The buzziest name at Baltimore Ravens camp is an entirely unexpected figure: Terrance West.
The third-year running back -- now on his third team since last August -- has drawn praise from coaches and dazzled Baltimore-area beat writers, with one scribe calling the trimmed-down runner the team's "most explosive offensive player."
A less-than-stellar talent for the Browns who doubled as a locker-room headache, West acknowledged that he's "focused" and "more dialed in" as a Raven, but hurdles remain before he's handed the world.
Baltimore still employs veteran Justin Forsett, who was listed Monday as the team's No. 1 back just two years after rampaging for 1,266 yards and eight touchdowns at a league-best 5.4 yards per carry. Last season ended in disaster with Forsett breaking his arm, but coach John Harbaugh said the 30-year-old runner looks ready to rumble again.
"Justin is quietly having an excellent camp. "He looks to me like he did two years ago,"Â Harbaugh said Monday, per the team's official website. "I see the same running back we had two years ago, in terms of his speed, his explosiveness, his vision. He really looks good. I know there's a lot of talk about the other guys, but he's playing really well."
Pecking order aside, the emergence of West is a plus for Baltimore's depth. Second-year back Buck Allen and fourth-round rookie Kenneth Dixon have also played well for this crowded house, but Ravens running backs coach Thomas Hammock urged people not to sleep on Forsett.
"Sometimes the media has their people that they like, their biases, which is fine," Hammock said. "Justin has had a great camp."
