Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh confirmed what many presumed about how the team's running backs stacked up.
"Terrance is the No. 1 guy on the depth chart," Harbaugh said at this week's owners meetings. "But you got to have more than one back."
West is basically the starter right now by default. Kenneth Dixon has been suspended for the first four games of the 2017 season after violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Danny Woodhead is more of a receiver out of the backfield (he's averaged six carries per game in his last two full seasons). Buck Allen was a healthy scratch for half of last season. And Lorenzo Taliaferro can't stay healthy.
The question is whether West will remain the Ravens' top back. The draft is loaded at running back. There should be three running backs (LSU's Leonard Fournette, Florida State's Dalvin Cook and Stanford's Christian McCaffrey) taken in the first round. Others like Tennessee's Alvin Kamara, Toledo's Kareem Hunt and Clemson's Wayne Gallman will go in the second or third rounds.
The Ravens have four picks in the first three rounds of this year's draft, but they haven't taken a running back that high since Bernard Pierce in 2012. There's also a veteran free agent, like Jamaal Charles, who should still be available if Baltimore doesn't draft a running back.
West produced a career year last season, leading the Ravens with 774 yards rushing and scoring five touchdowns. The Ravens tendered him as a restricted free agent, although his $1.797 million base salary ranks 18th in the league.
The concern is that Baltimore lacks that explosive back on first and second downs like an Ezekiel Elliott or Le’Veon Bell. West has never averaged more than four yards per carry in each of his first three NFL seasons, and he only has seven career runs of 20 yards or more (an average of one every 51.4 carries).
"Terrance has done a great job," Harbaugh said. "I know he’s working hard. I’m excited to see how he does."
Baltimore lacked a commitment to the running game last season. The Ravens averaged 91.4 yards rushing per game, which was the second-worst in franchise history.
The need for a running back who can break tackles and generate yards after first contact could be increased this year considering the uncertainty along the offensive line. Two three-year starters are gone in right tackle Rick Wagner (signed with the Lions in free agency) and center Jeremy Zuttah (traded to the 49ers). Baltimore is only set at two spots on the line -- right guard Marshal Yanda and left tackle Ronnie Stanley.
The Ravens were also dealt a blow at the start of free agency, when it was announced that Dixon would miss the first quarter of the season. His 528 combined yards in the second half of last season ranked fourth among rookie running backs.
Now, Dixon won't be available to play a game until Oct. 8.
"I look for him in Week 5 to get back and roll," Harbaugh said. "I think he’s going to be a really good player. Conscientious. He wants to be good. He made a mistake, not a mistake that’s he really proud of. But I think he’s going to put it behind him and he’s going to be a really good back."