Receiver Needs

Ever since Anquan Boldin's trade, I've been struggling with finding a way to best replicate the Ravens' impressive receiving corps of last year. He was our clear #1 receiver for the entire season and really stepped up in the postseason when we needed it. He is a pleasure to watch play; he's physical, athletic, big, and can run a solid deep route. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Joe Flacco-Anquan Boldin duo rip apart defenses during our postseason run. However, the NFL is a business, as they say, and Boldin has left us for the west coast.

It's time to move on from the loss and start planning a way to deal with Boldin's absence next season. Without question, Torrey Smith will move up to become our #1 guy. But that leaves #2 and #3 open to contention. I loved Jacoby Jones' numbers last year, and believe he has some serious potential for the future. He may not have the best hands for the position, but Jones is fast and has proven he can be a playmaker in clutch situations. Alongside Jones, the Ravens should try out Tandon Doss or a 2 tight end set with Pitta and Dickson.

I do wish we had picked up a receiver earlier in the draft, but honestly it's hard to complain about how the Ravens played the draft overall. We still have some cap space to use, and the top receivers available right now are Victor Cruz and Brandon Lloyd. Lloyd's controversial because of his attitude and inconsistency, but has shown he has the potential to do some serious damage. I've always liked Cruz a lot, and would love to see him on our squad, but he's looking for something long term and very well may resign with New York.

With that said, the Ravens should try a 2 tight end set or maybe put Dennis Pitta at wideout. Training camp will be a big proving ground for all our receivers, a chance for someone to break out and become an impact starter on offense.