The Baltimore Ravens don’t have a ton of wide receivers. And the ones that they do have are not particularly experienced nor accomplished, even if some have pedigree and have found some success. Even while they have a dominant running game, however, the passing game has trailed significantly behind, finishing last in the league in yardage, as well as attempts.
Obviously, much of that has to do with quarterback Lamar Jackson and the fact that his ability to run the ball is such a crucial part of the offense, where so many of his runs are by design rather than scrambles. But everyone in that building knows the passing game needs to take a step forward to get to the next level, after winning one opening-round playoff game in three years.
Part of the equation is having the right group of wide receivers. Right now, with Willie Snead a pending free agent and Dez Bryant not returning, what they have is a quadruplet group of wide receivers they have drafted over the past two years—Marquise Brown, Miles Boykin, Devin Duvernay, and James Proche.
Brown was a first-round pick in 2019, and is by far the most accomplished. Over his first two seasons, he has caught 104 passes for 1353 yards with 15 touchdowns—or basically what his cousin, Antonio Brown, did in his final season with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2018.
The biggest topic surrounding the Ravens this offseason was what they would do to address the wide receiver position, with many believing that they should bring in a premium free agent, or at least take another wide receiver in the first round.
During a recent live session, Brown expressed confidence in the group of wide receivers the Ravens have now—but also said that he would be confident in whoever is added to the group as well. “I’m confident in every receiver we got in the room, to be honest. And if we add somebody, I’m gonna be confident in them, too”, he said.
“Honestly, I feel like I’m going to do what I do”, he said for his own part, regarding the wide receiver group. “If we add somebody else, I’m not going to do nothing but learn either way. If we add somebody, I’m going to learn and still do my job. Either way”.
The 2020 season had its ups and downs for Brown, as well as complaints here and there about the offense and his usage within it. There was a four-game stretch in which he had just six combined catches in the middle of the season, which came amid a 1-4 slide.
Hollywood Brown just went live with @IngravenVids, who asked him about the Ravens potentially adding a “No. 1 receiver.”
Brown: “I’m confident in every receiver we got in the room, to be honest. And if we add somebody, I’m gonna be confident in them, too.” pic.twitter.com/p0F6cHSZr5
— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) March 3, 2021
