Last year, Ravens running back Willis McGahee was in the offseason doghouse. Relegated to backup status, with only one start in 16 appearances, McGahee made the most of his opportunities, averaging 5.0 yards per carry and 12 touchdowns as the No. 2 man on the depth chart.
This year, he has yet to join the team for offseason workouts. Per a league source, McGahee has been working out in Miami, and will join the team this week or next week.
Though the former Pro Bowler has been the subject of trade rumors as his base salary spikes from $620,000 to $3.6 million (per NFLPA records), it’s believed that the Ravens plan to use extensively in 2010. With Ray Rice qualifying for the Pro Bowl and inching toward free agency, the thinking is that the team will hope to keep Rice from generating the kind of numbers that could create a major contractual problem in 2011.
Rice is signed for two more years, at base salaries of $470,000 and $555,000. He gained more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage and on various occasions demonstrated gamebreaking burst that puts the 24th pick in round two of the 2008 draft only a half-step (at most) behind the 24th pick in round one that year, Chris Johnson.
