Ravens GM Eric DeCosta ‘hopeful’ of re-signing RBs J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards

Being a Baltimore Ravens running back has been a precarious occupation over the past few seasons.

Thus, general manager Eric DeCosta and head coach John Harbaugh are aiming to solidify the RB room. Just how they do that remains to be seen, but with a 2024 NFL Draft not expected to be rife with backfield talent, re-signing impending free agents and adding some veteran help is likely to be the game plan.

The first order of business might well be bringing back J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards.

"We're still talking to Gus. We'll talk to J.K. -- a couple of free agents that we had," DeCosta said Tuesday at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, via the team website. "We're hopeful that we can get something done with those guys."

With only the injured Keaton Mitchell and Justice Hill under contract for 2024, regardless of how it transpires, stocking the RB stable is of paramount importance for DeCosta and Co.

"We need more than two running backs, so certainly I think you'll see us make a couple acquisitions along the way," DeCosta said. "We think Keaton Mitchell's going to come back from his knee injury. Justice is a player last year that was probably one of the unsung heroes of our whole team, I would say.

"We've looked at the draft class. It's probably not as deep as some other positions that we'll see in this year's draft class. There's some talented [free agent] players that we will look at as well, but I think it's probably safe to say that we'll have more than two running backs on our roster at some point. We will definitely have a plan for that position."

This year's potential crop of free-agent tailbacks is a high-profile one. Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, Austin Ekeler, Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard and D’Andre Swift are some of the