It was announced today that the Baltimore Ravens had traded a 4th rounder in the 2012 NFL Draft to the Buffalo Bills for WR Lee Evans. As we stated several days ago, should Evans be available; we preferred his acquisition over Cotchery. As long as Ravens fans are not expecting Evans to be the ‘savior’, they should be very pleased with this move.

Evans was discussed in my Q&A with Bob DiCesare of the Buffalo News last October:

Baltimore Sports and Life: “Lee Evans has seen his yards per reception drop from 16.1 in 2008-09, to just 12.1 this year. Is he still capable of stretching the field with better QB play?”

Bob DiCesare: “Absolutely. Evans has been a victim of circumstance, and it’s sad. If he had been drafted by Indy he’d be a household name. He’s paid well, but the absence of a QB (and offensive line) to maximize his talents has to be frustrating.”

The 5’10, 197 lb Evans was a 2004 1st round pick out of Wisconsin. This is Evans 8th year in the NFL. In his first 6 years, he played in each of the Bills 16 games in each season. Last year, he was limited to 13 games. For his career, he has averaged 15.7 yards per reception, with 4.0 yards after the catch.

Let us look at his recent numbers:

– In ’08, Evans had 63 grabs for 1,017 yards, 16.1 yards per catch, and 4.0 yards after the catch.

– In ’09, Evans had 44 catches for 612 yards, 13.9 yards per catch, and 2.2 yards after the catch.

– In ’10, Evans had 37 catches for 578 yards, 15.6 yards per catch, and 3.6 yards after the catch.

You have to like that even though Evans had less overall receptions in ’10, his receptions per game increased – as did his yards per & after the catch. That backs up the comments from Mr. DiCesare that Evans has more left in the tank. We all know that the Ravens had interest in obtaining Malcolm Floyd this off-season. While Evans does not have the size of Floyd, he has shown a similar ability to stretch the field. Defenses will have to respect Evans, which means Safety help for the CB charged with covering him.  This means that defenders are pulled away from the box, which creates more running room for Rice and the Baltimore RB’s.  Having a respected receiver on the other side of the field can only help Boldin as well.

Most importantly, it alleviates some of the pressure that was going to be on T. Smith, Doss, Dickson, and Pitta to produce immediately (and consistently), and allows them further time to grow into their positions.

Yesterday, Flacco’s 2nd, 3rd, 4th WR’s and his first two TE’s were entering this 2011 season with a total of 12 NFL Catches. Today, Flacco’s 2nd WR has a total of 377 receptions as a receiver in the league. That is a very important change.

If Evans stays on the field like he has done pretty much all of his career, he should be able to produce in this offense, with Flacco as his QB. I won’t predict him to match his ’08 numbers, but I do think he will exceed his ’09, and ’10 totals.

Now, if the Ravens can now add some depth on the Offensive Line, and come up with a better backup QB; the discussion can get back to Baltimore doing enough in the regular season to earn a home playoff game in January.

Chris Stoner
Chris Stoner

Owner

Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.

X