A season ago, the Baltimore Ravens rushed into the record books.
Led by NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson‘s fleet feet along with the straight-ahead surge of tailback Mark Ingram, the Ravens collected an NFL-record 3,296 yards on the ground.
And they just added J.K. Dobbins, an Ohio State product fresh off a 2,000-yard season with the Buckeyes who they scooped up in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Looking anything but concerned about Baltimore adding another stud to the stable, Ingram — along with his ever-present grin — told NFL Network’s Colleen Wolfe on Thursday’s NFL Schedule Release ’20 that he’s excited about what Dobbins will add and their shared aspirations.
“I like his mindset, I like his attitude, I like the way he run the ball. Just bring him and his talents to our room that’s already special; our backfield is gonna be the best in the league for sure,” Ingram said Thursday. “We’re all looking forward to it, being playmakers for the team and help us win the championship.”
Despite the Ravens running roughshod en route to an AFC North crown and top seed in the AFC bracket of the playoffs, Baltimore was upset by the Titans and their one-man gang known as Derrick Henry.
The objective of winning a Super Bowl most certainly remains, and that was the message from Ingram when he first heard from Dobbins.
“He reached out to me,” Ingram said. “Right after he got drafted, just shot me his number, said he was looking forward to getting to work. I told him let’s go get a ring.”
The Ravens‘ running game saw Ingram and Jackson become just the second RB-QB tandem to topple the 1,000-yard mark in the same season last year (only Warrick Dunn and Michael Vick had done it previously). It didn’t stop there, though, as Gus Edwards eclipsed 700 yards and Justice Hill flashed promise.
As acclaimed and talented as the Ravens backfield is, it’s also crowded. Still, Ingram is excited about Dobbins’ prospects and hasn’t shown any reason not to be excited about what he can still do.
The 30-year-old Ingram, who will turn 31 during the season, ran for 1,018 yards in 2019, eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark for the third time in his career, all of them coming over the past four campaigns. He doesn’t appear to be slowing down. And, with the addition of Dobbins, the Ravens don’t appear to be either.
“I like the young bull,” Ingram said. “I’ve been following his game, for a while. I like the way he totes the rock for sure.”