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All eyes and ears in Baltimore were on free agent wide receiver Jeremy Maclin's visit to the ‘Castle’ to meet the Ravens brass. A lot of opinions and takes are in favor of the team bringing in the eight-year veteran. On Thursday morning, we had one former Raven Steve Smith Sr. meet with Maclin to help bring him in. Not every former Raven however, is in favor of signing him.
When you talk about great Ravens wide receivers, Derrick Mason is one of the first names to be brought up. Mason signed as a free agent in 2005 and was one of the toughest and most beloved players on the team. From 2008-2010, he was Joe Flacco's number one option and was always very reliable for the signal caller's first three years in the NFL.
Mason was on Glenn Clark Radio discussing Maclin and what he brings to the table. It's safe to say the former Ravens great is not a fan. He believes the team should bring in another current free agent who played for the Ravens for three years and was Mason's teammate in 2010. Take a quick guess who that is.
.@deemason85: "I don't trust Maclin because he's been hurt off and on...I can't bring a guy in that I can't count on." #Ravens
— Glenn Clark (@GlennClarkRadio) June 8, 2017
.@deemason85 "To me, [the #Ravens[ need [a WR]...that's going to set the tone...Somebody with some grit, an attitude...dog in them."
— Glenn Clark (@GlennClarkRadio) June 8, 2017
.@deemason85: "What Anquan brings is a guy...that's going to be physical. And he's a guy that catches everything around him." #Ravens
— Glenn Clark (@GlennClarkRadio) June 8, 2017
You can see Mason's point about being cautious signing Maclin. He is coming off a season where he was hampered by a groin injury that kept him out for four games. Right off the bat, you hope he isn't effected by it in 2017. He missed one game in 2015, missed the entire 2013 season with a torn ACL, and has only played in two full seasons his entire career. Both with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2010 and 2014.
However, aside from missing all of 2013 with a torn ACL, the most games he's ever missed in a season was last year with four. He's usually been pretty reliable and trustworthy to produce on the field consistently for your team. Which is exactly what he did for the Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs.
Of course to Mason's point, even if Maclin signs with the Ravens, I'm sure the team could still use Boldin's services one way or another. Boldin is one of the toughest receivers in the game today even at the age of 37, and he can still be a valuable target for Flacco.
The Ravens though, aren't going for their former player, they are trying to get a 29-year old receiver who is still in his prime and can produce at a high level. A facet this receiving core, Flacco, and the team needs at the moment.