OTL: Choose Your Own Adventure – Wide Receiver

You can please some of the people some of the time, but you can’t please everyone all the time.

That’s a reality that NFL fans, players and staff alike know all too well, and one that Baltimore’s front office is dealing with in full effect this offseason. The conundrum of Lamar Jackson’s contract situation continues to complicate matters ten-fold, and the number of people content with the current circumstances seems to be dwindling by the day.

The Ravens were 1 of 2 teams to not make an outside addition during first wk of FA. Their FA output has been re-signing 5 players to modest deals.
Fair or not, there’s a perception that the Lamar Jackson stalemate is impacting how they’re doing business.https://t.co/3US1RbtOIi

— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) March 20, 2023

While Lamar’s contract may be the elephant in the room, a sub-plot that seems to come up every offseason for the Ravens has once again resurfaced: wide receiver. The receiver room is a sore subject among Ravens fans, and not undeservedly so, but it’s not just a lack of sustained success that’s been a point of contention. If you follow social media around the Flock like I do, chances are that you’ve seen a thousand different perspectives on how the Ravens ought to fix their issues at wideout, with no two opinions seeming to be the same. No matter what, there’s always a drawback or a catch, and someone ends up mad.

Nothing has happened yet and the Lamar Jackson situation still looms large, but if the Ravens approach the wide receiver position exactly like they have in recent off-seasons, it will be disappointing

— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) March 20, 2023

When the smoke clears following the offseason, the Ravens will undoubtedly have made some moves to try to please some of the people some of the time… but will it be enough? And if the Flock remains skeptical and unhappy, even with a new-look receiver group, can anyone blame them based on our track record?

Let’s dive into some of the existing camps in this debate. One group believes that, like many times in years past, the Ravens should go to the well of proven veteran wide receivers that can be signed on bargain deals. Baltimore experienced some success with Demarcus Robinson last season using this method, but they also kicked the tires on a 36-year-old DeSean Jackson, which was… a choice. The caveat at wide receiver is that a proven option usually doesn’t sign for cheap without some kind of baggage associated. Case in point:

I’m just so confused where the quote is from me tht said I want 20…..all I’m sayin is 4 AINT enough

— Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) March 18, 2023

There are more than a few people who would like to see Odell Beckham in purple and black next season, and he seems to be one of the more realistic options if the Ravens are pursuing a cheap free agent with a high ceiling.

Obj looks like a Raven to me is all I’m saying.

— marlonhumphrey.eth (@marlon_humphrey) March 20, 2023

Still, OBJ didn’t play at all last season after suffering an ACL tear during Super Bowl LVI, and he hasn’t exactly been known to be the most level-headed player.

#ComeToTheRavens #OrElse https://t.co/An8meTrYr0

— Baltimore Beatdown (@BmoreBeatdown) March 20, 2023

Placing our faith in OBJ to recapture his former glory as a Raven is probably a lost cause, but truly, what other options are out there that move the needle? More importantly, who can the Ravens afford? Adam Thielen was taken off the market by signing a deal with the Panthers, and I saw a decent contingent of Ravens fans who didn’t want him in the first place. DeAndre Hopkins is almost certainly on his way out of Arizona, but the trade capital it would take to acquire him combined with the hefty price-tag that the Cardinals are trying to offload amkes  So, at the end of the day, what do you have left?

The Ravens hosted WR Nelson Agholor on a free agent visit.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 20, 2023

Emphatically, no. Absolutely not. I will trot onto the practice field at Under Armour Performance Center myself and run reps until I’m forcibly removed before I watch the Ravens field Nelson Agholor.

You sense my skepticism, so let’s talk about the other option: the draft. Hitting on draft picks at wide receiver hasn’t exactly been Baltimore’s forte, and they come with the downside of being unproven. On the flipside, they’re significantly less expensive, and I’m not part of the contingent of fans who’ve already checked out on Rashod Bateman. Bateman looked very solid at the peak of his health, and pairing him with another young receiver while still on his own rookie deal could open up this offense significantly.

Which team will draft WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba?

Texans (+600)
Ravens (+700)
Bears (+750)
Patriots (+900)
Packers (+900)
Giants (10/1)
Cowboys (10/1)
Vikings (16/1)
Jets (16/1)
Chiefs (20/1)
Seahawks (20/1)
Bills (25/1)
Raiders (25/1)
Chargers (25/1)#NFLDraft | @FDSportsbook

— Jaime Eisner (@JaimeEisner) March 20, 2023

This is, of course, if they’re healthy, if the new scheme is right, if they do make the right choice on the right guy. If, if, if.

Even a few weeks ago when I wrote an article where I played around in PFF’s Mock Draft Simulator and picked several different options for receivers, readers came at me in the comments about investing too much faith in rookies, not picking receivers who were tall enough, etc. This is not to say that I don’t understand the skepticism, but it leads back to my original point: what else are the Ravens supposed to do?

I fear that, by landing in salary cap No Man’s Land with Lamar’s franchise tag, the Ravens may once again end up trotting out a receiving group that just doesn’t get the job done. Even if Lamar ends up being tendered to another team, it still doesn’t fix this problem, and then you’ve got to worry about addressing an even more important position on top of your receiver room. And if you think the team is only pleasing some of the people now, can you imagine what the sentiment around them is going to be if the front office has to pursue a new quarterback?

So, at the risk of opening up another contentious comment section, what resolution to the receiver room would make you happy?

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