Who should be the primary backup to Ray Rice in 2011?

By Matt Vensel

Among the holes left to fill for the Ravens, who have endured a mass roster exodus in free agency, is at running back, where the team has gone from having a three-headed monster to one proven back in Ray Rice.

It’s a lower priority behind adding a veteran wide receiver and another potential pass rusher, and it's on par with bringing in a reliable backup for quarterback Joe Flacco. But the market is drying up, so they better move quickly before the few solid remaining free-agent backs who are still out there sign elsewhere.

In a blog post I wrote Monday about the signing of fullback Vonta Leach, two names I floated out there were Jason Snelling and Ricky Williams. Fantasy football aficionados are familiar with Snelling, a big-bodied back who was pretty productive while filling in for Michael Turner in Atlanta. And we all know Ricky Williams, whose serpentine professional career path finally straightened out in Miami, where he was effective in a committee.

Apparently my Baltimore Sun colleague Jamison Hensley agrees with me -- I guess there is a first time for everything, right? -- because he ranked Williams and Snelling as his top free-agent running backs (based on how they would fit with the Ravens).

Rounding out Jamison’s top five were former Dolphins running back and Wildcat triggerman Ronnie Brown, ex-Eagle Jerome Harrison and longtime Buccaneers back Cadillac Williams.

He didn’t include fullback Le’Ron McClain because, well, he is a fullback -- something blog commenters and one Tweeter took umbrage with because McClain wants to be a running back.

For our purposes, let’s throw him into the conversation.

Ditto for Jalen Parmele and Matt Lawrence, who have been with the Ravens for a while but haven’t gotten a chance to prove themselves with Rice, McClain and Willis McGahee hogging the football.

Your turn: Who should be the primary backup to Ray Rice in 2011?