Baltimore Ravens Should Add To WR Room After Trading Marquise Brown
By Andrew Kim
If Baltimore doesn’t add a veteran pass-catcher, then James Proche is in line for his first NFL start as a slot receiver for the Ravens.
Now, will the Baltimore Ravens sign a veteran receiver? They could easily wait till preseason and camp cuts go down before making a move. The current options are headlined by Julio Jones, Will Fuller, Jarvis Landry, Odell Beckham Jr, Cole Beasley, Emmanuel Sanders, T.Y. Hilton, and Desean Jackson. Yikes.
With Hollywood gone, the former first-round pick from last year (Rashod Bateman) will be the incumbent number one receiver. The former Minnesota pass-catcher was drafted in the 2021 NFL Draft as the 27th overall pick.
After coming back from an injury, in 12 games, Bateman had 46 catches for 515 yards receiving yards as the second or third pass-catching option for the Ravens. Baltimore should still get a veteran as insurance sometime this offseason, as they could at least add someone reliable to the crop of young receivers currently on the roster.
But for the James Proche and Tylan Wallace truthers out there, along with Devin Duvernay, this is a good opportunity for them to potentially start if the Ravens decide to not go after an older pass catcher. All three have the potential to make an impact on the field, as long as they get the chance to showcase their talent.
It would be a downgrade as a collective for the receiver position compared to previous years (as they are mostly unknown talent). However, it could pay dividends if one or all of them pan out as successes on the field.
The former Texas receiver Duvernay is more known for special teams, however, he showed some skills as a pass-catcher last season. The former 2020 third-round pick only has 10 career starts in the last two seasons, but had two crucial clutch touchdowns last year.
Proche, a former 2020 sixth-round pick from SMU, hasn’t even seen the field yet as a starter (despite showing potential in preseasons and offseason camps). Wallace, a former 2021 fourth-round pick from Oklahoma State, is in a similar boat, only starting one game in his rookie season.
This group lacks experience and even though there is potential, there are plenty of question marks on who will line up at wide receiver other than Bateman. With these inexperienced but talented wide receivers, I can envision the Baltimore Ravens offensive scheme featuring even more tight ends/running backs this season, even if the guys previously mentioned take the step up as potential starters.
Other wide receivers on the roster include Binjimen Victor and Jaylon Moore, who were on the team last year. However, Baltimore did sign a few undrafted rookie free agents, as they should compete for a roster spot potentially and give the squad new blood. These rookie receivers include Devon Williams (Oregon), Emeka Emezie (N.C. State), Trevon Clark (Cal), Makai Polk (Mississippi State), Slade Bolden (Alabama), and Shemar Bridges (Fort Valley State University).
Maybe Baltimore is truly comfortable with their own group and didn’t reach in the draft for one, despite the need, as the Baltimore Ravens have double-dipped at the wide receiver position the last four drafts (not including this past draft). But come the preseason at the very least, it would be hard for them to not bring in more experienced pass-catchers, as they traditionally bring in a veteran or two to the position.