The Baltimore Ravens have adopted a running back-by-committee approach partially by necessity but also through a meritocracy.

Instead of using one runner as the centerpiece, Willis McGahee’s nagging knee injury has prompted offensive coordinator Cam Cameron to distribute the ball between bruising fullback Le’Ron McClain and shifty rookie Ray Rice.

Through one game, the Ravens (1-0) lead the NFL with 229 rushing yards per contest as McGahee has yet to carry the ball after undergoing arthroscopic surgery in August to repair his left knee.

“If you just look at the careers of running backs, they aren’t the longest careers in this business with the shots that they take,” Cameron said. “You can’t have enough good backs. … If we have a group of guys that we know that can help us win, we’ll play them all.”

Although McGahee has returned to practice, the emergence of McClain and Rice could relegate last year’s featured rusher, who generated 1,207 yards and seven touchdowns, into a complementary role.

“I want a full workload, but that’s something the coaches have to figure out,” McGahee said.

While McGahee said he feels prepared for the grind of 20-25 carries, it’s unclear if his knowledge of the playbook, timing and conditioning are up to par after skipping the majority of the offseason minicamps and reporting to training camp in less than optimum shape.

Heading into last weekend’s game against the Houston Texans that was postponed due to Hurricane Ike, Cameron and coach John Harbaugh only said that McGahee was expected to have a role in the game plan. They never specified whether he would start or just see spot action.

McGahee was on the active roster for a 17-10 win over Cincinnati, but didn’t play as McClain gained a career-high 86 rushing yards on 19 carries while Rice, a second-round pick, rushed for 64 yards on 22 carries in his first NFL start.