Ravens coach John Harbaugh lauded the performance of running backs Mike Davis and Tyler Badie after the recent mandatory minicamp.
Both players are competing for the third spot behind J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, both of whom suffered season-ending knee injuries last year.
Justice Hill is also competing to make the team after enduring a torn Achilles last year.
“[I’m] very positive about Mike Davis," Harbaugh said. "He shows up as a veteran running back. [He’s] quick, has really good vision, and he’s always been a good receiving running back, but when you see it in person, it kind of opens your eyes. I’ll say, Tyler Badie, too, is a receiving running back. These guys kind of jumped out that way in these camps.”
Last season with the Falcons, Davis ran for 503 yards on 138 carries with three touchdowns. He also caught 44 passes for 259 yards and one touchdown.
Over his eight-year career, Davis, who was picked by the 49ers in the fourth round in the 2015 draft, has 550 carries for 2,034 yards and 14 touchdowns between the Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears, and Falcons.
Davis is a solid downhill runner that fits into the Ravens' system. If he has a solid training camp, the coaches will have a tough decision to make.
Badie, 5-foot-8, 190 pounds, set the Missouri single-season rushing yards record with 1,604. Badie scored 14 rushing touchdowns on 268 carries. Badie caught a team-high 54 passes for 330 yards and four scores. His 18 total touchdowns were also a team-high. He was a second-team All-American.
Badie runs a lot like Ray Rice. He also is adept at catching the ball out of the back and dodging potential tacklers. Badie has a chance to be a viable part of the backfield as a rookie. The Ravens could try to stash him on the practice squad but there is a serious risk another team will pick him up.
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