Is Playing With Lamar Jackson a Lure for Free-Agent Wide Receivers?
No matter what Lamar Jackson accomplishes, the same questions about him are raised by pundits.
Even though Jackson, 23, is coming off a season in which he threw a league-leading 36 touchdown passes and was the youngest and second unanimous MVP in NFL history, ESPN analysts debated whether free-agent wide receivers would want to play with him.
The Ravens ran the ball nearly 100 times more than any other team last year (setting an NFL single-season record for rushing yards in the process) and their tight ends had more targets (182) than their wide receivers (180, the fewest in the league).
It proved to be a winning formula. The Ravens went a league-best 14-2 and Jackson improved to 19-3 in his career as a starter in the regular season. Baltimore's success since Jackson became the starter is something free agents will consider.
"From the standpoint of walking into an organization where you know you've got a chance to go win because the quarterback's going to give you that opportunity, there's some benefit there," ESPN's Rick Smith said. " … I think overall anyone who's invested in winning and playing with a good football team and with a quarterback who can make plays, that has to be attractive to them."
However, former wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson – who famously said, "Give me the damn ball!" during his playing days – had an opposing view.
"If I was a guy who was caring about statistics and things of that nature to get [a big contract], I'm probably steering away from that offense because it just doesn't fit me," Johnson said. "For me personally, I would have a hard time playing with that type of quarterback given … he's in a learning curve right now and I don't want to deal with that. That's not for me as a veteran player."
There's a deep free-agent wide receiver class, but not too many top-tier options.
Emmanuel Sanders, San Francisco 49ers
Sanders, 32, came back from a torn Achilles to have a strong 2019 season split between the Denver Broncos and 49ers. He had three straight 1,000-yard seasons from 2014-2016. He's a hard worker and excellent route-runner.
A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals
Green is one of the best receivers of his generation but has been plagued by injuries in recent years. An ankle injury sidelined him for all of 2019. Still, the Bengals are expected to place the franchise tag on him, so he's not going anywhere.
Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys
One of the league's premier wideouts says he wants to be a "Cowboy for life" but the contract situation with quarterback Dak Prescott has left the door open for a possible exit. At 25 years old, he would be one of the hottest sought-after free agents on the market.
Robby Anderson, New York Jets
Anderson has been very steady over his four seasons in New York, logging 3,059 yards and 20 touchdowns. He's a big-play vertical threat with speed and size (6-foot-3, 190 pounds).
Dez Bryant, New Orleans Saints
Bryant hasn't played in an NFL game since 2017 but attests that he's ready to make a comeback. After an eight-year career in Dallas, Bryant tore his Achilles in practice immediately after signing with the New Orleans Saints late in 2018. The three-time Pro Bowler sat out all last season.
Breshad Perriman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The former Ravens first-round pick didn't pan out in Baltimore, but it seems he has finally come on. He finished strong in Cleveland in 2018, then had a breakout year in Tampa Bay with 36 catches for 645 yards and six touchdowns last season.
Tavon Austin, Dallas Cowboys
The Baltimore native and former first-round pick has never quite fulfilled the sky-high expectations for his career, but is still a versatile weapon who can also be used as a special teams returner. He had just 13 catches for 177 yards and one touchdown last year in Dallas.
Randall Cobb, Dallas Cowboys
Once one of Aaron Rodgers' favorite targets, Cobb revitalized his career last year in Dallas with 828 receiving yards, his highest total since 2015. The longtime Green Bay Packer can be a dangerous and reliable weapon in the slot.
Nelson Agholor, Philadelphia Eagles
Agholor has had an up-and-down NFL career so far in his five seasons. After a slow start and struggles with drops, he posted back-to-back strong years with about 750 receiving yards each in 2017 and 2018. Injuries held him back last year, but he still has top notch speed and is just 26 years old.
Josh Gordon, Seattle Seahawks
Gordon is once again suspended, this time indefinitely for violating the NFL policies on performance-enhancing substances and substance abuse. It's the fifth suspension in eight years and may spell the end of his career. In 2018, he had 41 catches for 737 yards and four touchdowns.
Jarius Wright, Carolina Panthers
Wright is a 5-foot-10, 191-pounder who has had modest production over his eight-year career. One of his best seasons was in 2018 when he posted 43 catches for 447 yards and one score. He could be a reserve wide receiver.
Taylor Gabriel, Chicago Bears
One of the smaller wideouts at 5-foot-7, 168 pounds, Gabriel has found a niche in the offenses of the Browns, Falcons and Bears. He had a career-best 67 catches for 688 yards and two touchdowns in 2018.
Devin Funchess, Indianapolis Colts
A broken collarbone limited Funchess to just one game played last year after signing a one-year deal with the Colts. In 2017 with the Carolina Panthers, Funchess had 63 catches for 840 yards and eight touchdowns, but it's been downhill since. Still, he's a big-bodied wideout (6-foot-4, 225 pounds) who is just 25 years old.
Demaryius Thomas, New York Jets
Thomas, 32, has been on four teams the past two seasons (Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, New England Patriots, New York Jets). In 11 games with the Jets, he posted 36 catches for 433 yards and one touchdown.
Phillip Dorsett, New England Patriots
Dorsett was one of Tom Brady's preferred targets last season, as he had 397 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Still, the former first-round pick's biggest year was 528 receiving yards.
Rashard Higgins, Cleveland Browns
The Ravens know Higgins well, as he's had some of his best career games against Baltimore. He had seven catches for 95 yards in 2017 and four catches for 86 yards in the season finale in 2018. He's had modest production in his four seasons.
Paul Richardson, Washington Redskins
Richardson signed a big contract with the Redskins in 2018 after he posted 44 catches for 703 yards and six touchdowns with the Seattle Seahawks. He's been held under 300 receiving yards each of the past two seasons.
Geronimo Allison, Green Bay Packers
Undrafted in 2016, Allison has flashed at times but has yet to have a breakout season. He had 34 receptions for 287 yards and two touchdowns last year.
Jaron Brown, Seattle Seahawks
The 6-foot-3, 204-pounder has been a reserve receiver over seven seasons in Arizona and Seattle. He's never topped 500 receiving yards.
Demarcus Robinson, Kansas City Chiefs
Robinson emerged last year with the Super Bowl champs, catching 32 passes for 449 yards and four touchdowns. He's 6-foot-1, 203 pounds and a former fourth-round pick out of Florida.
ESPN's Adam Schefter disagreed with Johnson. He cited Jackson's magnetic personality and reputation for being a great teammate as reasons why players at any position would want to play with him.
"I think the conversation has shifted, because when he first came into the league you heard some speculation around the league that there were receivers that wouldn't want to go Baltimore to go play with him, and now I think you hear just the opposite," Schefter said. "You want him as your teammate. He's one of the most well-liked and well-respected guys there. He's one of the young stars in the league if not the young star in the league.
"When there is a player like that, that's got that type of charisma, that type of personality, and he's that type of a magnet, people want to go play with him, whether it's a wide receiver, running back, tight end, anything."
When Head Coach John Harbaugh was asked in his season-ending press conference if free-agent wide receivers would want to play in Baltimore after the huge strides Jackson made as a passer, he didn't hesitate to answer in the affirmative.
"Yes," Harbaugh said. "I absolutely believe that players are going to be very excited to be here and to be a part of this offense."
The Athletic: Hayden Hurst, Matthew Judon Among Trade Candidates
Ravens tight end Hayden Hurst and outside linebacker Matthew Judon were among The Athletic’s list of 42 players who could be traded.
The New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars have inquired about trading for Hurst, according to a report by The Florida Times-Union’s Eugene Frenette a couple weeks ago.
It's understandable that teams looking for an upgrade at tight end would have interest in acquiring Hurst, and the Ravens do have depth at the position. However, Baltimore uses its tight ends more than any other team.
Hurst, 26, had a 77 percent catch rate (first on the team among non-running backs) and his 349 receiving yards were third on the team. He also made essential contributions as a blocker and in clutch situations.
"It's not that the Ravens want to trade the 2018 first-round pick, but they probably would if they got a compelling offer," The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec wrote. "Hurst has flashed when given the opportunity, but Mark Andrews is already a Pro Bowl tight end and Nick Boyle is one of the top blocking tight ends in the NFL, so the Ravens have some depth to withstand a move at the position."
As for Judon, the popular opinion is that the Ravens will place the franchise tag on the 27 year old, who is ranked No. 13 on The Athletic's list of the top 100 pending free agents. The designation period ends Thursday.
"The most likely scenario is the Ravens using the franchise tag on their top pass rusher, but that doesn't mean he's in their long-term plans," Zrebiec wrote. "The Ravens are expected to consider tag-and-trade scenarios if they are unable to bridge the gap between Judon's asking price and what they're willing to pay on a long-term deal."
There were several names on the list who could potentially interest the Ravens, including: wide receivers Marvin Jones (Detroit), Stefon Diggs (Minnesota) and Will Fuller (Houston); and pass rushers Yannick Ngakoue (Jacksonville), Arik Armstead (San Francisco), Chris Jones (Kansas City) and Trent Murphy (Buffalo).
Would Ravens Trade Out of the First Round?
Speaking of trades, Ebony Bird’s Norman Getsinger wrote that the Ravens trading out of the first round of the draft would make sense.
The Ravens, who have the 28th-overall pick, have a history of trading down in the first round to acquire additional picks, and they traded out of the first round in 2010 and 2012. This year's draft is deep at positions of need for the Ravens.
"The draft class is teeming with wide receivers, pass rushers, and defensive linemen," Getsinger wrote. "While there is a possibility that a player the Ravens really value could be around at the time the Ravens are picking in the first round, there is an argument to be made that they could get a player with a similar talent level in the second round. Also, the haul that the Ravens could get by trading away their first-round pick might be too much to pass up."
Last year, General Manager Eric DeCosta traded the 22nd-overall selection to Philadelphia for the Eagles' first-, fourth- and sixth-round picks. With those picks, the Ravens selected Marquise "Hollywood" Brown (No. 25 overall), cornerback Iman Marshall and quarterback Trace McSorley.
Josh Norman's Reported Deal Could Set Market for Jimmy Smith
Cornerback Josh Norman reportedly signing a one-year, $6 million deal with the Buffalo Bills yesterday morning could help in determining the market for Jimmy Smith, Ravens Wire’s Matthew Stevens wrote.
"Smith's age (he will be 32 years old next season) and injury history put him in a similar boat as Norman," Stevens wrote. "They're both stopgap starters or higher-end backups with starting experience, which caps their value. That's especially true for Baltimore considering they have their starters in place with Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey under contract.
"Though Norman's deal might not really change what Smith is ultimately looking for or what the Ravens are willing to pay, it makes the picture a little clearer for both sides."
DeCosta said at the NFL Scouting Combine that the Ravens are talking with Smith about a contract extension, but he expects Smith to test the free-agent market.
"Lots of respect for Jimmy. Thought he played his best football later in the year," DeCosta said. "Jimmy's a guy that we value, so we'll see. I suspect Jimmy's going to want to hit the market and assess what his value is, as he probably should. He's a veteran, he's worked hard to see what his value is on the market. Lots of respect for Jimmy as a player. His agent and I have a really good relationship. So we'll just see."
Smith made NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal's list of free agents who could be overpriced.
"His injury history is the reason he's on this list," Rosenthal wrote.
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