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The 2022 season was quite the rollercoaster ride for the Baltimore Ravens as injuries at key positions to prominent players prevented them from reaching their full potential for the second year in a row.
That being said, several players stepped up and made plays for the team on both sides of the ball. The position group that was hit the hardest by the injury bug was wide receiver where the team lost 2021 first-rounder, Rashod Bateman and Devin Duvernay
One player at the position that stayed healthy and appeared in every game was veteran Demarcus Robinson. He performed more than admirably as a consistent contributor in the passing game and was named the Ravens ‘Unsung Hero’ for the 2022 season by NFL.com’s Nick Shook.
“He’s my unsung hero, though, because he did this while again playing a secondary role with a team that ended up trotting out three different quarterbacks in 2022,” Shook wrote. “No matter the passer, you can count on Robinson as a quality supporting cast member. That deserves some praise.”
Despite not joining the team until just before the final week of the preseason, Robinson displayed solid chemistry with all three of the quarterbacks that the Ravens played last year although he struggled with drops at times.
He led all receivers on the team in targets (75), receptions (48), and receiving yards (458) and caught three touchdowns with two coming in the regular season and the third in the playoffs. Shook admitted to being a longtime fan of Robinson dating back to his time with the Kansas City Chiefs where he spent the first six years of his career and would show exciting flashes as a complementary weapon behind star pass catchers like Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce.
“I could easily fill this spot with Devin Duvernay, an overlooked receiver who also did a solid job in the return game when called upon, but I’m going with a personal favorite whom I’ve long seen as a player poised to produce with more targets,” he wrote. “I figured he’d get more looks in Baltimore, where the Ravens have lacked weapons outside and traded Marquise Brown to Arizona last offseason. Instead of fully breaking out, Robinson finished with another solid season.”
Robinson Deserves a Shot a Roster Spot in 2023
Not only is the seven-year veteran deserving of praise for his contributions this past season, but he also deserves a chance to be on the team next season as well. In his end-of-season press conference, head coach John Harbaugh said that the team intends to “build up” their wide receiver depth chart with an influx of new talent and select returners, one of which should be Robinson.
He regularly displayed an ability to gain separation and get open with a savvy and crafty route-running prowess as well as an underrated run-after-catch ability. He showcased all those traits in the Ravens Wildcard game against the Cincinnati Bengals when he burnt Eli Apple for a 41-yard touchdown.
His most productive game as a Ravens came in Week 11 against the Carolina Panthers when he hauled in all 9 of his targets for a season-high 128 receiving yards and put on an absolute clinic on how to work the boundary down and at the intermediate level of the field.
As it currently stands, the most experienced player at the position on the Ravens roster that is under contract for the 2023 season is James Proche. The 2020 sixth-round pick will be entering his fourth season, is only 26 years old but has been underwhelming in his first three years in the league with just 25 receptions for 278 receiving yards on 40 targets in 43 career games according to Pro Football Reference.
Re-signing Robinson would provide the Ravens with both veteran leadership and quality depth at the position for what will most likely be a moderate price at around the veteran minimum. The durability and dependability that he has shown will be a valuable asset in whatever evolution the offense takes in 2023.
Ravens 1st Rounders Named to Another All-Rookie Team
The accolades and recognition for the team’s top two picks in the 2022 NFL Draft continued to roll in on Tuesday when defensive back Kyle Hamilton and center Tyler Linderbaum were named to yet another All-Rookie Team, this time by the Pro Football Writers of America.
Both players were selected in the first round and established themselves among the top players at their respective position regardless of experience in the entire league in just their first seasons.
Hamilton was the Ravens’ top overall selection at No. 14 overall out of Notre Dame and after a rocky start, he rounded into shape, shined bright in a multifaceted role that involved being a dynamic slot defender and a tight end matchup piece, and finished as the highest graded safety in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus.
According to Pro Football Reference, he played 53 percent of the team’s total defensive snaps and recorded 62 total tackles including 46 solos and 4 for a loss, 2 sacks, 5 quarterback hits, 1 forced fumble, and 5 pass deflections.
While Hamilton was beaten out by veteran Chuck Clark for a starting job, Linderbaum was entrenched as a starter from day 1 and more than lived up to the pre-draft hype. He played nearly 100 percent of the team’s total offensive snaps as a rookie, missing just two in one game, and had some of his best games against the most elite competition.
After nearly a decade of instability at the position, the former Iowa product looks to be the anchor in the middle of the Ravens’ offensive line for years to come and will likely be racking up even loftier honors going forward. He was an absolute mauler as a run-blocker in particular, finishing with the fourth-highest run-blocking grade among all centers per PFF.
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