The No. 1 task for the Baltimore Ravens this offseason is working out a long-term deal with Lamar Jackson. If they want to compete for a Super Bowl in the near future, he is key to their success.
Putting contract negotiations behind them and working out a long-term deal is a necessity. After that, the front office can focus on making upgrades to the rest of the roster. One area of need is the wide receiver position.
The Ravens have high hopes for 2021 first-round pick Rashod Bateman, but he has not yet lived up to expectations. The team traded Marquise Brown during the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft hoping Bateman would take over the No. 1 role in the offense but he ended up playing only six games.
Tight end Mark Andrews remains an elite option in the passing game, but the wide receiver group needs an upgrade. There wasn’t a single wide receiver that caught at least 50 passes or cracked the 500-yard mark as Demarcus Robinson finished with 48 and 458.
While the free agent market is short on impact talent, there are certainly some players that would constitute upgrades for the Ravens. One of those players that could help is someone they are familiar with, JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Smith-Schuster has played the last two seasons on one-year deals with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs. In 2022, he had a great bounce-back season catching passes from Patrick Mahomes.
He had his second-most receiving yards in a season with the Chiefs last season with 933 yards, catching 78 passes and scoring three touchdowns. A reliable pass catcher, the most intriguing thing about Smith-Schuster’s skill set is his work in the running game.
The USC product is an elite run blocker as he isn’t afraid to mix things up and get physical. A team with a run-first approach, such as the Ravens, would be an ideal fit for him as his entire skill set can be used to its fullest.
While Smith-Schuster has thrived more as a No. 2 option in the passing game, he would have the chance to be the No. 1 option in Baltimore. If Bateman can blossom in the way that the organization believes him capable, he would make for a nice one-two punch at the wide receiver spot With Smith-Schuster flanking Andrews.
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