Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome followed through with his promise to “change that room,” meaning the wide receivers’ room.
The team signed John Brown and Michael Crabtree as free agents.
Then, Newsome signed New Orleans wide receiver Willie Snead to a two-year offer sheet. The Saints reportedly will not match the offer, meaning Snead will be lining up in the slot for Baltimore in 2018.
In addition, the Ravens released the disappointing Jeremy Maclin and let both Mike Wallace and Michael Campanaro explore the free-agent market.
The biggest question is how the signings of Brown, Crabtree and Snead will affect this week’s NFL Draft. The moves take some of the pressure off drafting a wide receiver in the first round — an area where the Ravens have struggled over their history.
While the Ravens still need a speedy outside receiver, Newsome just might have forged a path to take Notre Dame offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey with the 16th overall selection. McGlinchey would immediately start on the opposite side of Ronnie Stanley, another Notre Dame alum.
“There’s a strong chance that if we do pick at 16, we’ll find a guy that fills a specific need for this team that helps us win games early on,” assistant general manager Eric DeCosta said. “It’s always what we try to do. Marlon Humphrey – last year, he came in and filled a specific, critical need for us. We had some injuries, he was a great pick, and he helped us win some football games. That’s always what we try to do with that first pick.”
While that might not be exciting to fans clamoring for a playmaker, the Ravens would have one of the best offensive lines in the conference, especially if Marshal Yanda and Alex Lewis are fully recovered from injuries that prematurely ended their 2017 seasons. The Ravens will still need to add depth in the later rounds of the draft.
From there, the Ravens need to find a tight end, especially with the loss of Benjamin Watson, who signed with the Saints as a free agent. Newsome and DeCosta will most certainly draft a tight end in the first three rounds this weekend.
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Two potential targets are Mark Andrews (Oklahoma) and Ian Thomas (Indiana), both of whom could be available in the late second or third rounds. The Ravens could also trade back in the first round to take either Dallas Goedert (South Dakota State) or Hayden Hurst (South Carolina).
“The tight end class … there are some pretty good ones out there,” said Joe Horitz, director of college scouting. “And they’re of the athletic variety, pass-catching tight ends that certainly could help impact our offense. So, from that standpoint I think there are going to be some guys, targets, for us in each of the rounds who can come in and help us.
“In terms of development, that’s a position where a lot of times they’re asked to do a lot of different things, and it takes a guy time to grow at this level with the speed of the game and the different things you ask them to do. I think that’s why you have some guys who may come in as a No. 2 and have solid production as a No. 2, but then they grow.”
This is one of most important drafts in the history of the franchise. The Ravens have missed the playoffs for three straight years and another disappointing season could mean a complete overhaul of the franchise.
That is why Newsome needs to strike a delicate balance of choosing the best player available with players that can make a significant, immediate impact.
The Ravens are confident they can begin getting the franchise back on track when they make their first seleccion about 10:30 p.m. on Thursday night.
“We’re in a good spot for a lot of different reasons,” DeCosta said. “I think 16 is a good spot to be in this draft. It plays well to our needs and different strategies.”
