Ravens might be in the market for a running back, Kenneth Dixon suspended four games

The Baltimore Ravens seemed to be talking themselves into running back Kenneth Dixon making a leap in his second year. Coach John Harbaugh said last week at the NFL scouting combine that he thought Dixon could be “a top back.”

That’s going to have to wait. Dixon was suspended four games for a violation of the NFL’s performance-enhancing drugs policy. He claimed in a statement that he mistakenly took a banned substance without “proper NFL medical exemption.”

The Ravens will reportedly sign Danny Woodhead, which helps at running back, but Woodhead is a pass-catching specialist who is coming off ACL surgery. He’s not the every-down back that Dixon can be for the Ravens. Dixon can still be that back, but it will be tough for the Ravens to count on that knowing he’s missing a quarter of the season.

There are plenty of big-name veterans available in free agency, like Adrian Peterson, Jamaal Charles and Eddie Lacy. Just as free agency begins, the Ravens will have to figure out if they’re going to be investing some money into the tailback position.

– – – – – – –

Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
Follow @YahooSchwab