Getty Sammy Watkins celebrates a big play.
The Baltimore Ravens were looking to add a wideout this offseason, and after some mystery and some disappointment, they have reportedly managed to do just that.
Friday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Ravens signed Watkins to a short-term deal, a reported one-year, $6 million dollar deal to catch passes from Lamar Jackson.
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Here’s a look at the news.
Sammy Watkins to the Ravens – 1 year 6mil (5mil fully guaranteed), per source.
Obviously, it’s big news that the Ravens will be able to add Watkins to the mix in order to get themselves organized at wideout. The team needed someone to catch deep passes and that is just what Watkins can do in order to help get the offense going.
Watkins has been a big play player during his time in the league, so getting him into the mix is significant. The move will stop the bleeding effectively for the Ravens, who had not found luring a wideout easy during this free agency period. Fortunately for the team, that ends now with the addition of this bigger-time target to the mix.
Ravens Had Been Turned Down Multiple Times at Wideout
Losing out on a wide receiver is nothing new in this cycle for the Ravens. Baltimore has already whiffed on the likes of Kenny Golladay, JuJu Smith-Schuster and now T.Y. Hilton. The good news? The door was apparently not firmly closed on a deal with Sammy Watkins, even though the Ravens did let him leave the building without a contract. Clearly, the Ravens have been big game hunting at wideout this year but have come up stunningly empty handed until this point in time.
Before the team signed Watkins, Hilton, Golladay and Smith-Schuster represented stunning whiffs for the team. Theoretically, it would make sense that wideouts would want to play with the Ravens and Lamar Jackson, but it’s possible that the draw wasn’t as good as many might think in the end for the team.
Sammy Watkins Stats
Watkins was formally the fourth-overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft out of Clemson, but the argument can be made that he did not live up to the billing thus far. Even though that is true, it can also be true that Watkins has enjoyed some decent numbers in his career. He has put up 4,665 yards and 33 touchdowns in his career and did help the Chiefs to a Super Bowl in 2020 and 2021.
In terms of a veteran player, Watkins could be an interesting addition to the roster for a team that needs some playmakers at all levels. Getting him for the Baltimore offense could be a huge win for the Ravens considering the fact that the team has struggled with their downfield passing game a ton in recent years.
At the very least, it’s good to see Watkins in the mix for the team moving forward and especially for the help of the offense and Jackson in the future.
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Ravens Agree to Sign Veteran Star Wide Receiver: Report