The Ravens signed 37-year old fullback Lorenzo Neal yesterday.You might remember Neal from when he blocked for running backs with the Saints, Jets, Bucs, Titans, Bengals and Chargers.
Neal has blocked for a 1,000 yard rusher each year since 1996. That may speak to the quality of running backs he's blocked for (Corey Dillon, Eddie George, LaDanian Tomlinson, etc.) more than Neal's impact on them, but regardless, Neal has established himself as a premiere FB in the NFL.
At 37, it's unknown if he can still block defensive linemen and linebackers effectively, but I'm willing to bet the veteran still has something left in the tank. Being reunited with Cam Cameron, his former OC from San Diego might energize him too.
Willis McGahee is a top level RB when healthy, and Neal should make him even better, giving him bigger holes to run through, while offering his services to rookie Ray Rice as well.
And while the signing of Lorenzo Neal doesn't exactly make this team a playoff contender, it does bring some stability to an otherwise questionable offense that desperately needed it.
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