Getty Kenny Golladay celebrates a score against Kansas City.
The Baltimore Ravens’ wounds are still fresh coming on the heels of a tough defeat in the playoffs to the Buffalo Bills, but already, thoughts are beginning to turn to next season and what can be done to improve the team.
While the Ravens have plenty of theoretical holes to patch in order to take the next step toward being a legit AFC contender in the postseason, already one of the biggest is coming into focus for some analysts. If there is a big need on the team, it’s for playmaking on offense. As ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky suggested, it’s time for the Ravens to get a big-time wideout in the mix in order to help things out.
So who should join the team? As Orlovsky says in the tweet, it should be one of the bigger names that could be available such as Kenny Golladay or Allen Robinson. Both come from the NFC North.
Most of Orlovsky’s offensive fixes for the Ravens revolved around getting more balance and diversity in their passing attack, and a big part of that could be a new weapon for the team as well. Clearly, the analyst believes that to be the case with the names he is throwing out.
Golladay might yet remain with the Lions on the franchise tag or a new deal, but Robinson seems like a lock to head to free agency. If he does, there’s a chance the Ravens could reach out if they follow this blueprint that Orlovsky suggests.
Free Agent Wideouts Ravens Could Add
Golladay and Robinson aren’t the only two big names at wideout this offseason who might be lured by the team. There are multiple other free agent options the Ravens could look into such as A.J. Green of the Bengals, Marvin Jones of the Lions, Sammy Watkins of the Chiefs, T.Y. Hilton of the Colts, Corey Davis of the Titans and Will Fuller of the Texans. Any of those players could give the Ravens some of their down field punch the offense has been lacking, and most of those guys minus Green are currently in their prime in their late 20s or early 30s.
The draft also figures to be deep with pass catchers, so the Ravens could find a big target there if they so choose. Free agency, though, would likely be the best way for the team to add someone to the mix who could stretch the field and do damage on a defense. Baltimore is estimated to have just over $23 million in cap space, so they could possibly make this type of addition happen.
Ravens Passing Offense Struggled During 2020 Season
If there was one thing the Ravens were missing, it was the ability to have explosive plays in the passing game. Many will cast the blame toward Lamar Jackson, but the team struggled to get anything going consistently at the wideout spot, which cost them the ability to do damage much of the year. This season, the Ravens only collected a paltry 27 passing touchdowns, 26 of which were credited to Jackson. The team’s biggest strength remains their ground game, but it’s clear given the damage they can do there, the Ravens should be able to pass the ball much better than they have recently.
Marquise Brown remains Baltimore’s biggest name player at the position, but it’s’ clear that many think the team needs more than that to have a chance at sustaining offensive success.
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