It’s unusual for a team to draft well at every position. However, that appears to be the case with the Baltimore Ravens. Under general manager Ozzie Newsome, the organization has drafted an All-Pro player or Super Bowl MVP on every unit except one – wide receiver.
Admittedly, the Ravens haven’t invested a ton of draft stock at wideout. During the Joe Flacco era, they have selected just two receivers in the first two rounds. But while the archrival Pittsburgh Steelers seemingly have an assembly line of wide receivers (Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders, Martavis Bryant, and JuJu Smith-Schuster were all selected outside the first round. Brown went latest in the sixth round), the Ravens have been forced to settle for older veterans in free agency.
In 2018, the Ravens are counting on a mix of newly signed free agents and drafted pass catchers to help the club get back to the postseason.
Baltimore Ravens Wide Receivers an Important Element in Returning to Playoffs
Gone are the likes of veteran receivers Steve Smith, Mike Wallace and Jeremy Maclin. With the exception of Smith, the Ravens can say good riddance, and since Anquan Boldin left following the Super Bowl victory in February 2013, Baltimore has made the postseason once of the last five years.
John Harbaugh remains one of the best coaches in the league, but he probably won’t survive another off-season without a playoff berth. It’s essential for the team to be playing January football this year, and if that’s going to happen, they needed to get their quarterback some help.
The Ravens did just that, signing veterans Michael Crabtree, Willie Snead, and John Brown.
Once a Top 10 pick, Crabtree has never really lived up to his hype from college, but he’s just a year removed from a 1,000-yard season, and he’s caught at least eight touchdowns three straight years. Crabtree played mostly hurt in 2017, so the expectation is he will return to his 2016 form, where he recorded 89 catches, 1,003 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.
In training camp, he’s quickly become Flacco’s favorite target and should be particularly useful to the signal caller in the red zone. Crabtree has converted 42.2 percent of his career targets inside the 10-yard line into touchdowns. The Ravens already had the ninth-best offense in terms of converting touchdowns in the red zone last season, but with Crabtree, it should be even better.
Snead adds another strong possession receiver to Flacco’s arsenal. While a suspension and injuries prevented him from making much noise in 2017, he caught 72 passes for 895 yards and four touchdowns in 2016.
Of course, Brown completes the wide receiver addition trifecta. His speed will stretch defenses and help the running game. Brown recorded 1,003 receiving yards and averaged 15.4 yards per catch in 2015.
Early against the Colts on Monday night, Flacco threw a deep ball to Brown, and while the two didn’t connect, the Ravens addressing their lackluster offense with aggressive playcalling in the preseason can only be a good sign. Flacco also looked very comfortable with his new receivers on other plays, finding Crabtree for a 29-yard pass and Brown for a touchdown.
Baltimore Ravens Counting on First-Round Tight End Hayden Hurst
The Ravens have experienced far more success signing free agent wide receivers than drafting them, but that isn’t true at tight end. And the organization dedicated a first-round pick to 25-year-old Hayden Hurst in April.
Starting his athletic career in minor league baseball, Hurst is old for a prospect, but he was the best pass-catching tight end in the draft, and he’s set to start in Week One. Hurst caught a 15-yard pass from Flacco on Monday night.
Even though the Ravens should press the issue more in their passing attack this season, it’s never a bad thing to have a security blanket. Hurst could be that immediately.
The Final Wide Receiver Piece of the Puzzle in Baltimore
The Ravens finished fourth-to-last in passing yards last season, and no Baltimore receiver posted more than 750 yards. Only one wideout, Wallace, had more than 450 receiving yards.
Baltimore is a run-first team and should remain so, but that kind of dismal passing attack isn’t going to win enough games to make the playoffs.
Although adding Crabtree, Snead and Brown help in the short term, the last piece for the Ravens to become an above-average passing team is perhaps Breshad Perriman. The former first-round pick has struggled mightily in his career. Last season, he only made 10 catches for 77 yards.
Maybe the free agent additions are the “kick in the pants” he needs. At the very least, it alleviates some of the pressure he might have felt the last two years to become “the man.”
Analysts have already labeled Perriman “a bust,” but in 2018, the Ravens only need him to be a quality fourth option. His play, along with the rest of the receiver core, will go a long way towards determining the team’s fate.
The Ravens still have the defense to compete for a championship. It’s time the passing game, mainly the receiving core, catches up again.
