UPDATE: Thursday, 9:45 a.m.
Former Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. is at the Under Armour Performance Center, and check out who he bumped into.
Yes, that's free-agent wide receiver Jeremy Maclin next to Smith. No word on their conversation yet, but we'll catch up with Smith later today.
Smith was talked out of taking a planned trip to New England when he visited Baltimore as a free agent in 2014. The rest is history. The Ravens also were able to get Mike Wallace to stay last year when he still had other visits scheduled.
Maclin watched Game 3 of the NBA Finals with several Ravens players, including safety Eric "The Recruiter" Weddle at Tony Jefferson's house Wednesday night.
Now he's getting the full welcome on Thursday.
...........
Get ready to roll out the red carpet, because free-agent wide receiver Jeremy Maclin is reportedly coming to visit.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Maclin is leaving Buffalo and headed to Baltimore.
Maclin spent Tuesday and Wednesday morning in Orchard Park, N.Y. at the Bills' training facility, where running back LeSean McCoy and quarterback Tyrod Taylor acted as recruiters.
But Maclin left Wednesday without a contract, leaving the possibility open that he could sign with the Ravens.
Baltimore is a great fit for Maclin, who was surprisingly released Friday by the Kansas City Chiefs following an injury-plagued season in which he missed four games and had a drop in production (44 catches for 536 yards and two touchdowns).
Maclin, 29, would see a lot of targets in Baltimore. The Ravens have Mike Wallace and Breshad Perriman, but last year's leader in targets, tight end Dennis Pitta was released Tuesday after he re-injured his hip last week.
The Ravens already have two big-play wideouts in Wallace and Perriman, but a team can never have too many big plays or too much speed.
Maclin would also benefit from connecting with quarterback Joe Flacco and his strong arm, which would allow Maclin plenty of chances for those big plays. In 2014 (his last season in Philadelphia), the 2009 first-round pick out of Missouri posted 85 catches for 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns. He averaged 15.5 yards per catch and had seven catches of 50-plus yards (second-most in the NFL).
Ravens Offensive Coordinator Marty Mornhinweg was Maclin's coach during his first four seasons with the Eagles. Thus, it likely wouldn't be a huge system change for Maclin.
Baltimore has previously done well closing deals with free-agent wideouts who visit. Steve Smith Sr. and Wallace both signed with the Ravens when they had more visits still planned.
Schefter reports that the Cleveland Browns and Eagles have also expressed interest in Maclin.
