Over the past few weeks, the Baltimore Ravens had their name featured in plenty of rumors surrounding former Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones. The pass catcher and Atlanta looked like they were heading for a split, and that’s what happened, as last week Jones was traded to the Tennessee Titans for a second round and a fourth round selection.
The addition of Jones would have caused Baltimore’s offense to be a nightmare to gameplan for. He is still one of the best receivers in the NFL, and would have provided an outside presence that the Ravens haven’t had in years. However, despite what Jones’ would have added to if traded to Baltimore, the Ravens’ offense is still set to dominate in 2021.
Without Jones, Baltimore has had one of the best offenses in the league for the last two seasons. Ever since quarterback Lamar Jackson has taken over at the helm for the Ravens, the team has established a strong running game that is extremely hard to stop. Between him and running backs J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards and even Justice Hill, Baltimore is set up to have another strong year on the ground in 2021.
However, even though the Ravens’ running game will be the team’s bread and butter, that doesn’t mean Baltimore isn’t going to throw the football in 2021. The team added plenty of pass catching threats in the offseason including Sammy Watkins, Rashod Bateman, and Tylan Wallace. Each of those players can play on the outside, which is something that the Ravens desperately needed in their wide receiver room. Now the team has the flexibility to move talented pass catchers all around the offense, which with the combination of the rushing attack will make things difficult on defenses.
Even though the team made plenty of new additions on the offensive side of the ball that also includes offensive linemen Kevin Zeitler, Alejandro Villanueva, Ben Cleveland and more, Baltimore also has talented players such as Marquise Brown, Mark Andrews, and more that have familiarity with Baltimore’s offensive scheme. Add that in with the fact that the Ravens will also get All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley back alongside one of the best blocking tight ends in the league in Nick Boyle, and the team is gushing with talent, even without Jones on the roster.
With all of the talent that the team has surrounded Jackson with, it’s fair to expect the fourth-year signal caller to take a big leap during this upcoming season. He’s shown improvement in each of his first three seasons, and although he experiences a statistical drop off in 2020 from his amazing MVP campaign in 2019, he’s been working on little things that have made him a better player, both throwing and running the football.
While Jones would have been a massive addition to Baltimore’s wide receiver room, the organization clearly believes in the young pass catchers already in the offense. Whether it was Jones’ contract, injury history, age, or even the draft capital it would have taken to acquire him, the Ravens didn’t end up pulling the trigger on acquiring the future Hall of Famer. However, just because Jones isn’t in Baltimore doesn’t mean that the Ravens’ offense won’t be great once again in 2021. They’ve been one of the best offenses in the league without the former Falcon, and they’ll continue their offensive dominance moving forward.