The Baltimore Ravens have made a concerted effort to upgrade the weapons on their offense this offseason. After years of pretty much ignoring wide receivers, both of their free agent signings this season were at the position.
Baltimore signed Nelson Agholor early on in free agency and most recently were the winners of the Odell Beckham Jr. sweepstakes. Agholor will speed and be a deep threat option to the offense while the team will be counting on Beckham to be their No. 1 option at the position. At least until Rashod Bateman shows that he can handle it.
Those are both solid additions to the offense regardless of who is under center. Those could be moves made to help appease Lamar Jackson, who requested a trade from the Ravens in early March and seems ready to move on. Adding weapons like that could be the start of smoothing things over with the former MVP.
While that is a step in the right direction, the Ravens shouldn’t stop there. Agholor and Beckham both signed one-year deals with the team, so they are more of stopgap options than long-term fixes. If Baltimore wants to address the position for years to come, the draft will provide them with that option.
The Ravens are currently slated to pick No. 22 overall. One player who could be available when they come on the clock is Quentin Johnston out of TCU. Baltimore was named the best fit for Johnston in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Johnston has some developing to do but the combination of size and skills could lead to success early on in his career. As his route tree improves, the Ravens could keep things simple for him as a deep threat in isolation plays, taking advantage of his 6’3” frame.
Offensive coordinator Todd Monken would be smart to draw up plays to get Johnston in situations where his run-after-catch abilities would be put to use as well. He averaged 17.8 yards per reception last season and had 24 forced missed tackles, so he is dangerous in space with the ball in his hands. On the season, he caught 60 passes for 1,069 yards and six touchdowns.
What has been a weakness for years in Baltimore could quickly become a strength. Bateman, Agholor, Bekcham and Johnston would be a deep, diverse talent quartet for whoever is playing quarterback to target. Don’t forget the Ravens also have an excellent tight end in Mark Andrews, making for five talented players to get the ball to through the air.
More must-reads: