Trent Richardson sighting? Report says Ravens will sign him

(AP) As a new class of NFL prospects goes through their paces at the scouting combine this week, there is news on a player who once wowed everyone leading up to the draft.

Running back Trent Richardson, the third overall pick of the 2012 draft, will sign with the Baltimore Ravens pending a physical, Matt Zenitz of AL.com reported. ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley reported that Ravens coach John Harbaugh said bringing Richardson in for a physical was “in the works” but nothing is definite beyond that. The Ravens confirmed Richardson was coming in for a physical.

If you thought that Richardson’s NFL career was over, you weren’t alone.

Richardson didn’t play in 2015, after the Oakland Raiders cut him at the end of preseason. Richardson averaged just 2.8 yards on 15 preseason carries last year, which wasn’t too far off his career mark. Richardson’s 3.34 yards per carry is the third lowest among any running back with 500 career attempts since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger, according to AL.com.

What makes Thursday’s news interesting is that it involves the Ravens. Baltimore is known as one of the best organizations in the NFL. If the Ravens see something in Richardson, is there something still there? Or, perhaps, Alabama legend and Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome is doing some alumni networking favor for fellow Crimson Tide star Richardson.

Either way, it looks like Richardson might have a chance to change his reputation as one of the biggest draft busts ever, first with the Cleveland Browns and then with the Indianapolis Colts. It’s proof to this crop of rookies that no matter how poorly your first few NFL seasons go, a great draft pedigree will usually lead to second, third and even fourth chances.