HELP WANTED: Veteran Running Back

July in Owings Mills is usually reserved for contract machinations, parking lot sightings at The Castle and the annual “best shape of his life” stories. But this offseason is different. Thankfully, the Harbaugh era is over, Jesse Minter is the new steward of the franchise, and the most consequential hire he made might not be a coordinator at all. It’s offensive line coach and run game coordinator Dwayne Ledford, the man Minter believes is “regarded by many as the league’s top offensive line coach.”

Ledford’s calling card? His rushing attack in Atlanta was primarily outside zone, which requires more athletic blockers to execute at a high level. And to his credit, he’s not a one-trick pony — Ledford has said the Ravens will “be multiple” and won’t be pigeonholed into a single schematic box. But make no mistake about it: Doyle and Ledford have installed a fresh offense with more emphasis on the outside zone running scheme — the system Ledford has taught his entire career.

Meanwhile, the King still sits on his throne. Derrick Henry isn’t going anywhere, and Justice Hill remains a reliable third-down soldier. But with Keaton Mitchell off to the Chargers on a two-year, $9.3 million deal, Rasheen Ali and Adam Randall largely unproven, the depth chart behind Henry is thinner than the patience of a Ravens fan watching a confused Zach Orr defense surrender another fourth quarter lead. So, with training camp around the corner, let’s take a stroll through the veteran clearance rack and rank the top 5 free agent backs still available — with Ledford’s zone scheme as our compass.

1. Nick Chubb

If you’re building a one-cut zone runner in a lab, you build Nick Chubb — or at least the Cleveland version of him. We watched this man torment the Ravens twice a year with vision, patience and violent efficiency in the Browns’ wide zone. The concern, of course, is what’s left in the tank. He’s 30 now, and last season in Houston Chubb posted 506 yards and 3 touchdowns on 4.1 yards per carry while adding 13 catches for 67 yards in a complementary role. That’s not vintage Chubb. But 4.1 a pop on a Texans line that couldn’t block a stiff breeze? In Ledford’s scheme, where the back’s job is press the landmark, plant and go? There’s still meat on that bone. As a rotational hammer behind Henry, he’s the cleanest scheme fit on the market.

Zone fit: Elite. This is the system he made his money in.

Nick Chubb goes 27 yards for the TD!

It’s 31-3 @HoustonTexans

HOUvsBAL on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/a7cpfKP1SR

— NFL (@NFL) October 5, 2025

2. Kareem Hunt

The most productive back left on the street, period. Of the remaining free agent RBs, Hunt was the most productive during 2025 — he rushed for 611 yards and 8 touchdowns while catching 18 passes for 143 yards and a score. Eight scores from a guy nobody wanted last spring. Hunt has always been a one-cut, jump-cut artist who runs angry, and he cut his teeth in zone-heavy attacks in Kansas City and Cleveland. The knock? He’s 31 now, and Father Time remains undefeated at the position. But if you want a professional who protects the football, protects the quarterback and finishes runs — the “toughness and finish” Ledford preaches — Hunt checks every box. He just checks them a step slower than he used to.

Zone fit: Very good. The burst is diminished, but the footwork and vision never left.

Opening drive TD for Kareem Hunt and the @Chiefs!

: #BUFvsKC on CBS
: Stream on @NFLPlus and Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/YILYnN78VH

— NFL (@NFL) January 26, 2025

3. Antonio Gibson

Here’s your upside play. Gibson tore his ACL in Week 5 last season and was released by the Patriots to save over $3 million in cap — the kind of injury-discount opportunity Eric DeCosta has feasted on for years. The appeal is real: he’s still young, has never carried more than 260 times in a season, has caught 40-plus passes in three of five full seasons, and brings special teams value. A converted receiver with long speed and light tread on the tires is exactly the kind of space player who can stress the edge in an outside zone attack. The medicals will tell the tale — an ACL for a burst-dependent player is no small thing. But if the knee checks out, this is the best blend of youth, versatility and scheme fit available.

Zone fit: Good, with an asterisk the size of an MRI machine.

ANTONIO GIBSON. BACK-TO-BACK RETURN TDS IN MIAMI!

NEvsMIA on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/prQPqqMCYo

— NFL (@NFL) September 14, 2025

4. Joe Mixon

The biggest name, the biggest question mark. Mixon missed the entirety of 2025 with a mysterious foot/ankle injury and was released by the Texans in March. When we last saw him, he was a workhorse — 1,016 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns in 2024, plus 309 yards through the air. That’s a legitimate RB1 season. But he turns 30 this July, his health status remains an open question, and it’s fair to wonder whether his career might be over. Stylistically, Mixon has always been a patient, read-it-out runner who’s functioned in zone looks throughout his career, so the scheme marriage works on paper. The problem is that paper doesn’t play football, and neither do feet that haven’t been right in over a year. Buyer beware.

Zone fit: Fine — if the man attached to the feet can still play.

Joe Mixon caps off a 15-play, 82-yard Texans drive that took 10:24 off the clock

: #HOUvsKC on ESPN/ABC
: Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/zWkiHyfvX0

— NFL (@NFL) January 18, 2025

5. Khalil Herbert

The deep cut for the people at work killing time or on their lunch break. You know who you are. Herbert has quietly been one of the more efficient zone runners in football when given the rock, dating back to his Chicago days, and he’s still on the market alongside the bigger names. He’s never been trusted with a full workload, he’s a liability in pass pro, and he won’t sell a single PSL. But as a low-cost, one-cut specialist with juice to bounce a wide zone run to the alley? He’s precisely the kind of “scheme-over-name” signing that new regimes make in August when the price drops to the veteran minimum. Don’t be shocked if a zone-blocking team — this one or another — makes that call.

Zone fit: Sneaky good. The price fits even better.

Khalil Herbert goes 52 yards! He’s up to 116 yards on the day. @JuiceHerbert

: #HOUvsCHI on CBS
: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/i8TlkqNe5b pic.twitter.com/0VcG1aEFFx

— NFL (@NFL) September 25, 2022

The Misfit Toys

A quick word on the names you’ll hear on sports radio. Najee Harris ruptured his Achilles in Week 3 last season and has yet to sign, despite a visit with the Raiders back in March. Four straight 1,000-yard seasons in Pittsburgh is nothing to sneeze at, but Najee is a build-up, downhill grinder — a gap-scheme back through and through — and asking him to hit outside zone landmarks eight months off an Achilles is asking a tugboat to water ski. And Austin Ekeler, coming off his own Achilles tear at 31, may have the bleakest path back of anyone. Hard pass on both for this scheme.

The Bottom Line

The Ravens led the league at 5.3 yards per carry last season, so nobody’s suggesting the ground game is broken. But schemes change, depth charts thin out, and Henry’s odometer keeps spinning. If DeCosta wants insurance that actually fits what Ledford is building — speed off the ball, toughness and finish — Chubb and Hunt are the proven fits, Gibson is the lottery ticket, and Herbert is the value play your league-winning fantasy buddy already knows about.

Camp opens in less than 3 weeks.

But the bargain bin closes as quickly as Keaton Mitchell used to hit the perimeter in Baltimore.

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Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2026/07/10/lombardis-way/ravens-backup-rb-options/