On if his workout today was his normal routine workout: "Yeah, the workout was great. I definitely have to get used to it. I was doing some rehab stuff afterwards – taking care of the body, things like that."
On why he chose Baltimore: "I think the opportunity led me here. I know the Ravens organization well, even when I was a little kid growing up, watching the Ravens. I appreciate what they do here and how they hold their place to a certain standard. When I came on my visit, I just loved the atmosphere. I felt like there were a lot of great people in this building – coaches and players. I definitely felt like I could be a part of something like this and help this organization go to another level. When the opportunity presented itself, I didn't want to turn it away. I'm just excited to be here."
On if he envisions himself as a slot receiver: "Coaches made it known that I'm going to be all over the place. I'm excited about that, because the last couple years I've been in the slot mostly. My first year in the league, I was definitely outside most of the time. So just to have that type of versatile [ability] being outside, inside, definitely changes my game up."
On the process of being a restricted free agent: "You definitely have to be patient. When I did come on my visit [to Baltimore], they said they loved the workout and everything, and they said it would probably be later than sooner. It's just waiting and knowing that I have to go back to New Orleans, because you never know. I still could have been in New Orleans, and it's out of my control at that point. I have a great agent, and he's been on it and he's been keeping me up to date about everything. I just want to do everything the right way, whether I was going to be back in New Orleans or not. I was just excited for whatever came. Luckily, on the last day [to sign offer sheets], the Ravens offered me a contract. That was very exciting. Just to have that opportunity again is unbelievable."
On if he felt there were times the Saints seem uninterested in keeping him: "I don't know. I did get a feeling that I was going to be tendered – just what tender it was going to be was the question. When I heard I was going to be a low tender, that basically told me that the Saints are giving me the option to look around, I guess, if anyone was interested, but they definitely want me back. They could see me growing from last year, because last year was just a learning process for me, dealing with the suspension, the injury. That's something I could definitely learn from and move forward with. But I think the Saints definitely wanted me there. I just think they didn't want to invest as much in me – which is OK. They brought in different guys. Just the opportunity to be able to talk to different teams without giving up compensation was a game-changer. I was just excited for the opportunity. When the Saints did that, I was just like, 'Let's see what happens.'"
On what he learned from the 2017 season that he feels is going to make him a better player: "Off the field, you have to be smart. I definitely learned from my mistakes and keep moving forward. I'm just blessed with a second chance. Like I said before, on-the-field stuff … Trying to deal with a hamstring injury in season is pretty tough. When I got the injury, it was halfway through training camp, and coming off the bye week I wasn't ready. By the time I was game-ready and [in] some kind of game shape, it was like Week 9, and we were on that roll – [winning] five, six games in a row. It's just hard to get back in the flow of things when Alvin Kamara was coming into his person, Michael Thomas is making plays and Ted Ginn is [too]. They had their offense at that point. Me as a player that was in the offense and the scheme heavily the past two years, that was frustrating, because I felt that I was game ready, working very hard to get myself in the type of shape to be an impact player. Not getting those opportunities – it was frustrating. You definitely have to be patient in those situations and keep learning and growing a just coming to work every day with that business mentality."
"The first thing I saw was when [Ozzie [Newsome] and the front office cleaned out the room of receivers, and just the opportunity of a guy being a one, two or three. I believe in myself, and I know I can be a game-changer at any moment – and just giving those opportunities where I could prove that. Joe Flacco is an elite quarterback; he's a Super Bowl-winning quarterback, and whenever you have a guy like that, you always have the potential to be great on offense. The run game was pretty strong last year in the games I saw. When you have a strong run game, it opens up the passing game. When you have John Brown coming in and Michael Crabtree, I saw myself fitting into that situation pretty well. A lot of people tell me [that] they haven't seen a receiving corps like that in a while, and that just makes me excited, because John Harbaugh is always telling me he's excited that I'm here and can't wait to see me ball out. That just gives me so much motivation and inspiration. Last year doesn't really matter anymore, because the guys we have in this room are brand new, and we're hungry, we're ready. I think once we're on the same page as Joe, I think we'll do some special things, for sure."
On the reports he worked out twice for the Ravens, once with WR Cameron Meredith and another with WR Robert Griffin III III: "It was just the second time. The first time … I guess there was a bad snow storm here, and the flight got moved back – which was another time I had to be really patient, because I was ready to be here. I wanted to get in and just prove myself again. When I did come in with 'RGIII' [Robert Griffin III] and Michael Floyd, it was a great workout. The coaches were happy with the performance. I was just hoping it was going to end right there, but they said, 'Look, we're still going through the process, the draft, free agents.' So at that point I just had to be patient and hope for the best."
On being at the forefront of overhauling the wide receiver position: "Absolutely. I feel like the whole room has a great vibe right now. Everybody is learning from each other, everybody is meshing well together, and we all know the situation. We're all competing for a job, and we're all competing for a starting position. It just comes in time – learning the playbook, executing out there on the field and once training camp comes, making plays in those preseason games and practices consistently. I just feel like with the guys in the room right now, everybody is hungry; everybody wants to play; everybody wants to win. We're all motivating each other in that mindset. I think it's a great room; I think the guys are good. I think we'll have some good competition this year."
On the Ravens drafting rookie QB Lamar Jackson: "Lamar is great. He's a great talent. He's actually from Fort Lauderdale, where I grew up most of my life. Me and him had the same QB coach when we were in Pop Warner. [To] just know who he is and where he comes from is kind of great to see him hungry and ready to go. I can't wait to work with him, as well, even in the offseason, because we're so close. Seeing [the Ravens] pick up two receivers is great, too. One of the guys is 6-5 [and] gives you a big target, and the other guys is a speedster down the field. I'm going to invite those guys to competition. We're here to compete; we're here to get better. The guys upstairs know what they're doing. I believe if I do what I have to do, then everything else will work itself out."
On how long he thinks it will take for the receivers to create chemistry with QB Joe Flacco: "I think it's a day-to-day basis. We've been together the past two days with football school and everything. In the coming weeks, I think we'll be able to mesh really well. I think it's just about staying in the playbook, getting that one-on-one session with Joe and the receivers, and just get the timing down, get into Joe's head about what he sees and how he wants us to run different routes versus different coverages. That falls on us as receivers and quarterbacks, going and taking that time for ourselves. Once we do that when training camps comes, I feel like we'll have a better rapport and better chemistry to go instead of right now."
On if joining Baltimore feels like a fresh start: "Absolutely, it's like a breath of fresh air. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and I'm like, 'I can't believe I'm in Baltimore!' I have so much respect for this organization, and just the opportunity to be here and possibly be an impact player is like a dream come true. I just think I needed a fresh start. New Orleans was great to me; they gave me the opportunity to be here right now. I'll always be grateful for that and what they did for me. Right now, every person I met in this building has made me feel at home and made me feel that they're happy that I'm here. That's a huge feeling – a great feeling. That just motivates me to get better and keep doing what I'm doing, and hopefully help this team win games this year and take us beyond the season. I'm just excited. I'm ready to go and can't wait for the season."
