Tag: Devontez Walker

ESPN draft analyst weighs in on Ravens rookie WR Tez Walker

ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller weighed in on Ravens’ rookie WR Tez Walker

The Baltimore Ravens selected wide receiver Tez Walker in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft. The former North Carolina star hasn’t had many opportunities to show off his skillset during his rookie year. Still, Baltimore liked his contested catch ability and other traits enough to spend a mid-round pick on him in April.

When weighing in on Walker on The Ryan Ripken Show, ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller praised the first-year receiver and gave his projection on where he could end up on his NFL journey. He talked about how Walker can be a solid No. 2 wideout behind Zay Flowers, diving into his skillset and what he brings.

The Ravens have plenty of other wide receiver options that they can lean on this year, leaving Walker out of the picture unless a wave of catastrophic injuries hits. With that said, the team can take their time developing Walker to ensure he pans out into a viable option in their offense moving forward.

Ravens vs. Packers: Top photos from preseason finale at Lambeau Field

We’re looking at the top photos from the Baltimore Ravens preseason loss to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field

It’s only the preseason, but the Ravens will head towards the 53-man roster cutdown date with a sour taste after a 30-7 loss to the Packers at Lambeau Field on Saturday afternoon. Josh Johnson was 5-7 for 71 yards and one passing touchdown, while Michael Pratt led Green Bay in passing, going 8-12 for 80 yards and one touchdown. The Packers were dominant on the ground, amassing 193 rushing yards, as Ellis Merriweather led all ball carriers with 16 yards for 74 yards. The Packers held the ball for nearly ten minutes longer than the Ravens and out-gained Baltimore by 326 yards to 177 for John Harbaugh’s bunch. With Baltimore now turning its attention toward the Chiefs, here’s an instant analysis of the loss. ***

John Harbaugh provides a reason for Devontez Walker’s diminished role in Ravens offense

John Harbaugh provides a reason for Devontez Walker’s diminished role in Ravens offense

Devontez Walker, who the Baltimore Ravens drafted in the fourth round this past April, has not recorded a catch through the first two preseason games. In Saturday’s win over the Atlanta Falcons, Walker was not even targeted.

Preseason games provide an excellent opportunity for rookies to get playing time and establish themselves, so speculation has mounted as to why Walker has had such a diminished role.

Turns out he’s battling a rib injury, according to what head coach John Harbaugh told reporters at the postgame press conference on Saturday.

The good news is that Walker’s lack of development isn’t due to his playing poorly. The bad news is that he’s far from fully fit and finds himself lower on the depth chart come opening day.

It was expected that Walker would be behind the likes of Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, and Nelson Agholor. However, given how much the former North Carolina Tar Heel has been slowed by injury, he could also find himself behind Tylan Wallace and Russell Gage.

Ravens vs. Falcons: Top photos from Baltimore’s 13-12 win in preseason Week 2

We’re looking at the top photos from the Baltimore Ravens 13-12 win over the Atlanta Falcons in the preseason Week 2 matchup

Backup quarterback Josh Johnson was perfect on the afternoon, and rookie Emory Jones added a 56-yard touchdown throw to Dayton Wade in the second half to lift the Baltimore Ravens to a 13-12 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium.  The Ravens snapped a three-game preseason losing streak, while Atlanta had 343 yards of total offense but was 4-13 on third downs. Baltimore had another putrid day on the ground, rushing for 71 yards on 30 attempts.  With the team set to start preparation for the preseason finale, here are the top photos from the win over Atlanta. ***

Ravens OC Todd Monken must get Zay Flowers more 1-on-1 opportunities

Baltimore Ravens WR Zay Flowers produced 387 YAC on just 77 receptions last season.

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers has a dynamic skill set that must be adequately utilized in 2024. Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken should strategize ways to scheme Flowers into more 1-on-1 opportunities at the intermediate and third levels in the passing game.

Ultimately, Monken must force opponents out of Dime and Nickel personnel to give Flowers more one-on-one opportunities. Monken can do this by deploying 22 personnel, three tight ends, and one wide receiver sets. 

Flowers is best when he has space to operate on the outside. Yet, when Monken deploys three—and four-receiver sets, the field becomes cluttered, and defenses can sit in zone coverage.

Impressively, Flowers produced 387 YAC on just 77 receptions last season within an offense with the second-fewest pass attempts in the NFL. 

Monken should focus on establishing the run and then deferring to the pass on second and third downs when the Ravens offense has shorter lines to gain. Creating explosive passing plays with Flowers can be the astronomical ingredient to perfect the Ravens’ offensive attack in 2024.

Top photos from Ravens 16-13 loss to Eagles in preseason opener

We’re looking at the top photos from the Baltimore Ravens 16-13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the preseason opener at M&T Bank Stadium

The Ravens returned to the field for live game action for the first time since their heartbreaking, 17-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC title game.

Baltimore hosted Philadelphia at M&T Bank Stadium, with both teams on similar arcs, and championship paths. Starting quarterback Lamar Jackson sat out along with key starters on both sides of the football.

Eagles kicker Jake Elliott made a 49-yard field goal with no time remaining to give the Philadelphia Eagles a 16-13 victory after Baltimore quarterback Emory Jones — who had just entered the game — was sacked and fumbled on the next play.

The recovery by Patrick Johnson gave Elliott his final opportunity of the night.

With Baltimore set to start preparation for the Falcons in the second week of the preseason, we’re looking at the top photos from Friday night.

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Tez Walker gets one target in preseason debut

Devontez Walker didn’t have the debut we hoped, but there is light at the end of the tunnel!

The Baltimore Ravens took on the Philadelphia Eagles in the first week of the preseason for the NFL. A highly anticipated game for North Carolina Tar Heel fans with receiver Devontez Walker getting his first action after all the drama that happened last season.

Well, the debut was not like we had hoped. We were anticipating getting a wide range of Walker usage, and it took a painfully long time just for Walker to make his way out onto the field for his first drive. On top of that, Walker received just one target over the course of the little time he did see in action.

His minimal impact was not all on little playing time. In one of the plays he was involved in, he was streaking free on a breakaway one step ahead of his defender and Josh Johnson didn’t have the time in the pocket to get the ball out to him.

Regardless, Walker’s involvement was questionable.

That could lead us to believe in two different ways. Firstly, Walker’s chances of being the WR3 are not as high as we thought they were. Secondly, and most likely, he is solidified in the first-team offense that didn’t see much work at all.

Receivers Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, and Nelson Agholor weren’t heavily involved if at all either. It is likely that as the preseason goes on, we will see more of the Tar Heel product.

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Is Todd Monken the best OC Lamar Jackson has had in Baltimore?

Under OC Todd Monken, Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson has seen an increase in completion percentage and decrease in fumbles.

The Baltimore Ravens ranked No. 4 in the NFL in points per game last season, their highest ranking since 2019. The dynamics in offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s scheme mesh well with the team. Is Monken the best offensive coordinator quarterback Lamar Jackson has had?

Jackson finished the 2023-24 NFL season with a completion percentage of 67.2, the highest in his career. Monken has intentionally gotten Jackson quick read out of the backfield, frequently working him in three-step drop pass concepts that allow him to play rhythmically.

Monken has also found ways to get the ball to team-leading wide receiver Zay Flowers on quick hitches, crossing, and screen routes. Flowers produced 858 receiving yards on just 77 receptions in his rookie season, or 11.1 yards per catch.

Unlike in Jackson’s 2019 MVP season, Monken has found ways to lessen Jackson’s tendency to run as a last resort. Instead, Monken has designed runs specifically for Jackson in short-yardage situations and inside the red zone. The designed runs for Jackson have helped him decrease his fumble totals, a problem fans saw frequently early in his career.

Lastly, Jackson has a powerhouse to hand the ball off to Derrick Henry, running back. Henry’s expected high volume will preserve Jackson’s run-threat ability, making him even more explosive down the stretch in games when defensive attrition begins to set in. Hiring Monken has ultimately paid dividends for the Ravens.

Nelson Agholor or Devontez Walker: Who will be WR No. 3 on the Ravens Depth Chart?

Baltimore Ravens WR Nelson Angholor and rookie WR Devontez Walker should create a healthy dilemma as far as the depth chart goes.

The Baltimore Ravens signed Nelson Agholor to a one-year $3.25 million deal this off-season but the emergence of rookie wide receiver Devontez Walker should create a healthy dilemma as far as the depth chart goes.

Agholor’s four touchdowns last season was impressive. He possesses the physicality to defy the usually undersized slot cornerbacks in the NFL. The problem is however, so does Walker.

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Walker also runs a faster 40-yard dash time of 4.36 seconds and stands six-foot two-inches making him slightly taller than Agholor as well. With opponents likely to crowd the line of scrimmage due to the Ravens’ tendency to run the football, Walker could be a vertical threat in the slot at speeds slightly quicker than Agholor.

Contrary to popular belief, it is in fact the passing attack that may be most important for the Ravens in 2024. Opponents will likely focus in on slowing down Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry in the ground game so assuring that offensive coordinator Todd Monken deploys the best possible personnel on the field when the Ravens go to 3 WR sets is very important.

Will Agholor’s veteran savvy play-style grant him more reps or will Walker’s youth and athleticism help him solidify as No. 3, we will find out soon.

Ravens had three wide receivers miss practice on Tuesday

Sure, it’s only training camp, and thus it is obviously not time to panic.

Rashod Bateman missed his second straight practice on Tuesday. On Monday, coach John Harbaugh said the receiver was suffering from “soreness,” indicating that the injury was only minor.

In addition to Bateman, two more wide receivers missed Tuesday’s session- Deonte Harty (his second missed camp practice) and Devontez Walker.

Sure, it’s only training camp, and thus, it is obviously not time to panic. After all, Walker is having a monster camp and could probably use a day off anyway.

On the other hand, there is no actual wide receiver pecking order here behind the No. 1 Zay Flowers. Bateman received a contract that would pay him the kind of money that a no. 2 receiver earns, so the expectation is that he will earn that role.

Otherwise, the Ravens could go into the season with Nelson Agholor as the WR2. We mean no disrespect to Agholor, but that would be suboptimal. Again, it’s very early, but this group needs reps, and they need them together so we can see them realize their full potential in 2024.