Getty The Baltimore Ravens are signing former Buffalo Bills WR Deonte Harty
The Baltimore Ravens have finally gotten themselves back in the free agency action.
After signing running back Derrick Henry early in the new league year, the Ravens hadn’t done much else to add to their roster.
Their only other additions were the signings of Chris Board, Josh Jones, and Ka’dar Hollman. The last of those moves came on March 22.
Now they’ve added another free agent.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport, the Ravens are signing former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Deonte Harty to a one-year deal.
Fast Start to Harty’s Career
Harty went undrafted as a wide receiver out of Assumption University back in 2019, but it still didn’t take him long to make an impact in the NFL.
He was picked up by the New Orleans Saints after the draft and made their 53-man roster as a rookie. He didn’t do much as a receiver in that rookie season, making just 6 catches for 24 yards.
However, his impact as a returner was huge. Harty returned both kicks and punts for the Saints that season. He had 644 return yards on 24 kick returns. He also had 36 punt returns for 338 yards and a touchdown.
The punt returns and punt return yards both led the league and earned Harty spots in the Pro Bowl and on the All-Pro First Team.
Harty remained productive the following year. He was limited to just nine games, but still returned 17 punts for 207 yards and 16 kicks for 436 yards.
His third year in the league was actually his most productive all around. In 2021, Harty was once again a solid returner. He had 690 kick return yards and 199 yards on punt returns.
He also was finally able to make an impact as a receiver. Harty made 36 catches for 570 yards and 3 touchdowns. Those are all still career highs for him.
The last couple of years have been a bit of a struggle for Harty. He played just 4 games in 2022 because of an injury.
Then he joined the Bills as a free agent in 2023. He made just 15 catches for 150 yards in Buffalo and only had 330 return yards.
However, most of those return yards came in a big moment. He returned a punt 86 yards for a touchdown in the Week 18 win over the Dolphins that clinched the AFC East title for the Bills.
Now the Ravens will be hoping he can replace the special teams standout they lost this offseason.
Who He’s Replacing for the Ravens
The Ravens have had one of the NFL’s best returners on their roster for the last few years.
Devin Duvernay didn’t really pan out as a receiver for the Ravens after they selected him in the third round back in 2020, but he made up for it with his impact on special teams.
Like Harty, his impact there was felt quickly. Duvernay returned 21 kicks for 578 yards and a touchdown in 2020.
In 2021, he became one of the best returners in the league. He led the NFL in yards per punt return with 13.8 and added 676 kick return yards on 28 returns.
He earned a Pro Bowl nod and a spot on the All-Pro First Team that season.
The following year, he had 190 punt return yards and returned 15 kicks for 383 yards and a touchdown. He was rewarded with another spot in the Pro Bowl.
It was also his best season as a receiver. He made 37 catches for 407 yards.
In 2023, his impact greatly diminished. He wasn’t a factor as a receiver, making just 4 catches. He also saw his impact on returns shrink as he only had 364 total return yards.
This offseason, he signed a two-year contract with the Jaguars.
Now the Ravens have gone out and found another All-Pro to replace him for the 2024 season.