Kamar Aiken won the starting WR job, but for how long?

Kamar Aiken has ascended from the depths of the New England Patriots’ practice squad to the starting receiver job for the Baltimore Ravens. Aiken’s ascension raises more questions than answers, though, as the Ravens will be relying on a receiver with 24 career receptions as a starter. What can we expect from this largely unknown player?

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My expectation is this: Kamar Aiken will not be a starter for very long.

First, we should examine how he became the starter in the first place: Aiken’s road to the starting job involved an injury to Breshad Perriman as well as Marlon Brown‘s regression. Aiken impressed in training camp, sure, but his ascension had as much to do with what other players did as what Aiken himself did.

Start with Perriman, the preseason favorite for the starting job. His ability to gain separation like this always guaranteed a role:

Perriman is also the only receiver on the roster aside from Steve Smith who can make tough catches like this:

But then there are the drops and raw routes that made Perriman a question mark. Pair that with his day-to-day injury that turned into a month-to-month injury, and Perriman’s ability to start early in his career has come into question in a big way. Even before the injury, Perriman was always the highest risk, highest reward choice. Now that risk is even higher.

That left two safer choices, Aiken and Brown, and this was a simple choice for the Ravens, as Aiken beat out Brown in training camp and over the course of the 2014 season. I have broken down Aiken’s and Brown’s 2014 season in depth in a past article, so I won’t get into that here. Suffice it to say that Aiken’s 2014 was a pleasant surprise, while Brown’s was a mild disappointment.

Unfortunately, we did not learn anything new in the preseason from either of these two receiver. The most notable thing Aiken did was take an illegal hit, as he caught just just three balls in the preseason. In fact, we learned more from the snaps Aiken didn’t play, as Aiken did not play in the fourth preseason game. His absence from that meaningless contest was the final proof that Aiken had a starting job locked up.

Worth pointing out is that in Aiken’s absence, Marlon Brown stepped up. In just 14 snaps, Brown went for three catches and 64 yards, which included a 42-yard snag that may have been Brown’s finest moment since his game-winning touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings in 2013.

The play was simple: Brown ran a go route with an outside release.

Seeing man coverage, Matt Schaub quickly lofted a pass to Brown, who got a step on Falcons’ rookie cornerback Jalen Collins (a highly touted draft pick, by the way).

The pass was on target but required Brown to extend for a tremendous snag.

Brown’s performance was the first time since 2013 that he looked like a potentially big part of the passing game. It was a positive sign from a player who was seemingly on the decline. Don’t forget, Brown is just 24 years old and has starting experience. There remains hope here.

Astute readers will notice I have not mentioned Michael Campanaro. Of all the Ravens’ receivers, Campanaro’s role may be the most clearly defined. He belongs in the slot, and that is exactly where Camp will be this season.

Camp may have the best collection of receiving skills aside from Steve Smith on the entire roster. His routes are sharp, his acceleration is explosive, his hands are consistent and he is shifty and determined with the ball in his hands.

Campanaro’s 45-yard touchdown against the New Orleans Saints in the first game of the preseason was a clinic in route running against zone coverage. Camp found the soft spot between the deep safeties and the linebackers covering the intermediate area, then powered his way to the end zone.

 Campanaro has been so impressive every time he is on the field, yet all fans and analysts alike can dwell on is his health. Camp only played in one preseason game (though he suited up for the fourth game), and he only played four games in 2013. Fans expectations for Camp are low despite his obvious talents, and they should be. Even so, Campanaro could go for more yards per game than either Aiken or Brown, as was the case in 2014.

With so many options in the passing game (none of them ideal, but still, they are options), Kamar Aiken will have trouble holding on to his starting job.

Aiken is good at a lot of things, but not elite at any one thing, so he will have a lot of trouble beating good cornerbacks. Expecting more than 500 yards out of him may be a stretch.

That’s where the Ravens will have to rely on the upside that Perriman and Campanaro bring to the table, and if they make good on that upside, Aiken’s starting job may not last for long.