Ravens’ Offensive Playmakers Shown Little Respect in ESPN Rankings
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell said that defense no longer wins championships, offensive stars do. With that in mind, he ranked each team’s offensive playmakers (wide receivers, tight ends and running backs).
Given Barnwell’s stance on how championships are won, he probably doesn’t like Baltimore’s chances of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy this season. He ranked the Ravens’ offensive playmakers at No. 25.
“Beyond [tight end Mark] Andrews, it’s not pretty,” Barnwell wrote. “Running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards were both felled by torn ACLs, leaving Baltimore to spend the season relying on replacement-level veterans. Dobbins led the league in DVOA and averaged six yards per carry as a rookie in 2020, so there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic, but Saquon Barkley is a reminder of how torn ACLs can be career-altering injuries.
“Unless (or until) the Ravens add a veteran, though, wide receiver is a problem. Rashod Bateman, a first-round pick last year, didn’t stand out as a rookie, as he averaged 1.4 yards per route run with a 19% target share. There’s obviously hope he’ll emerge as a No. 1, but the trade of Marquise Brown forces Bateman into that role with Devin Duvernay, James Proche and Tylan Wallace as supplemental wideouts. The Ravens might be moving back toward a run-heavy approach, but they desperately need to add a wideout such as Will Fuller or Julio Jones before the season begins.”
It’s possible that the Ravens will sign a veteran wide receiver before the start of the season, although team officials have expressed confidence in their young receivers. As for Bateman not standing out as a rookie, that needs some context.
Bateman showed flashes of his potential, but he missed most of the preseason and the first five games of the regular season after undergoing groin surgery. He only played six full games with Lamar Jackson under center.
Meanwhile, Ravens running backs didn’t fare much better in Sharp…
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