The Baltimore Ravens are set to add tight end Jerell Adams to their roster, bolstering their depth chart slightly. But it appears as though Baltimore had its eyes on a different prize and Adams was simply the consolation option.
According to The Athletic’s Matt Barrows, the Ravens were in a bidding war with the San Francisco 49ers for free-agent tight end Jordan Reed. However, the 49ers outbid Baltimore, signing Reed to a one-year deal and leaving the Ravens with Adams.
After trading former first-round pick Hayden Hurst to the Atlanta Falcons this offseason, Baltimore has been in need for more depth at tight end. The Ravens use multiple tight end sets in their offense, both as blockers and receivers, giving them a need for more experienced options at the position. They added Jacob Breeland and Eli Wolf as undrafted free agents and were expected to let them compete for the third tight end role in their offense this season. However, after Baltimore placed Breeland on the non-football injury (NFI) list at the start of training camp, an opening was created.
Reed was with Washington for seven seasons after being selected in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Though he missed all of the 2019 season due to a concussion and has had a pretty lengthy injury history, he’s found plenty of success in Washington. Reed caught 234 passes for 2,407 yards and 21 touchdowns over four years from 2015-2018.
Reed would have been a solid pickup for the Ravens. It would have given Baltimore’s offense another capable receiving threat alongside Mark Andrews, which could have pushed Nick Boyle back to more a blocking role.
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