After apparently showing the Baltimore Ravens he’s committed to staying in shape, running back Trent Richardson has signed a contract to join the team for the 2016 NFL season.
Less than a month ago, it was reported that the Ravens and Richardson had an unofficial agreement that he’d join the team, provided he could get into shape and hit a physical benchmark.
Apparently those conditions were met. Now it’s up to Richardson to make the most of the (likely) last chance he’s going to get to make it on an NFL roster.
Drafted No. 3 overall by the Cleveland Browns in 2012, Richardson’s first year seemed to indicate he might have a productive future in the NFL. He didn’t wow with explosive yards-per-carry numbers but did show a nose for the end zone with 11 rushing touchdowns.
However, the Browns quickly moved on from Richardson in 2013, trading him after just two games to the Indianapolis Colts for a first-round pick.
The running back’s career took a nose dive while with the Colts — a team that doesn’t have a strong offensive line. He had a hard time gaining positive yardage and developed a reputation as a guy who simply couldn’t see the field, hitting the wrong hole oftentimes, or just running into a wall of defenders when an open lane was present.
In his second year with Indy, Richardson’s weight/conditioning became an issue, and he ended up losing his starting job.
Then in 2015 he failed to even make it out of training camp with the Oakland Raiders, and Richardson’s career appeared to be over.
The Ravens are giving him another chance to make it in the league, and he’ll have a chance to not only make the roster but hit the field often in short-yardage and goal-line situations. Baltimore isn’t stacked at running back and only made it into the end zone eight times on the ground in 2016.
If ever there were an opportunity to put his skills to good use, Richardson has found it. Now it’s time for him to take advantage of the chance.