As the Ravens entered the offseason many concerns were raised about key positions on both sides of the football and whether the organization did enough to meet their needs. Was the roster strong enough to improve upon the dismal 2013 season?
While no one knows exactly how the rest of the season will play out here is a look at how some of the decisions panned out through the midway point of the season that have the Ravens sitting in second place in the AFC North with a 5-3 record.
Starting with the top five stand outs.
TOP 5 STANDOUTS
Justin Forsett
The Ravens entered the season with many pressing concerns about the running back situation and rightly so after a very poor 2013 campaign. Between the Ray Rice saga and the questionable health of Bernard Pierce, the Ravens backfield situation was riddled with unanswered questions.
There may not be a better comeback story in the league than that of Forsett. Brought in during the offseason in a teaching type role in Gary Kubiak’s new offense, the journeyman running back has taken over the starting role and has resurrected his career and the Ravens ground game thus far through eight games.
Forsett  leads all NFL running backs with at least 100 carries in rushing average (5.4 ypc) while his 571 rushing yards stand fourth in the NFL. His seven rushes of 20+ yards tie (Arian Foster, who has 42 more carries than Forsett) for the league’s second most. The 5-8, 197 pound Forsett is 48 yards shy of his career best 619 yards (2009) on the ground.
Steve Smith Sr.
Whenever a new player comes to town, it creates a bit of buzz. But when the Ravens landed Smith Sr. this offseason, they brought his energy which has charged the locker room and the fan base.
The speedy wideout has been outstanding through midseason receiving Joe Flacco’s laser-like throws. In just eight weeks, the fiery Smith Sr. has amassed 675 receiving yards on 41 receptions and 4 touchdowns, which is good for the team’s best marks in all three categories (tied with Torrey Smith in TDs).
Smith Sr. is tied for the lead in 100-yard receiving games in 2014, posting four such performances. That ties Mark Clayton (2006) & Michael Jackson (1996) for the most in a Ravens’ single season.
Rick Wagner
The offensive line was overhauled this offseason and moves were made to bring in or keep key personnel that fit Gary Kubiak’s zone-blocking system. Eugene Monroe was re-signed, Kelechi Osemele and Marshal Yanda were finally healthy and the team made a trade with Tampa Bay to acquire center Jeremy Zuttah. They’ve been successful in pass pro and run blocking through seven games played even with Monroe and K.O. missing time with injuries.
The Ravens rolled the dice this offseason opting to stick with the second year tackle instead of  chasing a high profile free agent in free agency to help protect their franchise quarterback and so far so good for the young Wagner.
Per Pro Football Focus, a metrics website used to grade player performances, Wagner owns the fifth-best grade of all right tackles in the league with a +12.0 overall grade. In his 487 snaps, Wagner has allowed 9 quarterback hurries and just 1 sack. While improvement can be made in his run blocking assignments, he still was given a +2.o grade with the Ravens running most of their run plays to the right.
C.J. Mosley
The rookie inside linebacker out of Alabama has been exactly what the Ravens hoped for when they selected him with their first pick in the 2014 draft.
Mosley has played a team-high 478 defensive snaps and appears to be the real deal. Through his first seven games, C.J. leads all NFL linebackers with 5 passes defensed this season. More impressively, he is the only NFL defender to post at least 60 tackles, an INT, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble entering Week 8.
In week five’s game against Indy, Mosley’s 14 tackles rank as the second most by a rookie in franchise single-game history.
Pass Rush
While it’s hard to separate this unit, it’s impossible to pick just one player out of the group that stands out without the others.
After a slow start sack wise the Ravens all-time sack leader Terrell Suggs has been outstanding so far this season. Suggs, per Pro Football Focus, has been the best outside linebacker in the league through seven games. In his 364 defensive snaps he has an overall grade of +19.6 recording 2.5 sacks, 10 quarterback hits and 13 quarterback hurries.
Veteran outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil leads the Ravens in sacks thus far with 7 and has at least 1.5 sacks in four different games this season. The fierce pass rushers have been credited with 4 quarterback hits along with 13 quarterback hurries.
Perhaps the unsung hero of the Ravens defense has been Pernell McPhee. McPhee, who is a free agent after the 2014 season, currently ranks second on the team in sacks with 4. He has been given extended reps this season, and he has rewarded the Ravens nicely causing match-up problems for opposing offenses. He currently ranks as the leagues 4th-best outside linebacker with 8 quarterback hits and 14 quarterback hurries.
Stay tuned for my top 5 disappointments coming soon.
Follow me on Twitter @sportguyRSR
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