The Baltimore Ravens, if last season is anything to go by, are set to be among the most run-heavy teams in the NFL in 2019. But they’ve still assembled a young and talented pass-catching corps, both at wide receiver and tight end. The Ravens certainly hope that quarterback Lamar Jackson can better develop as a passer and develop a rapport with some (if not all) of them.
It’s early days of course, but it would be nice if one (or several) of these players were thought of, at the end of their careers, as being among the best pass-catchers in Ravens history. The Ravens have been celebrated throughout their short history for their defense. But they’ve been blessed with some truly special offensive players. The current roster would do well if they can match or exceed some of their achievements in the years to come.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the seven best pass catchers in Baltimore’s history.
WR Derrick Mason
Mason had enjoyed a solid eight years in the NFL as a member of the Tennessee Titans before arriving in Baltimore for the 2005 season. After six seasons with the Ravens, he owned the franchise records for receptions (471) and receiving yards (5,777) while also finding the end zone 29 times. He’s the only player in NFL history with at least 10,000 receiving yards and 5,000 kick return yards.
Mason led Baltimore in receptions in four of his six seasons between 2005 and 2010, and had four seasons in which he eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark. He set a franchise record in 2007 when he caught 103 passes. He was as tough as he was productive, never missing a game during his stay with Baltimore.
If there is one negative we can attach to Mason’s time with the Ravens, it was his disappointing form in the postseason. Mason played in eight playoff games for Baltimore but averaged only 2.5 receptions and 36.1 yards per game.
TE Todd Heap
Heading into the 2001 NFL Draft, the Super Bowl champion Ravens had a future Hall of Famer at tight end. However, then-GM Ozzie Newsome was a man who stuck to his board on draft day. Through this mentality, Heap became a Raven.
Only Mason caught more balls and for more yards for Baltimore than Heap, who reeled in 467 passes for 5,492 yards between 2001-2010. Nobody to date has more touchdown receptions for the Ravens than Heap, who scored 41 times.
In his 10 seasons with the Ravens, Heap had the fifth-most receptions and receiving yards among all tight ends in the NFL. Only Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez and Dallas Clark scored more touchdowns.
WR Torrey Smith
As debuts go, the first game that Smith started for the Ravens back in 2011 was certainly one to remember. Smith caught five of his eight targets against the St. Louis Rams for 152 yards, with three of his catches going for touchdowns.
Smith sits sixth on Baltimore’s all-time list with 213 receptions but trails only Mason and Heap in receiving yards. Smith’s 3,591 yards came at the impressive average of 16.86 yards per reception, the most of any Baltimore pass catcher with at least 100 receptions.
Smith has endured something of a nomadic existence since leaving the Ravens after the 2014 season, with spells on the 49ers, Eagles (with whom he won a second Super Bowl title following the 2017 season) and now the Panthers. He led the NFL in yards per reception in 2015, averaging 20.1 yards on his 33 grabs that year. But his best days were long ago, and they were in Baltimore.
WR Steve Smith Sr.
He only spent three seasons with the team, but there is little doubt as to the impact Smith had on the Ravens.
Smith was released by the Panthers after 13 seasons and 12,197 receiving yards following the 2013 season. He signed for the Ravens, no doubt spurred on by the prospect of a game against his former team in 2014. Smith advised fans to bring their goggles to that game, saying there would be blood and guts everywhere. He torched his former team to the tune of seven receptions for 139 yards and two touchdowns.
Smith eclipsed 1,000 yards in 2014 and stated that he would be retiring after the 2015 campaign. He was on pace for a grandstand finale, with 49 catches for 670 yards in the first seven games of the season. Then, cruelly, he tore his Achilles tendon against the San Diego Chargers in Week 8 and was done for the year. Through a great deal of hard work, Smith ensured that it would not be the end after all. Smith returned for the 2016 season, in which he played 14 games and racked up 70 catches for 799 yards. It was as a Raven that Smith notched his 1,000th career reception, becoming the 14th player to achieve the feat.
Smith is eighth on the Ravens’ all-time list with 195 receptions while ranking 10th with 2,534 receiving yards. It was only a brief stay for Smith in Baltimore but it was never dull.
TE Shannon Sharpe
Like Smith, Sharpe had a lot of football already in the books before he joined the Ravens. After 10 seasons, 552 receptions, 6,983 yards, 44 touchdowns and two Super Bowl victories in Denver, the Broncos waved goodbye to Sharpe following an injury-hit 1999 season. Sharpe played in just five games, caught 23 passes with no touchdowns, and averaged a pedestrian 9.7 yards per reception. But Sharpe still had plenty left in the tank, as the Ravens were all too happy to discover.
Sharpe led Baltimore in receiving yards during the 2000 regular season, but it was a play during the playoffs for which he is most fondly remembered by the football fans of Baltimore. In the second quarter of the AFC title game against the Oakland Raiders, Sharpe took a short pass from Trent Dilfer 96 yards to give the Ravens a lead that they would never relinquish, earning the team its first Super Bowl berth.
Sharpe played one more season with the Ravens, amassing a further 811 yards and two touchdowns before returning to the Broncos for the final two seasons of his Hall of Fame career. His numbers with the Ravens were far from spectacular, but he’ll forever be loved for making the big play that counted.
TE Dennis Pitta
Only four players have caught more passes for the Ravens than Pitta, who snared 224 of his 330 career targets (all from Joe Flacco) for 2,098 yards with 13 touchdowns. Sadly, these numbers do not tell the full story of Pitta during his time in Baltimore.
Pitta was a key member of the Ravens squad that captured the Super Bowl following the 2012 season. That year, Pitta had 61 receptions for 669 yards, whilst also scoring seven touchdowns. He went on to catch a 1-yard touchdown pass from Flacco against the 49ers in the Super Bowl, a score that gave the Ravens 14-3 lead in the second quarter.
However, from this high came an unbelievable run of lows. Pitta would play in only seven games in the next three seasons, missing the entire 2015 season after twice fracturing his hip. He returned in 2016, during which he set the Ravens single-season record for receptions by tight end, catching 86 balls for 729 yards.
That would prove to be his final season with the Ravens, however. Pitta injured his hip for a third time during the 2017 preseason, after which the Ravens released him. He hasn’t played a down of football in the NFL since. His numbers should be so much more than they are. But as part of Baltimore’s second Super Bowl championship, and for showing remarkable courage in fighting back from two devastating injuries, he’ll forever be looked upon as one of Baltimore’s favorite sons.
WR Anquan Boldin
Boldin is another remarkable pass catcher whom the Ravens got onto their roster for a short time. Following the end of his time with the Arizona Cardinals, Boldin played three seasons in Baltimore (2010-2012).
In his time with the team, Boldin caught 186 passes (good for No. 10 on the all-time list for the Ravens) for 2,645 yards. He also scored 14 touchdowns, including three in a Week 3 victory over the Cleveland Browns in 2010.
While his regular-season contributions were good, his form in the 2012 postseason really earned him the love and adulation of all Ravens fans. Boldin had 22 catches for 380 yards and four touchdowns as the Ravens won their second Super Bowl title. In the Super Bowl against the 49ers, Boldin had 104 yards, including the opening score on a 13-yard pass from Joe Flacco. It would be Boldin’s final game with the club, which traded him to the 49ers for a sixth-round draft pick.
Boldin would play three seasons with the 49ers before spending a final season with the Lions. He retired during training camp in 2017, finishing with a career tally of 1,076 receptions for 13,779 yards.
