yards with seven touchdowns. However, he lost the starting gig to newcomer Ray Rice but maintained a steady role as one of the top backups in the NFL.
During the 2009 season, McGahee rushed for only 544 yards but somehow managed to still find the end zone 12 times, the most since he scored 13 as a rookie in 2004. McGahee finished his time with the Ravens rushing for 2,802 yards and scoring 31 touchdowns.