The Baltimore Ravens had nothing short of a fantastic season in 2019, taking the league by storm by breaking record after record, dominating opponents, and finishing with the best record in franchise history. It was a truly unexpected breakout on many levels by a team that was being written off early and often. However, it wasn’t just pure luck the Ravens were able to pull off such an impressive season.
They build an offensive system around their quarterback, attacked on defense with an exotic blitzing scheme, and relied not only on their stars, but also the young players that were looking to make a name for themselves. That lead to players like Chuck Clark, Orlando Brown Jr, Mark Andrews, and more stepping up and breaking out.
Looking ahead to 2020, there are a plethora of Ravens who could break out. Let’s take a look at who they are.
WR Marquise Brown
When the Ravens selected Brown with the 25th pick in the 2019 pick, they expected great things. However, they knew picking him came with risks too.
Brown stands at just 5-foot-9 and weighs 166 pounds. Those are extremely small measurables for a wide receiver, but Baltimore was clearly confident that his ability outweighed his small stature. Brown also wasn’t completely healthy when he was drafted by Baltimore. He suffered a foot injury late in the year playing for the Oklahoma Sooners and had to have lisfranc surgery to correct it. The surgery kept him out for an extended period of time, which included most of training camp and the preseason. No one knew how Brown would perform once the regular season started, but it’s safe to say he didn’t disappoint, hauling in 46 targets for 584 yards and seven touchdowns across 14 games.
Those numbers by themselves are impressive for a rookie wide receiver playing in a run-heavy offense, but what makes Brown primed for a breakout sophomore campaign is the fact that he played all of 2019 hindered by that same lisfranc injury. He was playing with a screw in his foot and said he wasn’t yet at 100%. Now with a full season under his, an offseason of hard work, and a screw removed from his foot, Brown could very well be on his way to his first 1,000-yard season.