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The 2015 season is over and the Ravens will soon start making moves to get the 2016 roster in shape. This will involve a lot of decisions on who to cut and who to keep. We'll take a week to week look at the roster and I'll give my opinions on who should be cut and who should stay. This week we'll be taking a look at the Ravens runningbacks.
The Players: Justin Forsett, Lorenzo Taliaferro, Javorius Allen, Terrence West, Terrence McGee
Justin Forsett will be coming off of Injured Reserve next season and he turning 31 in October. The Ravens could decide to part ways with Forsett and allow Javorius Allen to become the new starting back in 2016, which would free up some more cap space. Or they could keep Forsett, but at a reduced role. Either option is fine.
Javorius Allen definitely has a roster spot. He performed admirably as a runner during Forsett's absence and he was a huge weapon for the Ravens in the passing game. The only thing that Allen needs to work on is ball security, as he had two straight games where he fumbled the ball away. But Allen has definitely earned a spot on the 2016 Ravens and his future looks good.
Lorenzo Taliaferro is a complicated case. He's a good back when healthy. The problem is that he's hardly ever able to stay healthy, as his season came to an end after Week Four. If Taliaferro can't stay healthy, he might never get to show his talents on the field and his career for the Ravens might come to an end.
Terrence West was a good back-up for Javorius Allen during the season. I'd keep him around in camp and have him compete with Lorenzo Taliaferro. At the very least, the Ravens could put West on the practice squad to serve as insurance for Taliaferro in case he gets hurt.
Terrence McGee was a practice squad player this season and I don't see him making the 53 man roster in 2016.
The Ravens have five running backs under contract for 2016 and Javorius Allen is the only one that is guaranteed to make the roster in my opinion. The fates of Lorenzo Taliaferro, Justin Forsett, and Terrence West are all tied to health, cap space, and opportunity. The Ravens could choose to draft a running back here, which would almost certainly mean that one of the trio of Forsett, West, and Taliaferro won't make the team.