The Baltimore Ravens have an obvious need at wide receiver, and did little in the offseason to address that need. Should they pursue free agent Victor Cruz?
The Baltimore Ravens have a few holes on offense. Their poor offense last season has been talked about ad nauseam all offseason, and with the retirement ofSteve Smithand the loss ofKamar Aikento free agency (where he ultimately signed with the Indianapolis Colts), the Ravens need a wide receiver.
The team did little to nothing to improve their receiver corps this offseason. It was heavily speculated that they would draft a receiver in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft, whether that would beMike Williams,Corey Davis, orJohn Ross. But there was a quick run on wide receiver early in the draft, and the value wasn’t there, so the Baltimore Ravens chose to sure up their defense instead.
They did sign a few undrafted free agent wide receivers,two of whom, I believe, have a decent chance at making the team, but they’re far from sure things.
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There were plenty of free agent wide receivers the Baltimore Ravens could have pursued, some speculated thatTorrey Smithwas due for a return to Baltimore, others thought perhapsBrandon Marshallwas a good fit for the team, but the Ravens elected not to sign any free agent receivers. Not yet, at least.
Perhaps the best available free agent wide receiver out there right now isVictor Cruz. Cruz is 30 years old and will be entering his eighth season in the NFL. He’s certainly not what he once was, back in the days with the New York Giants when he was salsa dancing his way to the top of the league, but he’s still a very serviceable wide receiver and is someone the Ravens could use.
He’s had some injury troubles over the years, and last season was the first time he played in more than six games since 2013, but he’s still skilled, and while 30 isn’t young in the NFL, it’s not overly-old either.
Last season with the Giants, playing as a third receiver behindOdell Beckham Jr. andSterling Shepard, Cruz caught 39 balls for 586 yards and one touchdown. That’s not overly-impressive, but again, he was in an offense that was centered around Beckham and Shepard first and Cruz second.
The Ravens haveBreshad Perrimancoming back, who has been less than impressive, andMike Wallace, who is a solid wide receiver, but with a limited skill set. In fact, speaking of skill sets, Wallace and Perriman are very similar receivers, in that their main skill is their speed. They’re “run straight and fast” receivers.
Now, there’s a place for that kind of receiver on an NFL team, and someone like Wallace and Perriman would be useful as part of a balanced offense, but the Ravens need something to balance that offense. SigningDanny Woodheadwas a good step to that, giving the Ravens a passing option in the backfield, andbalancing the offensive play-callingby calling more runs would help too.
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But what the Ravens need is someone like Cruz. A third receiver who can add another skill set to the offense. Cruz helps make the Ravens receiving corps balanced, and that’s why I think he would fit perfectly in Baltimore.
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