Justin Forsett signed a three-year, $9 million deal on Thursday that included $3 million guaranteed. Bernard Pierce was cut six days later after being arrested and charged with driving under the influence.
One running back stepped up and cashed in on a golden opportunity. The other fumbled his shot at establishing himself as a starter and punctuated his disappointing three-year Baltimore Ravens career with an embarrassing arrest on Wednesday.
Pierce was the Ravens' first choice to replace Ray Rice as the team's starting running back last September. If he busted through the line and broke long runs, he would've been in line for a significant payday, whether it was an extension in 2015 or as a free agent in 2016.
"I just want to show that I'm dependable and I can be counted on," Pierce said in training camp. "I just need a chance."
Instead of capitalizing on that chance, Pierce ran for 17 yards on six carries in the season opener and found himself on the sideline with a thigh injury for Weeks 3 and 4. Forsett took over as the starter and never looked back, finishing No. 5 in the NFL in rushing.
Pierce can only think what might have been. Seven months after starting the Ravens' season opener, he was released hours after being arrested for drunken driving.
According to the charging documents, Pierce asked the arresting officer if the incident could be kept off the books, passed out sitting on a metal bench during the booking process and later told officers that he weighed 530 pounds in slurred speech.
This is a far cry from Pierce's promising 2012 rookie season, when the third-round pick led the Super Bowl champions with a 4.9-yard average. Pierce led the Ravens in rushing in the AFC wild-card game against the Colts and the AFC Championship Game at the Patriots. The expectations rose, and Pierce flopped with inconsistent running and injuries. In his three-year career, he's been on the injury report for 15 weeks for back, ankle, knee, shoulder, thigh, toe and concussion issues.
In 2013, he struggled like most of the Ravens running backs behind an ineffective offensive line. His 2.9-yard per carry average was the second-worst among all NFL running backs (only Willis McGahee's 2.7-yard average was worse).
The Ravens significantly improved their offensive line last year, but Pierce still couldn't regain his form. He lacked explosiveness. He failed to find the running lanes and impatiently bounced to the outside. He also never developed as a pass-blocker, which knocked him out of the game in obvious throwing situations.
By the end of the 2014 season, he was at the bottom of the Ravens' depth chart. He watched undrafted rookie Fitzgerald Toussaint get more snaps.
Pierce's decline continued into the offseason with bad decision-making. He was given the chance to become the Ravens' starting running back, and he ended up dropping the ball time and time again.