It’s no secret the Baltimore Ravens are in need of help at wide receiver after having a league-high drop rate in 2018. With John Brown a pending free agent and Michael Crabtree potentially being a salary cap casualty this offseason, there are plenty of reasons why Baltimore will need to gut their wide receiver corps once again.
But have no fear, there should be some options in free agency that have solid hands. It’s not as talented a list as last offseason, but there are a bunch of capable wide receivers nonetheless.
Here are six free agents the Ravens should show interest in this offseason. I made a special point of including each player’s 2018 drop rate.
Donte Moncrief | Jacksonville Jaguars | 7.9 percent drop rate
Moncrief didn’t have a killer season but proved he could be healthy for a full year. Playing in all 16 games for the Jaguars, Moncrief caught 48 passes for 668 yards and three touchdowns. That’s standard production from Moncrief, though being in an anemic Jacksonville offense certainly did him no favors.
I view Moncrief similarly as to Brown. Both have tremendous straight-line speed and the agility to run other routes inside as well. Moncrief can do wonders with the ball in his hands, earning 233 of his yards after the catch. In Baltimore, Moncrief could do well on quick slants, comeback routes and the occasional deep pass.
With free agency being rather thin on brand names, Moncrief could be one of the top targets among the teams that need help. If Brown earns more attention in free agency, Moncrief could be a cheaper alternative in a similar role.
Jermaine Kearse | New York Jets | 5.1 percent drop rate
Kearse hasn’t had the same level of success with the Jets as he did with the Seattle Seahawks, and that’s actually a positive for the Ravens. While Kearse might go under the radar thanks to the awful quarterback play in New York, he’s a perfect fit in Baltimore.
In Seattle, Kearse was asked to do a little bit of everything. He was used as a deep threat at times. He also saw time over the middle against zone coverage. Kearse does a good job using his big frame to his advantage and has solid hands. Kearse isn’t ever going to be mistaken for a No. 1, but he’s a chain-moving, possession receiver with strong hands.
After a disappointing 2018 season, Kearse could be hungry to prove himself. Considering the Ravens are set up to be run similarly to the Seahawks’ run-heavy scheme with a mobile quarterback, it could be a perfect fit for Kearse and Baltimore.
Adam Humphries | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 3.8 percent drop rate
Humphries is a guy few people would know since he wasn’t Tampa’s top dog. But you’d be foolish to ignore his production, especially when considering the trouble the Buccaneers had at quarterback in 2018.
Much like Kearse, Humphries has been asked to do a little bit of everything, though most of his work comes from the slot. Of his 76 receptions last season, 35 came in the middle of the field and less than 10 yards from the line of scrimmage.
Humphries is another sure-handed possession receiver who is a great red-zone threat. Though he isn’t massive or terribly fast, Humphries is the type of player who finds open areas and makes the catch. He might not be spectacular but Humphries is consistent and should be a relative bargain.
Cole Beasley | Dallas Cowboys | 3.0 percent drop rate
Beasley is often compared to former Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker. Both are fast, quick receivers that run underneath routes to great success.
Beasley isn’t asked to go deep often, instead making his living going over the middle and picking up extra yards after the catch. With quick cuts, Beasley is able to squirt around and through defenders to gain extra yards and make a push for the first-down marker. Teaming Beasley up with a deep guy on his outside will allow the Ravens to get him open on short routes in space, either on quick outs or slants.
Beasley does a good job of scrambling around and finding the soft spots in coverage when a play breaks down. With a quarterback like Jackson, Beasley could make a living simply being the pressure relief valve in those types of situations.
Tyrell Williams | Los Angeles Chargers | 6.8 percent drop rate
Williams is perhaps the most physically impressive wide receiver on this list. At 6 feet 4 and 205 pounds, he ran a 4.38 40-yard dash and has solid hands.
A capable deep threat who isn’t afraid to go over the middle either, Williams could do even better in an offense that features him more than the Chargers did. When Williams was the top dog in 2016, he went over 1,000 receiving yards, showing quite a bit of capability when given a chance.
Williams will likely earn quite a bit of attention in free agency with teams seeing his major potential. But he’s the type of big, fast, athletic wide receiver the Ravens always seem to target, except he can actually catch unlike so many of Baltimore’s failed experiments.
Phillip Dorsett | New England Patriots | 5.9 percent drop rate
Dorsett has so much untapped potential. He’s fast — a 4.27 40-yard dash — and averaged 9.1 yards per reception in 2018 for the Patriots. It resulted in only 290 receiving yards but three touchdowns.
The issue for Dorsett has always been consistency. Both in New England and with the Indianapolis Colts, Dorsett has flashed but never found any consistent production in spite of a wealth of physical talent.
Where Dorsett could find success in Baltimore is in a slash-type role. It’s hard to ignore his speed, so getting him the ball in space and letting him run around would be the perfect counterpoint for the Ravens’ smash-mouth run game. Dorsett could also be a great deep threat, helping to take the top off the defense or at least force them to respect the ability.
