Q&A: How About That WR Room?

With so many questions surrounding the Ravens this offseason, I decided to ask the members of our Ravens 247 Facebook Group what are the most pressing questions on their minds. We’ll try and make this a regular thing. Feel free to drop your questions in the comments section below.

A question that I have been asking for years WR development. ~ Brandon Gill, Raleigh NC

The Ravens now have 27 completed seasons on their resume and not a single receiver has ever been part of a Pro Bowl team. We can point to the scouting, the position’s importance in the club’s overall personnel strategy, the scheme, the quarterback play and of course the development, which really calls into question the positional coaching. Maybe some fault lies in all of the above. I wish that I had a compelling response for you that was spot on but if I did, the Ravens might offer me a job.

I do know that projecting the position and the trajectory of a receiver’s career from the collegiate level to the professional ranks is quite a challenge. In college, natural talent oftentimes translates to success but when receivers step on an NFL field, the speed of the game intensifies as do the cerebral aspects. Some players adapt, many fail.

You know it’s said that the best coaching staffs self-scout. I sometimes wonder what that actually means – what it entails. I would hope that the Ravens can and will take a step back and observe how the Steelers develop receivers. Pittsburgh just has a knack for identifying and developing the position. Maybe there are some lessons to be learned there. It can’t hurt, right?

I am less interested in WR development and more interested in the scouting of WR. The lack of WR development goes back to 1996. With two exceptions of Jermaine Lewis and Torrey Smith, we have done a poor job of developing WR. Makes me question what is being viewed as a positive in the scouting department as well as development. ~ Josh Levine, Baltimore, MD

I know that organizationally, the Ravens are keen on the coaching staff working closely with the scouts to determine what skill sets are the best schematic fits. But when you see decent draft capital invested in players like Miles Boykin and Tylan Wallace, you can’t help but to think that there’s a disconnect somewhere in the scouting-ranking-drafting-developing process.

We’ve all heard the stories of how the Ravens were set to draft Cooper Kupp and Juju Smith-Schuster before the Rams and Steelers respectively, called their names first. We wonder why the Ravens opted for Marquise Brown, a small receiver recovering from a Lisfranc, instead of players like D.K. Metcalf, A.J. Brown and Deebo Samuel, all selected after Marquise in the 2019 NFL Draft. It has to improve but after 27 drafts, given the continuity of the scouting department and the personnel group, it remains to be seen if it ever will.

LG and RT are two possible holes going into the offseason. Does Mekari fit in one of those spots as a starter? Does Moses get more money on the open market? Powers is as good as gone! ~ Matt Cunningham, Baltimore, MD

The Ravens seem to “graduate” players like Powers, replacing them with others on the roster who are less expensive and appear ready to take that next step. The 80/20 principle comes into play – 80% of the production for 20% of the price. Next season, Ben Cleveland is likely to fill the void left by Powers and I expect him to do so more than adequately. In limited action this season while stepping in for Powers or Kevin Zeitler, Cleveland held his own. He’s a former third-round pick so it’s his time now.

As for right tackle, I look for Morgan Moses to return. His cap number is a very reasonable $5.5M and he proved to be a relative bargain in 2022. I look for more of the same in 2023. Daniel Faalele waits in the wings and I know the team is very enamored with his size, athleticism and work ethic. He’ll need another season to develop and is likely the team’s answer in 2024 at RT. Patrick Mekari could handle the job but I think the Ravens really appreciate his versatility as a swing O-lineman who can play any position across the offensive front.

The Ravens play Jacksonville and Tennessee on the road next year. Both are scheduled to play in London next year. Could we see another road trip across the pond? Mike Frainie, Woodlawn, MD

The Ravens haven’t played across the pond since the infamous Wembley Stadium appearance in 2017 – which happened to be their only European appearance, quite a horrific one at that. So I’d say that they’re due. We’ll probably find out sometime before the 2023 NFL Draft. I’m just hoping if it’s one of the two away games, that the opponent is the Jaguars. Those road trips to Nashville are always a great time!

Could the Ravens apply the exclusive tag [to Lamar Jackson] all the way up until April 21st (6 days before the draft) and then shift him to a non-exclusive tag? Avoiding the higher rate for the exclusive tag? ~ Bobby Martinez, Perry Hall, MD

That would certainly be convenient but once the team commits to a tag, they have to live with the benefits and the consequences of said tag. In the case of the exclusive tag, the initial number that counts is the non-exclusive number ($32.5M). The exclusive number gets set in stone the last day of the restricted free agent period which is five days before the draft. At that time, the exclusive tag number for purposes of the cap and Lamar would rise to $45.25M.

Who is the one Raven that needs surgery and why is it such a cold war secret? Wren Michael James Picasso, Wanchese, North Carolina

Looks like Ravens WR Demarcus Robinson underwent sports hernia surgery, per his IG.

He’s a pending free agent, but the injury shouldn’t limit him for much, if any, of offseason workouts. pic.twitter.com/1WroUxPHcU

— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) February 2, 2023

Why didn’t Harbaugh override Roman on any of those horrible QB sneaks on 4th and 2 and such? I felt there were many chances for Harbs to override a clearly horrible call and he never did. Nick DeLeo, Portland, OR

None of us are privy to what, if any calls John overrides that are initially made by his coordinators. Many close to the game, will tell you that the coordinator jobs are carefully considered and when awarded the position comes with some autonomy. Head coaches are careful not to override their coordinators. To do so undermines the coordinator. Head coaches don’t want to diminish the organizational credibility of their play-callers.

If you listened to Harbaugh following the Wild Card loss to the Bengals, he didn’t have a problem with the call from just outside the 1-yard line. He had a problem with the execution, particularly that of Tyler Huntley who was supposed to burrow his way through the mass of humanity. I get the argument that many would have preferred giving the ball to J.K. Dobbins or Gus Edwards. It was 3rd and goal from 1 ½ yards out and given Harbaugh’s tendencies, that was 2-down territory. The play they tried to execute has a high success rate, particularly with Edwards, Mark Andrews and Patrick Ricard lined up behind Huntley to help escort him into the end zone. I had no problem with the call although the execution and results were devastating.

Two positions that people, the casual fans, might take for granted are punter and returner.
Punter – If Stout doesn’t improve his net punt yardage this season, might the Ravens consider bringing in a punter in 2024? Returner?

With the potential departure of Duvernay as a cap savings move… or a cut/resign at a lower price… but foresaw of argument let’s say he is not here, and Proche is let go, who are names available free agency (tougher considering the cap) or in college the Ravens should target as a return person (don’t want Dobbins or Bateman doing it)? ~ Kirk Stoffel, Bel Air, MD

I don’t think that the Ravens go into a draft thinking “returner”, particularly in this era of the NFL when touchbacks are the result of most kickoffs and directional punting has diminished the number of return opportunities. I think returner ability is simply added-value for draft-eligible WR’s, RB’s and CB’s.

Like you I didn’t think that Jordan Stout had a very good season. He was wildly inconsistent and so far he’s been a step back from Sam Koch. I do expect that to improve but even if it doesn’t, giving up on a 2022 draft pick in 2024 would be a bit premature for an organization that values draft capital so highly. But that said, I do expect the team to invite a free agent punter into camp to send a mild message to Stout. And who knows, maybe they uncover a punter’s answer to Justin Tucker, a 2012 UDFA who persuaded the Ravens to kick Billy Cundiff to the curb despite signing a 5-year, $14.7M deal in 2011 that included a $3M signing bonus.

To your point about Devin Duvernay, depending upon what the team does to the WR room, he could be moved or as you suggest, extended at a more modest cap number. I don’t think Duv had a particularly good season as a kick returner or punt returner. Too often he looked slow and indecisive. Maybe that season-ending foot injury was a problem prior to his decision to fold tent. As for James Proche, I’ve been pro-Pro since his arrival. I admire his ability to get open, his hands and work ethic. But it just never translates to the field on Sundays. In the return game, he’s just a guy and only offers sure-handedness. They need more pop in the return game. Where that comes from at this point in the offseason, is anyone’s guess.

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