In a bizarre span of five days, Justin Forsett has gone from the top of Baltimore's depth chart to out of work to Week 1 starter versus the Bills.
After re-signing an apparently ceremonial two-year, $6 million contract with the Ravens on Monday, Forsett insists he has retained his spot with the first-team offense.
"I'll be lining up there as the starter as of now," Forsett said Wednesday, via ESPN.com. "It's my job to go out there and try to dominate and make it clear for them."
The natural followup question: why didn't the Ravens just keep Forsett on the roster at final cuts?
The NFL's new injured reserve rule allows teams to designate one player for return as long as that player remained on the roster for one day after final cuts. Baltimore's brass wanted the option to designate either defensive tackle Carl Davis or safety Matt Elam for a midseason return.
The Ravens essentially convinced Forsett to function as a human loophole. As a vested veteran, he immediately reached free agency rather than being exposed to the other 31 teams on the waiver wire. The running back received a couple of calls over the weekend from interested teams, but no offers were close to Baltimore's.
To sweeten the pot, the Ravens included a $100,000 incentive if Forsett surpasses last year's rushing total of 641 yards.
"He handled it just like you would expect a man of his character to handle it," coach John Harbaugh said. "He was great, he wants to be here, and he was going to be here, and he is here."
It will be interesting to see how long Forsett holds onto the starting job. He was outplayed by a rejuvenated Terrance West and rookie Kenneth Dixon in preseason action.
West, in particular, is an early-season threat to Forsett's workload after showing impressive decisiveness, vision and burst in August.
Forsett is back. But is he here to stay?
