Baltimore Ravens should sign wide receiver Jeremy Maclin
By Ben Palmer
The Baltimore Ravens have an obvious need at wide receiver, and with the surprise release of Jeremy Maclin by the Kansas City Chiefs, it seems they have a prime opportunity to fill that need.
The Baltimore Ravens have an obvious need at wide receiver, that’s well known and has been one of the main storylines this offseason. Now, with the surprise release of Jeremy Maclin by the Kansas City Chiefs, it seems like the Ravens have a prime opportunity to fill that need with a top-quality player.
Maclin heading to the Baltimore Ravens is far from a novel idea, it seems that just about everyone has mentioned Baltimore as a fitting destination for Maclin and there’s a reason for that: he’d be an excellent fit.
Last year was a relatively disappointing year for the 29-year-old, as he only caught 44 balls for 536 yards and two touchdowns, it was by far the worst year of his career. But he was also on a team that was in the bottom half of the league in passing yards per game, and the Chiefs have never been a huge passing team.
As of now, the Ravens have Mike Wallace and Breshad Perriman as their main receivers, with Danny Woodhead working as a receiving back out of the backfield. One of their most dependable pass catchers last year, Dennis Pitta, just dislocated his hip for the third time and is talking about retirement.
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In essence, the team needs receiving options, especially now that Steve Smith has retired and Kamar Aiken went to the Indianapolis Colts. Jeremy Maclin would fit perfectly, and he’d probably enjoy being in Baltimore because he would immediately slot into the number one spot and have a chance at a great year (plus he spent the first four years of his career playing for offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg), but that’s going to be the main draw for Maclin.
The biggest roadblock between Maclin getting to Baltimore is money. The Baltimore Ravens have $2.1 million in cap space, the second-lowest in the league. Now, if they do some finagling, they could make some more space. If Pitta retires or is released, the Ravens gain $2.5 million in cap space.
They could also conceivably restructure the contracts of Jimmy Smith and Marshal Yanda to free up some space for this year. They could also release some players, like cornerback Kyle Arrington, who will more than likely be on the bench most of the year and would free up another couple million in cap space.
Still, even with all this work done to free up cap space, if a team like the Cleveland Browns or the San Francisco 49ers decide they want to sign Maclin, they have the cap space to throw money at him until he’s satisfied.
Next: Ravens TE Dennis Pitta's Career in Jeopardy After Hip Injury
Hopefully, for the sake of Baltimore fans and the Ravens offense, Maclin prioritizes being a number one receiver in a good offense on a team that will likely be in the playoff hunt, over being paid a ton.