OTL: Kay Adams Likes Idea of Hopkins to Ravens

I’ll start today’s Out to Lunch on a topic that was covered in last week’s: DeAndre Hopkins. The NFL Network’s Kay Adams highlighted the Ravens as a likely landing spot for Hopkins on Tuesday, and if we’re being honest, her argument is strong:

NUK to the ravens can you imagine ? pic.twitter.com/8GHOkgquj8

— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) June 6, 2023

While it’s not the most exciting move, Baltimore did acquire yet another receiver in former 1^st Round Pick Laquon Treadwell. The new target isn’t going to grab headlines right now, but he does have enough talent to have been highly touted out of Ole Miss, and he was at The Castle for OTAs on Tuesday:

turn it up pic.twitter.com/wBtmjuEfqu

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) June 6, 2023

New Ravens WR Laquon Treadwell is on the field after officially signing his one-year deal today pic.twitter.com/4vinyaoWCk

— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) June 6, 2023

Here’s the corresponding move:

To make room on the roster for WR Laquon Treadwell, the Ravens waived Delaware UDFA QB Nolan Henderson. The Ravens still have four quarterbacks (Jackson, Huntley, Johnson and Brown) on the roster and it’s tough to find practice reps for more than that.

— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) June 6, 2023

But, while Treadwell was getting his feet wet in Baltimore, the team’s expected top three receivers were not practicing:

Notable Ravens absent from last week of voluntary OTA:

WR Odell Beckham Jr.
WR Rashod Bateman
WR Zay Flowers
TE Mark Andrews
RB J.K. Dobbins
FB Pat Ricard
G Kevin Zeitler
OT Ronnie Stanley
LB Patrick Queen
LB Tyus Bowser
CB Marlon Humphrey
S Marcus Williams pic.twitter.com/Ir1qrYdOHm

— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) June 6, 2023

The biggest surprise there would be Zay Flowers, but Harbaugh noted that it shouldn’t be anything major:

Harbaugh said Zay Flowers had minor tweak. Expects him to participate at minicamp next week.
Harbaugh also said that Gus Edwards should be ready for training camp. Yes currently rehabbing.

— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) June 6, 2023

That’s reassuring, but you can never fully trust Harbaugh’s initial thoughts on an injury.

Still, I wouldn’t say it’s a concern in June, but as Nelson Agholor found, it’s an opportunity to make a name early in the summer. By all accounts, Agholor had a big day at Tuesday’s practice:

Nelson Agholor stood out in a depleted Ravens wide receiver group, making some outstanding catches, including a back-shoulder one along the sideline.

“He’s a former first round pick (and) he looks it,” coach John Harbaugh said. “Rangy, big catch radius.”

— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) June 6, 2023

To me, Agholor should play a similar role to Demarcus Robinson, though likely a bit less pronounced. The Ravens now have a strong corps, but having that additional depth will pay dividends late in the year.

Speaking of depth, it feels like the Left Guard position is one that has bodies, but doesn’t have clarity. Baltimore gave Daniel Faalele a shot there on Tuesday:

Daniel Faalele worked at left guard today. Harbaugh said he wanted to give the natural tackle a chance to show what he could do at a position where Ravens haven’t settled on a starter.

— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) June 6, 2023

It’s a fun experiment, but Faalele seems destined to be a Tackle in my eyes; I wouldn’t expect any regular season gametime for him there.

On the other side of the ball, fans are expecting big seasons out of young EDGE players Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo. The two have all the potential in the world together, but they haven’t put it all together just yet. OLB Coach Chuck Smith addressed both players at his press conference on Tuesday:

Ravens OLB coach Chuck Smith: “After this year, when you see Odafe (Oweh), you’re going to know his signature pass rush move.” pic.twitter.com/i7EglX1pOZ

— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) June 6, 2023

Ravens OLB coach Chuck Smith on David Ojabo: “Dude is ready. And he’s going to make an impact.” pic.twitter.com/I6ETE8prKQ

— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) June 6, 2023

I’m still in the camp that these two – particularly Oweh – must take a leap in the 2023 season. For now, there’s a gaping hole at the position, but it’s a spot at which Baltimore should get younger. Instead, the uncertainty is causing the team to stay close to veteran EDGE Justin Houston.

The Ravens remain in good position to re-sign LB Justin Houston, per @jeffzrebiec. pic.twitter.com/zj3lE76ZbS

— Ravens Nation LIVE (@LIVERavenNation) June 5, 2023

I loved Houston’s contributions in Baltimore last season. He’s a great leader, too, so I do believe they should sign him. At the same time, I don’t like Houston being more than a rotational guy, which he wasn’t last year.

One often unsung hero who should help the position improve next season is Tyus Bowser, who missed a portion of last campaign.

One of the most underrated Ravens players:

Tyus Bowser. pic.twitter.com/TfGVy2cFOi

— The Ravens Realm (@RealmRavens) June 6, 2023

As briefly highlighted here, Bowser is a versatile Swiss army knife for DC Mike MacDonald, while (ideally) Oweh and Ojabo are more direct weapons.

Do you see a hole at EDGE this season? Let me know in the comments.

The post OTL: Kay Adams Likes Idea of Hopkins to Ravens appeared first on Russell Street Report.