Getty The Ravens can trade a key backup for a 1,000-yd WR.
Entering the 2022 NFL season without a legitimate, big-play wide receiver is a risk the Baltimore Ravens don’t need to take. Not when the perfect answer to one of their biggest problems could be available for trade.
He’s a member of the Carolina Panthers who has established a reputation as one of the most dynamic deep threats in the game. Despite his skills stretching the field, this 1,000-yard wide receiver has been the subject of trade rumors for most of the offseason.
The Ravens should move quickly to take advantage. General manager Eric DeCosta could offer a useful backup with starter potential, along with a late-round pick next year. It would be a small price to pay to finally equip franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson with the go-to wideout he needs.
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Backup QB Could Net Ravens Key Weapon
There wasn’t much wrong with the way Tyler Huntley played while Jackson was sidelined with an ankle injury during the final five games of last season. Huntley proved he’s a useful backup QB, but a deputy signal-caller won’t be as valuable to the Ravens as Robbie Anderson.
The latter is the vertical playmaker the Ravens need to open up a one-dimensional passing game. There’s no obvious deep threat on the roster after Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown was traded to the Arizona Cardinals on draft day.
Brown was Jackson’s favorite wideout, and the quarterback was far from happy about the deal:
Jackson’s unhappiness was understandable since Brown could get behind the last line of a defense. Without him, Jackson looks set to be limited to targeting tight end Mark Andrews over the middle, throwing underneath to his running backs and taking off on the run more often.
All of those things can be effective, but Anderson would expand the playbook with his flair for covering ground quickly. He’s averaged 13.4 yards per catch during his career, but Anderson’s numbers have dipped during two years in Carolina.
Anderson went from averaging 15 yards a grab for two-straight seasons with the New York Jets, to 11.5 and 9.8 yards per catch with the Panthers. He did make 95 receptions for 1,096 yards in 2020, but uneven production has made Anderson a prime candidate to be traded.
Discussions over a deal even took place between the Panthers and New England Patriots back in March, according to Joe Person and Jeff Howe of The Athletic and Greg A. Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal:
Patriots have inquired about Panthers WR Robby Anderson. Conversation was exploratory and nothing imminent at this point, sources tell @jeffphowe and me. @GregABedard first on the Patriots’ interest.
Other teams have also been mooted as potential destinations for Anderson. The most prominent is the Cleveland Browns, with CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson naming the receiver at the 7:39 mark as a possible makeweight in any deal for quarterback Baker Mayfield:
Live out at #Browns mandatory minicamp where Deshaun Watson spoke to the media for the first time since his introductory press conference Mar. 25. My takeaways from the Watson presser, another consideration for the decision to excuse Baker Mayfield for now, and Amari Cooper talk.
A big part of the reason Anderson could be on the block is because of the ongoing QB struggles in Carolina. The Panthers have lurched from one unconvincing passer to another, with Anderson’s former Jets teammate Sam Darnold struggling last season after Teddy Bridgewater failed to convince in 2020.
This is where the Ravens can step in with a win-win deal for both teams. The Panthers have rarely seen a quarterback they didn’t like in recent seasons, so why not offer Huntley as yet another prospect for head coach Matt Rhule and his staff to try and develop?
Huntley is decent insurance for Jackson, but the Ravens signed Brett Hundley in free agency and have Anthony Brown waiting in the wings. Packaging Huntley with a fifth-round pick in next year’s draft should be enough to get the rebuilding Panthers talking.
Ravens Risking Too Much Standing Still at WR
DeCosta has so far overlooked the veteran market as an option for retooling at wide receiver. It’s a curious decision since proven pass-catchers like Odell Beckham Jr., Julio Jones, Emmanuel Sanders and Will Fuller are all still available in free agency.
The Ravens haven’t offered a deal to any of those established names, even after ignoring the position in the draft. That makes a trade the best option, and Anderson would be an upgrade over second-year man Rashod Bateman and inexperienced trio Devin Duvernay, James Proche and Tylan Wallace.
With Jackson throwing the passes, Anderson would have a better chance of getting back to being the feared playmaker he was before he joined the Panthers:
Matt Rhule’s offense just got faster.
New @Panthers WR Robbie Anderson’s best plays from last season! @chosen1ra
If the Ravens got this version of Anderson, he’d take coverage away from Andrews and force defenses to keep safeties deep and not load the box against offensive coordinator Greg Roman’s Jackson-led running game.
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Ravens Should Trade Key Backup for 1,000-Yard WR in NFC