The Ravens spent a lot of time working to improve their passing offense last offseason, with moves like signing receiver Sammy Watkins and drafting Rashod Bateman in the first round.
But now the team likely has some more work to do in that area after trading receiver Marquise Brown to the Cardinals.
Brown finished last year with 91 receptions, 1,008 yards, and six touchdowns — second on the team to tight end Mark Andrews in each category. It was the first time Brown had reached 1,000 yards receiving in his career. That is not entirely a surprise, given the run-heavy nature of Baltimore’s offense.
Now without Brown, who had requested a trade after the conclusion of the 2021 season, the Ravens may need to address receiver again.
In Thursday night’s press conference, G.M. Eric DeCosta joked that he wanted to get back to the days of old with questions about improving the receiving corps.
“I think that we have some good young players. I’m excited,” DeCosta said. ‘Rashod has had a tremendous offseason, so far. He’s in great shape. We’ve got Mark, and he’s about as good as you get. Devin [Duvernay] made a jump this year. He’s a Pro Bowl special teams guy, Pro Bowl returner. His best has yet to come. James Proche II had some moments last year. [He] had some big games and some clutch plays. We think Nick Boyle is going to come back this year and be healthier.
“And there’s still three rounds to go, four rounds to go, whatever it is — in terms of rounds that we have picks. And as [executive vice president] Ozzie [Newsome] says, and has said many times, ‘We don’t play until September.’ And we will continue to look at different opportunities to get better as a club. There’s still some free agents out there, and we’ll have the best team we can have come September.”
The Ravens currently hold two Friday selections at No. 45 overall in the second round and No. 76 overall in the third round. Even with the start of the season months away, it seems like the Ravens will have to draft a wideout sooner than later.