The Ravens are clearly placing a priority on upgrading the receiving weapons around Joe Flacco. After a 2015 season that exposed their lack of depth in that department, it’s a smart move.
Despite the additions, though, the Ravens have more questions than answers entering next season. Even the wideouts who are essentially guaranteed roster spots have uncertainties facing them. The more-crowded group is as difficult to predict as ever.
The delayed retirement of Steve Smith Sr. is a massive boon for Joe Flacco and the offense. But counting on a 37 year old receiver coming off a torn achilles is a gamble.
Will he finally lose a step? Will the fountain of youth dry up?
Smith Sr. has made a career of proving doubters wrong. It wouldn’t be shocking if he looked like the player Ravens fans have grown accustomed to.
It also wouldn’t be a huge surprise if age and injury finally play a factor.
Kamar Aiken had a coming out party last season, forcing the Ravens to apply a second round tender to him.
Was Aiken’s success a result of being the last man standing? Or can he continue to build on his successful 2015 campaign?
The Ravens don’t have the strongest track record when it comes to developing receivers. Aiken’s continued growth would be a welcome sight.
Breshad Perriman may be one of the biggest question marks in Ravens history. Remember when the biggest concern with Perriman was his hands? The hope is he can put a bizarre knee injury which cost him his rookie season behind him. But when asked about Perriman at the scouting combine Ozzie Newsome still would not declare Perriman fully healthy.
If you believe the Ravens, Perriman’s injury won’t be a recurring one once it’s fully healed. It’s hard to believe anything the Ravens say about Perriman, however. They’ve rarely been forthright about his status or progress.
With his physical tools, it wouldn’t be surprising if Perriman put up over 1000 yards.
It also wouldn’t be a huge shock if he continues on a similar path as Travis Taylor and Mark Clayton.
Then there’s the addition of Mike Wallace. On the surface, it looks like a great signing. He has speed that pairs perfectly with Flacco’s strong arm. After catching passes from inexperienced signal callers for a few years, he finally has a reliable one throwing passes to him.
But there are still doubts. Since signing a massive contract with the Dolphins before the 2013 season, Wallace has failed to meet expectations. His two years in Miami were solid, but certainly didn’t warrant the deal he signed.
His under-performance could be directly linked to his inexperienced quarterbacks, and the Ravens don’t expect him to be the number one guy like they did in Miami. That’s my biggest question with Wallace, though.
Is he okay being a 3rd or 4th option in an offense? He wants to resurrect his career and prove his doubters wrong. Will he be satisfied some weeks if he only gets a couple targets?
The Ravens looked around their division and saw explosive offenses in Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. They clearly were lagging behind in the playmaking department and have made an effort to change that before next season.
We’ll see how much they have caught up in September.
