At the beginning of the season, the Baltimore Ravens’ receiving corps was a question mark. Now, with Steve Smith and Breshad Perriman sidelined, the question has been answered. The Ravens’ receivers stink. Chris Givens, the Ravens’ newest acquisition, is probably not the answer. But at minimum, he is an intriguing question on a team that desperately needed a receiver with some upside.
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Here’s what we know: Givens has more career receiving yards than the rest of the Ravens’ healthy receivers combined. That’s not an exaggeration: Givens has 1,433 career yards, while Kamar Aiken, Marlon Brown and Darren Waller have combined for 1,303 yards. Givens’ career-high 698 yards his rookie year is also the highest mark for a single season among that group.
Another thing we know is that Givens did that with one of the worst quarterback situations in the league. His rookie year, Givens’ best season, he played with Sam Bradford, who is notorious for avoiding deep passes, yet he still went for 16.6 yards per catch. The following season, Givens averaged 16.7 yards per catch with Kellen Clemens starting a majority of the games. What can he do with competent quarterback play?
After watching film on Givens, there is a lot to like; most prominently, his speed. Givens ran a 4.41 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, and that speed shows up on film. Take a look at this play his rookie year, for instance.
Givens, lined up at the bottom of the screen, ran a deep post here from a two tight end, two running back set. Considering the state of the Ravens’ receiving corps, this is a set that we may see the Ravens trot out quite a bit.
As you can see in the next picture, the Dolphins were not fooled by the play, in which just two Rams went out for passes initially (the fullback drifted into a route after the play-action fake)
This looks well covered. The Dolphins have a safety over the top after Givens’ cut, and there is a DB in front of him as well. He should be bracketed. Then, Givens turned on the jets. Look what happened.
Givens’ speed and overwhelming acceleration allowed him to get a few yards of separation, and Sam Bradford was able to hit him for a 65-yard gain.
That acceleration is Givens’ defining attribute. He accelerates so well out of his breaks that it makes up for his middling technique, giving him the ability to consistently gain separation on both deep routes and short. It’s also that acceleration that makes Givens a potential return specialist for the Ravens. He averaged just under 23.4 yards per return in 2012, the only season in which he was a primary returner for the Rams.
The biggest issue with Givens has been his hands: He drops a lot of passes. In 2012, his drop rate was 10.64 percent, and in 2013, it was 15 percent. Remember all the angst about Breshad Perriman’s 14 percent drop rate? Givens was every bit as unreliable.
Also worth pointing out is Givens has seemingly regressed from his standout rookie year. He struggled mightily in his second year, eventually losing a significant role last year. This year, Givens has just one target. What caused his precipitous drop-off? Are better quarterback play and a better opportunity enough to help Givens get back to his rookie year productivity?
These are big questions, but at Givens brings upside to the receiving corps. We know what Marlon Brown is (an oversized slot receiver), and we know what Kamar Aiken is (a consistent underneath threat lacking big play ability). Darren Waller and Givens are the upside plays, so if the Ravens plan on making big plays this year, Waller and Givens will have to step up.
Givens will clearly be a big part of the offense. He is the only deep threat on the team right now, he is the shiftiest of the Ravens’ receivers after the catch, and he can be a solid kick returner as well. Further, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun, Givens had a special practice session with Flacco and the Ravens’ offensive staff. Not many fourth-string receivers would get that kind of treatment. The opportunity is there. Let’s see what Givens does with it.
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.