Ravens officially sign Bobby Rainey

Yesterday, just minutes before it was reported that Kenneth Dixon would need surgery, and hours before we found out that Dixon would miss the entire season, it was reported that the Ravens planned to sign running back Bobby Rainey. Now, according to the team’s official Twitter account, the deal is complete:

While Rainey alone obviously does not make up for what the Ravens lost in Kenneth Dixon, his versatile abilities should help the offense. Check out this piece on how Rainey fits into the Ravens running game.

Rainey has a history with the Ravens, as was noted by the Ravens’ tweet. The Ravens signed Rainey as an UDFA in 2012. Rainey, however, was never able to make the active roster. Rainey was released in August, 2013. He went on to play for the Browns, Buccaneers and Giants before returning to the Baltimore now.

Rainey also could help the Ravens on special teams. I wrote the following about Rainey on special teams yesterday when news broke that the Ravens planned to sign the journeyman running back:

“Rainey could also factor in to the Ravens competition at kick/punt returner. When returning punts, Rainey has 382 total yards on 42 attempts, and has 993 kick return yards on 40 attempts (all stats per ESPN). With Michael Campanaro on the PUP list, and no clear front runner emerging for the kick/punt returner job, Rainey could step in and provide stability as well as production.”

Rainey is versatile and could help the team in multiple phases. But Rainey brings something else that is incredibly important: depth. With Dixon out for the year, having a running back with multiple years of NFL experience, even though in a backup role on every team, is a great asset for the Ravens.

Details on the contract have not yet been released. Check back to Baltimore Beatdown for updates when they are available.