Terrance West

West reported to camp in the best shape of his life last year and salvaged his NFL career in the process, setting career highs across the board and establishing himself as a key part of the Ravens' backfield. The 5-10, 225-pound back doesn't make many defenders miss, but his willingness to run through tackles makes him an effective option on early downs, and West also showed he can be useful in the passing game. The 26-year-old heads into 2017 atop the depth chart, with his spot as the lead runner seemingly secure after Kenneth Dixon (knee/suspension) was ruled out for the year. Offseason acquisition Danny Woodhead will be heavily involved in the passing game, but West is a clear favorite to lead the team in carries for a second straight year.

West has drawn rave reviews during training camp and appears set to embark on the 2016 campaign as part of a Ravens backfield that includes Justin Forsett, Javorius Allen and (eventually) Kenneth Dixon. However, rumors have circulated that West may be in the mix to start. Realistically, though, West doesn't possess the passing-game chops that Forsett and Allen do, and would likely be limited to early-down carries if he were to win the job. Still, at press time, Forsett sits atop the team's running back totem pole and that doesn't figure to change entering Week 1, barring injury.

West was expected to back up free-agent signee Ben Tate last year after the Browns drafted him in the third round. But Tate's inability to stay healthy quickly took him out of the picture and allowed West (alongside fellow rookie Isaiah Crowell) to grab a much larger role. A 5-9 power back with an enviably low center of gravity, West doesn't have the elusiveness to avoid contact, but he's more than happy to lower his pads and run through would-be tacklers, making him an effective red-zone weapon. Having been traded to the Titans in early September, West will now look to challenge Bishop Sankey for touches in the Tennessee backfield.

A powerfully built runner at 5-10, 225, West is coming off a record-setting season last year at Towson. The school's all-time leading rusher, West was handed the ball a ridiculous 413 times, carrying it for an insane FCS-record 2,509 yards and 41 touchdowns, averaging 6.1 yards per carry and 156.8 yards per game. He even showed some receiving skills, somehow finding time to catch 28 balls. Those eye-popping numbers got the Browns to spend a third-round pick on him and go so far as to say that he'll see a noteworthy share of the carries behind – or maybe even in a timeshare with – free-agent signing Ben Tate. There's practically no competition to be Tate's backup, meaning West is one injury away from starting, albeit in what looks to be a very poor Cleveland offense. Even though he's a step short of elite speed, West's played the role of a guy who can take the ball as many times as you want to hand it to him – even if it wasn't against anything resembling NFL competition. West will need to improve upon his decision-making and field vision to become a true three-down NFL runner, but he has the benefit of newly hired offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who's made stars out of less-heralded backs like Alfred Morris and Steve Slaton.