Possibility of a former Terp coming home?
I hear rumblings from fans and experts alike that there are realistic trade scenarios that could bring a star WR to the Baltimore Ravens. Stefon Diggs is a name that keeps coming up. Even Kevin Eck of BaltimoreRavens.Com had this to say about it.
“Diggs, 26, would give the Ravens a proven wide receiver in his prime to pair with 2019 first-round pick Marquise “Hollywood” Brown.”
There were a few Minnesota Vikings’ fans who had something to say about it as well. They sound well…against the idea.
I really hope this whole “Stefon Diggs may get traded” talk is just to push offseason content opposed to being an actual thing. If Stefon Diggs gets traded I swear to god.
— Realistic Randy (@realistic_randy) February 1, 2020
I don’t blame them for being angry about potentially losing one of the best route-runners in Vikings history. Should he come to Charm City, I would be pleased, but does the team really need him? Does bringing in another WR matter at all?
Will another X really matter?
I don’t think it will. When you go back to the playoff game against the Titans, people are only going to remember the play they want back: Miles Boykin dropping a critical 4th-and-11 pass that would have kept a glimpse of hope alive. With only 55 seconds left and down two scores, that is not fair to Boykin or the rest of the receiving corps who helped the team put up 18-passing first-downs (per ESPN.com), compared to the Titans’ five.
[Related: Though He Has Miles to Go, Boykin Will Arrive]
Were the WRs to blame in the playoffs?
Did Marquise Brown do a great deal of the work with his 126-yards receiving? Yes. But, Willie Snead caught 6-of-8 passes (one of the drops erasing what looked to be an early third-down conversion of course), and the offense as a whole had 365 yards receiving on the day. There were six dropped passes on the day, but let’s look at the entire season. According to pro-football-reference.com, the Ravens were last (this is a good thing) in the league in dropped-passes with 14 total.
The divisional round of the playoff was an anomaly, not the norm. It was the combination of six drops, three turnovers, four failed 4th-down-conversion attempts, and a defense that couldn’t stop the run that killed this team’s playoff hopes. Placing blame solely on the hands of one or two guys is not fair.
[Related: How Did the Titans Stuff the Ravens’ Run Game?]
Lamar Jackson favors his TEs not because he doesn’t trust his WRs on the outside; he just has a better connection with Mark Andrews. Boykin is the X receiver, usually, on Lamar’s back shoulder. Unless a play is tailored explicitly for Boykin, he may be the 4th read on most plays. Brown has a connection with Lamar already. That connection will only improve in year two. Bringing in another X will not be the difference-maker. The MVP’s current targets were enough to bring the team a first-round bye.
Use what you got!
Building more chemistry with the current guys, helping them grow together is what the team needs more than anything.
Seth Roberts and Chris Moore are the only WRs the team is losing in free agency. DeAnthony Thomas is not exactly a loss, being that he was mainly a special teams player.
Broke Phi Broke…
The Ravens do have a need for WR. They need depth though, not a replacement in the starting spot. Eric DeCosta previously had the formula of building through the draft and relying on first-term contract players to build the team. I hope the formula stays the same, and the team veers away from the flashy expensive opportunities in Free Agency or trade. With only $21.4M in cap space and free agents like Matt Judon, and Jimmy Smith, and EDC’s plan to retain some players a year early, there is not much room to work with on signing a magical fix-all free-agent WR. No, Amari Cooper is not coming to Baltimore.
The 2019 AFC North Champions have what they need in-house, hands-wise. They can continue to build upon that if they put in the work during the offseason.
