Where the Ben Watson and Eric Weddle signings elicited cheers from Ravens faithful, the addition of deep threat Mike Wallace kind of brought an indifferent “He’s still around?” Yes, Wallace is still around, though his 39 catch, 473 yard season last year made him easily forgettable. Does Wallace still have anything left in the tank, or did the Ravens just waste $11.5 million?
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As is usually the case, the answer lies somewhere in the middle. Wallace is a better player than his numbers last year indicate in the hyper conservative Minnesota Vikings offense. Over the course of the preceding five season, Wallace averaged 1,015 yards per game, indicating last year’s collapse was more about fit than talent.
Some sources have been hard on Mike Wallace’s character. In grading the contract, Walter Cherepinsky of WalterFootball.com said, “The contract isn’t a big deal, but Wallace’s attitude is. Wallace quit on the Dolphins, and there’s a reason the Vikings didn’t want him back. He’s a bad guy to have in the locker room, so he could damage Baltimore in that regard.”
For sure, the incident in which Mike Wallace quit playing in the middle of a game is a huge red mark on Wallace’s permanent record. That’s not acceptable, and it certainly won’t fly in Baltimore. Nor will his unwillingness to be interviewed after that incident, instead getting teammate Brandon Gibson to answer questions for him.
Worth pointing out, though, is that Wallace’s most recent team, the Minnesota Vikings, spoke highly of him. “He was a true professional and everything he was asked to do, he did[…]His leadership was key to what we did on the field,” Vikings GM Rick Spielman said in a Miami Herald article.
There is a world of difference between the Miami Dolphins’ dysfunction and the Minnesota Vikings’ relatively stable locker room. Then there is the Ravens’ locker room, which has seen big personalities walk in and out with almost no issues. John Harbaugh took a team that was on the brink of tearing apart and turned it into one of the most tight-knit units in the NFL. Wallace will do just fine in Baltimore, at least in terms of character.
On the field, I have more concerns.
On one hand, Wallace takes the top off a defense with his speed, which he should still have at 30-years old. Receivers don’t take the pounding that running backs do, so the 30-year mark isn’t nearly as critical for receivers. Wallace should still have two more years of good speed left if he stays in shape.
And the Ravens desperately needed speed, with Breshad Perriman the only receiver on the roster with plus speed at this point in his career. But, Chris Givens had speed too, and he only caught 36 percent of his targets last year, the lowest mark I’ve ever seen in my five years writing about the NFL.
Mike Wallace has a lot of similarities to Givens, unfortunately for the Ravens. Sure, he’s fast, and he can get open, but he’s not a guy who is going to win a ton of contested catches, and Joe Flacco throws a lot of contested balls. Flacco, despite his arm strength, tends to underthrow his deep balls to give his guys a chance to go up and get it. When Anquan Boldin was on the other end of those passes, it worked, but it was less effective for Givens, and it will not be an effective strategy with Wallace.
Though I question the value Wallace brings as a deep threat, I’m not as concerned about his inability to make an impact in the short and intermediate aspects of the field. The Ravens have those areas covered with Kamar Aiken and if healthy, Steve Smith. Jeremy Butler and Michael Campanaro, who should compete for roster spots, also do good work there. The depth should keep Wallace fresh, and the possession receivers should offset Wallace’s inability to make an impact in the short passing game.
One final note: The Ravens cannot be done upgrading at receiver. As far as I’m concerned, the Ravens have no sure things on the roster. They have: A mercurial free agent, a first-round pick coming off a mysterious knee injury, a 37-year old coming off a ruptured Achilles, and a bunch of unknowns.
There should be plenty of good targets on the board in the second round for the Ravens. At minimum, they should spend a mid-round pick on a receiver. Note that I said receiver, not special teamer. One more talented youngster in this mix could turn it into a long-term strength.
All in all, the Ravens aren’t risking much with this signing, and the reward is well worth the risk. That said, Wallace doesn’t move the needle much for this franchise. The Ravens need has not yet been solved.
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.