Getty Lamar Jackson would get a new "top target" if the Baltimore Ravens made this trade.
The Baltimore Ravens did right by Lamar Jackson when they selected Zay Flowers 22nd overall in the 2023 NFL draft, but the team still needs a true No. 1 wide receiver. Flowers is playing dynamic football as a rookie, but trading for Davante Adams would net the Ravens a “bona fide top target” for Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Monken.
That’s the view of Bleacher Report’s Ryan Fowler, who noted how “Adams’ ability to dominate man coverage and draw eyes away from Flowers would only boost the ceiling of the offense.”
Being able to afford a deal for Adams would be tough, but the Ravens do have $7,936,078 worth of space under the salary cap. It’s enough room to at least to try and swing a trade for Las Vegas Raiders’ playmaker Adams, who “could push Baltimore over the hump in a loaded AFC.”
All-Pro Perfect Partner for Ravens’ Standout Rookie
Flowers is winning underneath and moving the chains after the catch, but Adams is a complete receiver. The 30-year-old can beat defenses at every level and against multiple types of coverage.
Adams is at his best against defenses trying to play man coverage with a single safety deep, per Next Gen Stats.
Davante Adams has been targeted on a league-high 38.1% of his routes against single-high coverages over the last two seasons (min. 100 routes).
Putting Adams in the same lineup as Flowers and Odell Beckham Jr. would force defenses to choose who to double. If they opted to bracket Adams or OBJ, Flowers would get more opportunities to make just one defender miss.
The latter is something the former Boston College standout has already become expert at since entering the pros. Flowers trails only San Francisco 49ers’ star Deebo Samuel among wideouts forcing missed tackles, according to PFF College.
Zay Flowers: 7 missed tackles forced AFTER the catch this season
Only Deebo Samuel has more👀
A Flowers and Adams combination would make the Ravens more versatile and more effective through the air. The duo would also help Jackson take further strides in Monken’s offense, even though progress has so far been stunted.
Ravens Still Need Help on Offense
Jackson got paid this offseason and the Ravens replaced run-first play-caller Greg Roman with Monken and a more progressive scheme. Those things were expected to transform Baltimore’s offense into a more expansive and prolific unit.
It hasn’t happened yet, even though Jackson is playing some solid football. He’s put 79.8 percent of his throws on target, per Pro Football Reference, but Jackson is still just as reliant on his mobility as he was on Roman’s watch.
Jackson’s already run the ball 32 times for 193 yards and 14 first downs, but this isn’t what this offense was supposed to look like. Injuries haven’t helped, with Beckham set to miss Week 4’s game against the Cleveland Browns with an ankle problem, while Rashod Bateman is also out due to a damaged hamstring, according to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley.
Bateman and Beckham are big misses, but Jackson still has key targets like Flowers and tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely at his disposal. What he doesn’t have is a legitimate, go-to target like Adams.
The latter sounded like a player who wants to find a new home when he spoke of not having “time to wait around” after the Raiders were beaten 23-18 by the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3, per Pro Football Network.
If Adams wants out, the Ravens should come calling. General manager Eric DeCosta is no stranger to engineering impact trades during a season, having sorted the deal to acquire inside linebacker Roquan Smith from the Chicago Bears in 2022.
Smith quickly became the talisman of the Baltimore defense, and Adams would surely make the same rapid transition on the other side of the ball.