Second-year running back Rasheen Ali has made the most of his opportunities, and it’s looking good for the second-year running back to make the Baltimore Ravens roster.
Ali ran 19 times for 62 yards in Baltimore’s 31-13 preseason win over the Dallas Cowboys, and after the game head coach John Harbaugh acknowledged the team will likely carry four running backs. That’s seemingly good news for Ali, who was on the roster bubble entering the game.
“Yes, right now the plan is to carry four (running backs),” Harbaugh told reporters after the game. “That’s where we’re at right now. Things can change, obviously, but that’s my plan at this point. Of course, (general manager Eric DeCosta) and I talk about it every day, so I think we’re on the same page. But you know what, we’ll have to see. We’re not there yet.”
Ravens Set to Carry Four Running Backs
If it does play out as Harbaugh plans, the four most likely running backs to make Baltimore’s roster are Derrick Henry, Justice Hill, Keaton Mitchell and Ali.
The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec named Ali a player on the bubble entering the Dallas game but acknowledged a four-man backfield was possible, especially given Ali’s work this summer.
“Ali, a fifth-round pick last year, has done some nice things summer,” Zrebiec wrote.
He added: “The Ravens don’t like cutting young draft picks, and they’ve also had issues keeping running backs healthy in the past. Those factors work in Ali’s favor. However, if the Ravens keep six receivers and 10 offensive linemen, they may not have room for a fourth back.”
Harbaugh also noted keeping four backs might make decisions difficult at other positions.
“If we keep four running backs … it just makes it one less guy that you can take at some other spot, and that’ll be the challenge, because there’s more than 53 guys that would be good enough to make the team,” he said.
Ali has made the most of his chances through two preseason games. The 19 carries against Dallas was a telling indication the Ravens wanted to see more of what he could do after carrying nine times for 37 yards and a touchdown against Indianapolis in the opener. He’s also been targeted three times, recording one reception for 10 yards.
Ali also bolstered his case by adding special teams value.
“He had a 69-yard kickoff return in the second quarter — more than Mitchell had on his three attempts total (64), and longer than any Ravens kickoff return last year,” Jonas Shaffer noted for The Baltimore Banner.
Rasheen Ali Banking on Explosiveness, Versatility
As Zrebiec noted, the Ravens (and most teams, quite frankly) aren’t rushing to give up on second-year players. It says something about how they feel about him that they’re afraid to let him go, even Ali carried just 10 times for 31 yards as a rookie in 2024 while missing time with a neck injury.
Clearly, they’re still banking on the potential. Ali’s explosiveness earned him a comparison to Raheem Mostert coming out of Marshall, and DeCosta raved about Ali as a “very, very explosive” player.
He runs hard. He finishes his run. He catches the ball well; he can run routes; he’s a good pass protector,” DeCosta said in post-draft availability in 2024. ” … He was a guy that I noticed very quickly.”
The backfield will continue to go as Henry goes, and certainly Lamar Jackson brings an electric ground-game ability to the mix. But going with four backs, with Ali’s upside bringing up the group’s floor, gives Baltimore one of the best running back rooms in the league.
Sharp Football Analysis ranked the unit fourth in the NFL entering the 2025 season, and if Ali contributes at all, the group could be even better.
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