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Will Baltimore Ravens wide receivers and tight ends demand the ball?

Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Ravens have a plethora of talent from wide receiver to tight end. On paper, you could make the argument that the Ravens have the deepest collection of wide receivers and tight ends in the history of the franchise. One could also make the argument that the Ravens offense doesn't have an excuse not to be a top 10 offense at the very least in the NFL.

Look at the level of depth that the Ravens have on paper:

  • At wide receiver, the Ravens have Steve Smith Sr., Mike Wallace, Kamar Aiken, Jeremy Butler, Breshad Perriman and Chris Moore.
  • At tight end, the Ravens have Crockett Gillmore, Dennis Pitta, Maxx Williams and Benjamin Watson.
On paper, it looks like opposing defenses will have a lot of  problems accounting for everyone. This isn't even including the running game with Justin Forsett, Buck Allen and Kenneth Dixon. However, with the amount of depth the Ravens have, one could argue that the football will be in high demand early and often over the course of games during the 2016 season.

It will be interesting to see how Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco and Ravens offensive coordinator Mark Trestman handle this situation if any issue surfaces. This isn't automatically a bad thing, though. In fact, more and more players wanting the ball on offense indicate that the Ravens offense is developing a swagger and confidence that the organization has been looking for for quite some time.

I think even Ravens head coach John Harbaugh would want players who don't want to shy away from the moment as opposed to players who do. The key for the Ravens on offense entering the 2016 season to keep all players involved in terms of touches, is to take each game on a strategy by strategy basis.

Each opposing defense on the Ravens schedule provides a different philosophy and with the level of depth the Ravens currently have at the skill positions on offense, each player can be featured depending on the opponent. But at the same time, those players at the skill positions would need to take advantage of their opportunity to shine. It wouldn't be wise to force feed the ball to someone who isn't being productive.

Overall

It will be important for Ravens coaches and players on offense to be on the same page and have a healthy competitive nature for the better of the team. Wanting the ball is always good, but it shouldn't be at the expense of winning. I think the Ravens have players who want to win first and foremost.