When Nick Boyle was suspended for the first 10 games of the 2016, there was little question the Ravens would be adding a tight end. Little did anyone expect, though, that tight end addition would take the form of a high-priced unrestricted free agent. Ben Watson, a 13-year veteran, inked a two year, $7 million contract that gives the Ravens a plethora of options at tight end.

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Watson will compete with Crockett Gillmore, Maxx Williams and Darren Waller for playing time in what should amount to one of the most interesting training camp battles in Baltimore. That said, the Ravens aren’t paying Ben Watson $3 million this year to ride the bench. Watson will play, most likely at the expense of Williams. And despite his advanced age (35 years old), Watson is the Ravens’ most athletic established option at tight end (obviously Waller is more athletic, but he is unproven and hasn’t played tight end before).

I took a lot at some of Watson’s tape from the past season, in which Watson went off for career bests in receptions and yards to see how he fits into the Ravens’ offense.

Watson’s ability to change direction is a stark contrast from the lumbering Williams and Gillmore, which should pay dividends on many of the Ravens’ favorite routes, including comebacks and flats.

Gillmore was the Ravens’ main target on comebacks over the middle this year, but his inability to accelerate and decelerate quickly made the route predictable and easily covered. Watson can turn around quickly, then get up field quickly. He won’t break tackles like Gillmore did on these routes, but there is more big play potential with Watson.

I also like what Watson can do on flat routes. Because of his superior straight-line speed, Watson can actually beat linebackers to the flat, turn up field and gain a few yards. Too often the Ravens were throwing contested passes into the flat to tight ends and receivers alike. These are high risk throws because the amount of time the ball is in the air, but low reward due to the short route and lack of space to get upfield. Watson’s athleticism decreases the risk on this route while increasing the reward.

Finally, Watson can stretch the seam better than the Ravens’ current options due to his straight-line speed and veteran savvy. He excels at making small moves to shake defenders on deeper routes. A key stat: Watson went for 13 receptions of 20+ yards last season. Gillmore, Williams and Boyle combined for eight.

At age 35, though, the wheels could fall off any time. The Ravens would be wise to limit Watson’s reps, allowing the vet to stay fresh and giving more reps to the young guns.

Further, Watson brings nothing to the table as a run blocker. That John Harbaugh specifically pointed to his run blocking as a positive attribute is concerning, bringing to mind Ed Dickson’s horrid stint as the Ravens’ “blocking specialist.” Maxx Williams was the 10th ranked run blocking tight end in the league last year per Pro Football Focus, and Gillmore is no slouch either. Relying on Watson, who was ranked 113th out of 118 qualifying tight ends in run blocking, would be a huge mistake.

Another potential concern is Watson taking reps from the Ravens’ young trio of tight ends in Gillmore, Williams and Waller. Add Boyle to that mix after 10 games, and the Ravens have more tight ends than they have playing time. Waller might be a longshot for the roster, but his excellence on special teams last year paired with his athleticism should at least make the Ravens’ hesitate before letting him go.

Boyle, likewise, may be a long shot for the roster at this point. His second suspension in as many seasons should give the Ravens pause before putting him ahead of Waller or Williams.

Getting Williams more reps needs to be a priority, and that could be hard with Watson in the fold. Williams never looked comfortable last year, or more to the point, the Ravens’ quarterbacks never looked comfortable with him. They really only looked his way on designed screens and as an outlet option when other options were covered. They never took advantage of Williams ability to make contested catches down the field, which needs to change this season as Williams develops.

That said, Watson should be a valuable sounding board for Williams, a veteran voice in what had previously been a very young group of tight ends. Whether Watson’s leadership will be enough to offset Williams’ expected loss in reps will be something to monitor.

All in all, I can’t deny that bringing in veteran depth at tight end was necessary, but I’m not sure blowing $3 million on Watson was the right answer. It’s a win-now move for a team in no shape to compete for a Super Bowl. There is very little risk here past this season, as the Ravens could cut Watson next offseason and save $3 million, but I’m not sure I see the upside either. Watson will need to play an active role in Williams’ development for this to pay real dividends. Now we can only wait to see if that happens.

Shawn Brubaker
Shawn Brubaker

Shawn began his writing career with Bleacher Report as a Ravens featured columnist and Breaking News Team writer. He moved on to write for Yahoo! and work on the Ravens Central Radio podcast. Most recently, he was an Editor at the Baltimore Wire. Shawn is a 2013 graduate of the Catholic University of America.

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