As of today, the Baltimore Ravens receivers look like:
Boldin, T. Smith, D. Reed, Doss, Hardy, M. Smith, Harper, L. Williams, Moore, B. Jones, Zachery
I think everyone understands that a 2nd WR is clearly needed, because you can not place that responsibility on the rookie Torrey Smith. Like everyone else, I anticipate the Ravens will add one receiver. Like most, I expect the Ravens will carry 5 wideouts (Boldin, FA, Smith, Reed, and Doss). I think there is a chance Baltimore carries a 6th receiver (choosing between Hardy, M. Smith, or Harper), but that will be determined by what happens on the Offensive and Defensive Lines.
So, if the choice of a Free Agent WR comes down to bringing back Derrick Mason, or bringing in Malcolm Floyd, or Braylon Edwards; who do you want?
Mason had 61 catches, for 802 yards, 13.1 yards per reception, and 7 TD’s last year. The 5’10, 197 pound receiver averaged 2.2 yards after the catch. Pretty clearly, the 37 year old would be playing on a 1 year contract.
Floyd had 37 catches (11 games) for 717 yards, 19.4 yards per reception, and 6 TD’s last year. The 6’5, 225 pound receiver averaged 3.3 yards after the catch. Floyd reportedly wanted $5M a year, and wanted the chance to be a Number 1 receiver. With teams being up against the cap across the league, there will only be so many landing spots available for Floyd, and he will probably have to take significantly less than he wanted. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported on August 1st, that he might have to settle for half of the $5M per sought, and that could lead the soon-to-be 30 year old (September 8th) to return to the Chargers.
Edwards had 53 catches, for 904 yards, 17.1 yards per reception, and 7 TD’s last year. The 6’3, 214 pound receiver averaged an impressive 5.7 yards after the catch. On August 1st, The Washington Post reported that Arizona, Washington, Tennessee, and Minnesota were in the mix to sign Edwards, and that the 28 year old was seeking a contract in the neighborhood of 5 years $50M. While you love his age, and his YAC; that is a significant investment for a guy that has a history of drops. Before reemerging last year, Edwards was coming off of back-to-back poor years. Last year, Manish Mehta the New York Jets beat writer for the New York Daily News told us that, “While Edwards had improved his relationship with Sanchez, without a doubt Santonio Holmes was the most-impressive, most-dynamic receiver on this Jets team.” Holmes is only a year younger than Edwards, and you saw this off-season that Holmes was their priority to retain. Not necessarily a knock on Edwards, but interesting all the same.
I think you can make a case for each of these wideouts, but that potential price on Edwards is prohibitive. If you invest in a multi-year deal with Floyd, the benefit is that Flacco gets another long-term weapon. However, with the limited camp time this year, I would think Mason is attractive. He has the existing relationship with Flacco, and Flacco has already lost one of his safety nets in Heap. I also think it is interesting how closely Mason’s numbers mirrored Boldin’s last year. Of course, the other side of that is even without top level speed; Floyd is another guy that can make plays down the field and help open up the offense.
So again, who do you want? What do you expect the Ravens to do?
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.