Tag: Willie Snead

Ravens haven’t been afraid of slow WRs in the past

Of the few wide receivers who have run slowly at the NFL Scouting Combine, the Baltimore Ravens have employed a surprising number.

It’s no secret the Baltimore Ravens have struggled to find and develop wide receivers over the last 25 years. From not spending picks early in drafts to first-round busts and signing players past their prime, Baltimore just hasn’t done well at the position overall. Though the Ravens seem to be changing their luck, seeing Marquise Brown do well in his rookie campaign, it’s an issue that will continue to haunt the team until they have sustained success there.

Looking back over the last 19 years, there’s a bit of a pattern that emerges — Baltimore isn’t exactly afraid of slow wide receivers. Though there are very few wide receivers who have run a 4.61-second 40-yard dash or slower at the NFL Scouting Combine, quite a number of them have ended up on the Ravens’ roster.

Of the 24 wide receivers Baltimore has drafted since 2000, two of them are on this list — Tandon Doss and Ron Johnson. Another, Marlon Brown, was signed as an undrafted free agent. The Ravens have brought in another four via free agency or trade — Anquan Boldin, Vince Mayle, Willie Snead and Ryan Grant (a failed physical voided the signing). Considering seven of the 157 receivers on this list are entering the 2020 NFL Draft and a bunch more never even made it to the NFL, that’s a considerable number for Baltimore to have brought on board.

While speed is just one factor that makes a successful wide receiver, it’s clear it’s a pretty important one overall. Of the players on this list, far more have never played a snap in the NFL than had even average careers. Further, only Boldin, Jarvis Landry, Cooper Cupp and Koren Robinson have what could be considered above-average careers to date.

As the Ravens look to the 2020 NFL Draft to potentially address their need at wide receiver, it’s something they should keep in mind. With general manager Eric DeCosta saying there are only 25 “draftable” wide receivers in this class, it might point to Baltimore having learned their lesson.

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Ravens GM Eric DeCosta: There are 25 ‘draftable’ WRs in the 2020 NFL Draft

The Baltimore Ravens have a need for more help at wide receiver for QB Lamar Jackson and will have plenty of chances in the 2020 NFL Draft

The Baltimore Ravens spent the early parts of free agency, ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft, bolstering their defense. The additions of Calais Campbell via a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Derek Wolfe in free agency along with Baltimore re-signing a bunch of their own players should boost a defense that ranked fourth in yards allowed last season. But for all the Ravens did defensively already, they haven’t addressed any of their offensive needs.

One such need is at wide receiver, where Baltimore has historically been lacking elite talent. At the Ravens’ pre-draft press conference, general manager Eric DeCosta said he feels there are receivers on the roster ready to “make another jump.” However, he acknowledged the coaches and scouts have “found some guys they’re excited about” in the 2020 NFL Draft. In total, DeCosta said, “there’s probably 25 draftable wideouts in this draft.”

Baltimore would be foolish to not take advantage of that level of depth in this draft class. With quarterback Lamar Jackson winning the NFL’s MVP award last season, now is the time to surround him with even more talent and maximize the offense’s potential.

The Ravens tried to address their wide receiver woes last year, taking Marquise Brown in the first round and Miles Boykin in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Brown had a solid season in spite of an injury-ridden year and Boykin made the occasional big splash. With Baltimore re-signing Willie Snead and Chris Moore, most of the primary group from last season is set to return for 2020.

However, the Ravens’ passing attack struggled to move the ball at times last season when the run game was stymied as well. Though far less frequently than in previous years, untimely drops once again popped up for the pass catchers as well. While Baltimore has a decent group of wide receivers, there’s a clear need to find more depth and even find another top option opposite Brown.

As the Ravens have found out in recent years, resting on their laurels at the position has put them in a massive hole. Previously, Baltimore would drop few draft selections at wide receiver and then largely ignore the position with the hope someone would pan out. When that didn’t happen, the Ravens had to turn to older players as stop-gap solutions, asking them to do far too much and getting rather mediocre results in return.

Finding a starting-caliber wide receiver should be easy to do in the 2020 NFL Draft with some of the top options potentially being true No. 1 guy. If Baltimore has identified so many wide receivers they like, they need to ensure they land one or two of them in the 2020 NFL Draft.

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Ravens have already made their big free-agent splash

Ahead of NFL free agency, fans must remember that the Baltimore Ravens have already been aggressive by retaining their own.

As we get nearer to the start of NFL free agency, the focus has been on what players the Baltimore Ravens could get and what needs the team could fill ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft. But lost in the excitement of speculation and hope is that Baltimore has already grabbed their free-agent splash this offseason.

In signing cornerback Marcus Peters to a three-year extension, the Ravens picked up one of the top players at the position. Had Peters been on the free-agent market, his deal would have been considered a huge splash and a monumental win for Baltimore. The same could be said for kicker Justin Tucker, wide receiver Willie Snead, guard Marshal Yanda and cornerback Tavon Young, who signed their deals well before they could hit free agency.

In total, the Ravens have signed nine players that would have been free agents this offseason before that ever happened. Of that group, Baltimore has signed contracts totaling $118.52 million over 18 combined years, including five deals that average $5 million per year or more. By most teams’ free-agency periods, that would be considered quite the haul and it all happened months before free agency actually kicked off.

As I’ve noted before, general manager Eric DeCosta’s philosophy of re-signing key contributors early has saved the Ravens from a difficult and uncertain offseason this year. It’s given Baltimore a little more flexibility in both free agency and the draft while helping set up their salary-cap situation for the next few years. The Ravens have also saved quite a bit of money when it comes to locking up their own players, by not having to beat other teams with more cap space to spend.

That philosophy has given Baltimore a lot of different options. They have the cap space to be in the running on one or two of the top free agents this offseason if they want. Or they could take their early signings and cap space into the second wave of free agency following the 2020 NFL Draft to find better value and plug up any remaining holes.

But regardless of how the Ravens act in free agency this offseason, fans need to remember that they’ve already done quite a lot of work and have set themselves up nicely for the 2020 season. They’ve made their low-key signings to help fill the roster depth while making a few big splashes. Anything else that happens when free agency actually begins should be considered icing on the cake.

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Ravens 2020 free agency preview: WR Seth Roberts

Continuing our look at the Baltimore Ravens’ pending free agents this offseason, we focus our attention on wide receiver Seth Roberts.

The Baltimore Ravens got so close to the Super Bowl and will look to improve themselves this offseason to make another run in 2020. But before we get to free agency and the draft, the Ravens will need to handle their own pending free agents.

We continue our look at Baltimore’s pending free agents with a preview of wide receiver Seth Roberts. Make sure to check out our other Ravens free-agent previews for 2020 for our in-depth look at each pending free agent.

Seth Roberts – 2019 review:

Roberts played in all 16 regular-season games in 2019, although he didn’t start any of them. Roberts played the second-most snaps in 2019 among Baltimore’s wide receivers with Willie Snead getting the most snaps. In spite of the playing time, you’d be hard-pressed to claim he was a dominant part of the Ravens’ offense.

Roberts converted his 35 targets into 21 receptions for 271 yards, with two touchdowns. It was Roberts’ least-productive season in both receptions and receiving yards in any season where he played at least one game. Stoll, Roberts was a reliable chain mover when he caught the ball, with 18 of his 21 receptions earning the Ravens a first down. But his target-per-snap rate of 7.3% ranked 107th among all wide receivers last season.

Roberts saw a season-high five targets in Week 4 against the Cleveland Browns. This game also saw him post a season-high four receptions. Roberts surpassed 39 receiving yards in a game just once, finishing with 66 against the New York Jets in Week 15. Roberts had one reception or less in eight of his 16 games — 105 wide receivers had more receptions than Roberts in 2019, while 98 had more receiving yards.

If we are to take some positives from the season, then we can point to the fact that Roberts did not grass any of his 35 targets. Both Pro Football Reference and PlayerProfiler do not credit him with a single drop all season. But from a pure production standpoint, there isn’t a lot to get excited about.

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Ravens players react to Eric Weddle’s retirement announcement

Eric Weddle’s former Baltimore Ravens teammates react to his retirement announcement, including Tony Jefferson

You can tell just how respected and beloved safety Eric Weddle was by his peers in the NFL when he announced his retirement. The outpouring of congratulations and respect from his former Baltimore Ravens teammates was immediate and staggering. Within minutes, several Ravens had tweeted at Weddle to give their own personal take on the news.

Though he only spent three years in Baltimore, Weddle was widely considered to be one of the smartest players on the roster. Thanks to nearly a decade of experience when the Ravens signed him, Weddle was an on-field general for Baltimore.

Fellow safety Tony Jefferson, who played beside Weddle for those three years, sent out two tweets to not only congratulate him but to offer thanks for his mentorship.

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Here are the rest of the reactions from Ravens players to Weddle’s retirement news.

4 Studs and 3 duds in Ravens’ 20-17 win over the 49ers

The Ravens didn’t play their best football but still pulled out a win against the 49ers. Here’s the studs and duds that made it happen.

The Baltimore Ravens played some championship football in Week 13, defeating the San Francisco 49ers 20-17. Both teams slugged it out on the ground and through the air but Baltimore managed to pull out a win as time expired.

It’s a time to celebrate as the Ravens make it eight-straight wins this season, with several being against top competition. But it was far from a perfect win, with several players not playing their best football. Let’s take a look at the stud Ravens who helped win the game and the few duds that made it harder than it needed to be.

Stud: K Justin Tucker

Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

As if Tucker needed any more credit for being the best kicker in the league, he answered Baltimore’s call. A 49-yard game-winning field goal as time expired on a field that had been rained and iced on all day long is about as amazing as it gets.

There are 31 other teams in the NFL that wished they had a kicker they knew was going to nail that through the uprights. When the Ravens called Tucker out onto the field, there was little question they had already won the game.

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Former Saints Mark Ingram, Willie Snead piledrive Rams with four Ravens TD’s

Two former New Orleans Saints, RB Mark Ingram and WR Willie Snead, scored 4 touchdowns when the Baltimore Ravens beat the Los Angeles Rams.

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The Los Angeles Rams needed to win on Monday night to keep their playoff hopes alive, but two former New Orleans Saints players weren’t about to let that happen. Now with the Baltimore Ravens, running back Mark Ingram and wide receiver Willie Snead scored four touchdowns on the overwhelmed Rams defense; three of those touchdowns were passes caught from breakout star quarterback Lamar Jackson. Baltimore won in a landslide, 45-6.

You love to see it. The Rams of course took advantage of an officiating gaffe in last year’s NFC championship game to advance past the Saints and into Super Bowl LIII; they lost that game in humiliating fashion, 13-3, and haven’t recovered. There was no one more suited to bury their hopes on a national stage than Ingram, who logged 15 rushing attempts to gain 111 yards and score a touchdown run, to go with his 7-yard touchdown reception. Snead only caught two passes against Los Angeles, but they both ended in the end zone from seven yards out.

Of course Saints fans would rather Ingram be scoring touchdowns in New Orleans; it’s a shame that they couldn’t work out a deal in free agency earlier this year. At least he’s having a blast and taking down teams that have given the Saints trouble. Ingram is averaging the second-most rushing yards per game of his career (70.7) with Baltimore, trailing only his 2014 season, in which he first reached the Pro Bowl.

As for the Rams: this loss lowered their record on the year so far to 6-5, putting them firmly in third-place in the NFC West behind the San Francisco 49ers (10-1) and Seattle Seahawks (9-2). Considering two different NFC North are currently in the playoff picture (the 8-3 Green Bay Packers and 8-3 Minnesota Vikings), the Rams can’t afford to lose another game down the stretch to even make it to the postseason. Meanwhile, the Saints are a game away from clinching their third consecutive NFC South title. Things are great.

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