Don’t @ me.
Okay, you can @ me.
Darren Waller is going to make the Ravens final 53 man roster, and you shouldn’t even question it.
The current landscape in the tight end group in Baltimore is a bit ambiguous in terms of rankings, but the personnel include rookies Hayden Hurst and Mark Andrews, along with the veterans in Nick Boyle, Maxx Williams, Vince Mayle and of course, Waller.
First question- who is assuredly safe?
The rookies, of course.
The Ravens didn’t spend a 1st and 3rd round pick on Hayden Hurst and Mark Andrews, respectively, just to cast them aside. If we’re being honest here, Hurst is in line to nab the starting as well, which shouldn’t be a surprise considering he was the first tight end off the board in the 2018 draft.
Speaking of first tight end off the board, let’s talk Williams. Remember like two seconds ago when I noted that Hurst took that starting gig after being the top tight end out of the draft? That’s something Maxx has failed to do after being the first tight end drafted in the 2015 draft.
Didn’t do it in 2015.
Or 2016.
Or 2017.
No shot in hell in 2018, either.
In three seasons in Baltimore, Maxx has played a total of 29 games- of a possible 48 games- and racked up a whopping 47 receptions for 354 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Want to do averages? That equates to 1.6 receptions per game for 7.5 yards per game. Let me say it a little louder for those in the back…
THE RAVENS 2015 SECOND ROUND ROOKIE- THE FIRST TIGHT END DRAFTED THAT YEAR- IS AVERAGING LESS THAN 2 RECEPTIONS AND UNDER 10 YARDS PER GAME IN 3 YEARS.
*collects self*
If that’s not bad enough, do you want to hear something hilarious? There’s another tight end on this Ravens roster with more receptions (52) and yards (400), yet people think he’s only a blocker. Yes, I’m talking about Boyle, and humor me here- if 52/400 is ‘only a blocker,’ what does that make Williams, who isn’t as refined a blocking tight end as Boyle
I’ll hang up and listen.
Then there’s Mayle … I mean, he’s gone. Let’s be honest, he’s great at special teams but non-existent on offense. If you think the Ravens should keep Mayle, just go ahead and call it quits now.
Back to the man of the article — Darren Waller.
Waller’s value is two-fold in Baltimore: he’s a proven gunner on special teams (recall- no other tight end is contributing there, sans Mayle), and the former wideout-turned-tight-end has a huge 6′ 6″ presence in the passing game that provides the Ravens another towering red zone threat.
I’m sure by now you’re asking yourself ‘hey buddy, where does he fit on this Ravens roster?’
In my self-proclaimed, marginally semi-professional opinion, Waller is your TE4 in Baltimore behind Hurst, Boyle and Andrews. As such, bye Maxxxxxx!
Of course I know many will doubt my assessment, and have a brutal rebuttal ready at the tip of their Twitter fingers, so let me do my best to counter those points before you even rebut:
‘Yea but he can’t block!’
A: He’s not great! I won’t lie! But Mark Andrews is worse, and I can’t imagine they’d draft a guy who can’t block if that was a major point of contention, and more so, you have 2 guys in Hurst and Boyle who are great at blocking. You don’t need everyone to be strong there.
‘His receiving stats aren’t good at all! How can you say he’s a threat?’
A: Keep in mind Waller came into the NFL as a receiver out of Georgia Tech. He was buried on the WR depth chart in 2015, so he saw minimal snaps. The next year he moved to tight end (2016) but was buried behind Dennis Pitta, Maxxxxxxx and Crockett Gillmore. As such, his contributions remained primarily on Special Teams. If you’re the 4th TE and not seeing the field on offense, you NEED to contribute elsewhere, which is something no other TE on the roster can do in 2018 (again, my apologies to Mayle).
‘Give Maxxxxxxx another chance!’
A: Tell me- if he was a 5th or 6th round pick would you still say as much? Or is this solely based on being a high draft pick, a la the ‘give Perriman a shot’ crowd? Williams has been given 3 years to prove himself, and the only thing he’s proven is that he can’t stay healthy, and he can’t produce as expected. He couldn’t even beat out a 58-year old Ben Watson last year! Sever ties. Bye Felicia.
‘Suspensions!’
A: Yes, Darren Waller is just returning from his second suspension, and a full season one at that. But do you know who else has multiple suspensions and would be gone for a full season should he be suspended again? Boyle. Clearly that won’t stop Baltimore from keeping Boyle on the roster, nor should it for Waller.
Tis all from #TeamWaller camp for now. Stay tuned for “I told you so!” to come following the final roster cuts down to 53.
