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Signing Lamar Jackson to a long-term extension is the Baltimore Ravens’ top priority this offseason.
After that, fans and pundits agree, the Ravens need to acquire an elite wide receiver. However, ESPN’s Jamison Hensley wrote that a “more likely scenario” for Baltimore would be picking up a veteran expected to be a salary cap casualty.
“It’s tempting to envision Lamar Jackson returning to the Baltimore Ravens offense and throwing deep downfield to DeAndre Hopkins or Keenan Allen,” Hensley wrote on February 10. “The more likely scenario is signing an expected cap cut like [Adam] Thielen, [Robert] Woods or [Michael] Thomas.”
He also listed Brandin Cooks of the Houston Texans, Russell Gage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Corey Davis of the New York Jets, and Kenny Golladay of the New York Giants as other candidates.
At his season-ending press conference, general manager Eric DeCosta all but shut down the idea of taking a big swing to acquire a big name like Hopkins, Allen, or Mike Evans of the Buccaneers, which could be looking at a rebuild after quarterback Tom Brady’s retirement.
“Honestly, when you have a big-ticket item at quarterback, it makes it more challenging – not impossible,” DeCosta said on January 19. “We’ll have to get creative, and there are things we can do.”
The Ravens are projected to have just $27.8 million in salary cap space in 2023, according to Spotrac.com. Hensley wrote that “the biggest obstacle to getting an established wide receiver for Jackson this offseason might be the quarterback himself.” Also, the likelihood of swinging a big trade for an elite wide receiver is diminished given that the Ravens have only five picks in the draft, with no second or seventh-round picks.
Ravens Have a History of Success with Veteran Wideouts
Hensley pointed out the organization’s successful “track record” of signing receivers around 30 years old and getting the most out of them. “From Derrick Mason to Anquan Boldin to Steve Smith,” he wrote.
After signing with the Ravens at 31, Mason topped 1,000 yards receiving in four of his six seasons in Baltimore. Boldin was 30 when he signed in 2010 and was integral team’s winning the 2013 Super Bowl. And Smith was a cap casualty when the Carolina Panthers released him in 2014 at 35 years old. In his first season in Baltimore, he topped 1,000 receiving yards for the eighth time in his career. Mike Wallace, who spent two seasons with the team from 2016 to 2017, was 30 when he signed with the team and topped 1,000 receiving yards in his first season as a Raven.
The Ravens’ most recent history of signing veteran wide receivers hasn’t been nearly as fruitful: Michael Crabtree, who signed at 31 in 2018, was cut after just one year. Sammy Watkins was 28 when he signed, and he faded down the stretch in 2021. And the in-season signings of veterans Dez Bryant in 2020 and DeSean Jackson in 2022, both of whom were far past their primes, didn’t pan out.
Ideal Candidate Among 2023 Crop
Thomas, Thielin, Cooks, or Woods would make the most sense to pursue if they are released to clear cap space.
Thomas has struggled with injuries the past three seasons, playing in just 10 games and recording just 609 receiving yards. He would be four years removed from his record-breaking 2019 season, when he led the league in receptions (149), receiving yards (1,725), and receiving yards per game (107.8). His recent injury history could drive his value on the market low enough for the Ravens to possibly get the soon-to-be 30-year-old on a heavily incentive-laden short-term multi-year deal with a very low 2023 cap hit.
The Texans might want to hold on to Cooks, who will turn 30 in September, or start from scratch after he has made it abundantly clear that he didn’t want to be a part of a rebuild at this stage in his career. He is just one year removed from recording back-to-back seasons of over 1,000 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2020 and 2021. Cooks has had six 1,000-plus-yard receiving seasons in his first nine years in the league.
Thielin hasn’t recorded a 1,000-plus-yard receiving season since 2018 but has still been a reliable and productive pass catcher and is just one year removed from back-to-back seasons recording double-digit receiving touchdowns. The 32-year-old two-time Pro Bowler is the oldest of the bunch and could potentially command the least on the open market.
Woods, who turns 31 in April, has been underrated throughout his career. His first year with the Titans after spending the previous five years as a key cog in the Los Angeles Rams offense wasn’t very productive in his first season back from a torn ACL with career lows in receiving yards (527) and yards per reception (9.9). If he were to hit the open market, he might end up being the most affordable of the bunch — aside from Golladay.
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