WR Marquise Brown
Baltimore selected Brown in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft to be their game-changer. Even while dealing with injuries last season, Brown showed he was lightning fast and capable of punishing defenses that didn’t gameplan for him. Now that he’s finally healthy and looking absolutely jacked, Brown has everyone expecting him to break out in 2020, which is what the Ravens need to get to the next level.
As a run-first offense primarily, Brown might never reach true No. 1 wide receiver stats. However, if he proves to be a handful for defenses, he’ll find his share of targets and touchdowns. But more importantly, Brown excelling would open up so much for the rest of the offense. The short and intermediate routes would be less contested, and holes will be easier to open up in the run game.
On the flip side, if Brown can’t stay healthy or he’s a one-trick pony, it’ll be a repeat of nearly every year from the last decade. We’ll see the offense stagnate and struggle to find a rhythm while trying to force the ball downfield to get their top guy more involved. As we’ve seen in previous years, that’s often a recipe for disaster, or at least a mediocre offense.
If Brown steps up in 2020, the Ravens’ offense might just become undefendable. They’ll finally be robust enough all-around to dictate the pace and point of attack both through the air and on the ground. Just like with so many other players on this list, Brown’s success could be a driving factor for Baltimore to reach the Super Bowl.