2012 NFL Free Agents: Ray Rice and Running Backs on the Move

There are some marquee names with the potential to hit the free-agent market this summer, including at the running back position. While the franchise tag is always a possibility, it's impossible to know exactly what a team is going to do when push comes to shove and other needs arise.

Here are the top three ball-carriers that could hit the market this offseason.

Ray Rice

Rice is the most dynamic running back in the league. He can literally do it all. Whether it's getting to the edge, running between the tackles, blocking or making plays out of the backfield, there's nothing Rice is incapable of doing.

He gained more than 2,000 total yards for the second time in his career this past season and scored 15 touchdowns. That type of production would be a major boost to just about every offense in the league, so he would have no shortage of suitors if the Ravens ever let him test the waters.

What makes Rice even more intriguing is how he continues to keep a low-key profile. Most running backs have an ego that runs just as wild as they do on the field, but not Rice.

Matt Forte

Another rusher whose team will probably franchise him if a long-term deal isn't reached, Forte has kept fighting for every yard despite the lack of a commitment from the Bears. That's when you know a guy is in it for more than the money.

Like Rice, Forte can beat you in a myriad of ways. He has caught at least 50 passes in every season of his four-year career while also gaining at least 900 yards on the ground. Teams are always looking for dual-threat players in today's world of high-powered offenses.

Forte has truly earned more than a franchise tag, so who knows how he would react if that's all the Bears are willing to give him. It would keep him for another year, but it might cause him to look elsewhere next season even though he loves Chicago.

Marshawn Lynch

Warning: Lynch video has NSFW language.

All football fans remember Lynch running wild on the Saints in last season's playoffs. That performance seemed to propel him toward a big season in 2011 as he set a career-high rushing totals with more than 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns.

He's not as versatile as the two previous backs on this list, but he gets the job done and is the definition of a workhorse. The Seahawks have several needs to fill before next year, so Lynch might not be the team's top priority during the offseason.

Lynch has become famous for his “beast mode,” which occurs when he's in the zone. It's already made stops in Buffalo and Seattle, but could a third home be in the cards? Only time will tell.