Free agent profile: WR Robby Anderson

NFL free agency officially kicks off on March 18. For the next few weeks up until then, we’ll be profiling some players on the market that the Ravens could potentially target. This time, the focus is on WR Robby Anderson from the New York Jets.

You can view past free agent profiles here:

• DT Javon Hargrave
• DE Michael Brockers

Player: Robby Anderson

Age: 26

Position: Wide Receiver

2019 stats: 52 receptions, 779 yards, 15.0 YPC, five touchdowns

PFF grade: 68.6

Market Value (Spotrac): $12 million per year (four years, $48 million)

After examining two defensive players to kick off this series, let’s switch gears here and look at the offensive side of the ball. Heading into the offseason, wide receiver is once again a position the Ravens will be looking to upgrade.

Their current depth chart consists of two returning rookies in Marquise Brown and Miles Boykin, along with Willie Snead IV and Jaleel Scott. Seth Roberts, Chris Moore and De’Anthony Thomas are all unrestricted free agents.

Last year, the Ravens primarily addressed their need for wideouts in the draft, adding both Brown and Boykin in the early rounds. The only free agent receiver they signed was Roberts, who was given a one-year contract. Eric DeCosta will almost certainly look to the draft again for help at the position, especially considering this year’s draft class is loaded with wide receiver talent.

However, that does not mean the Ravens couldn’t utilize free agency to add a wide receiver, as well. One potential option in this scenario is WR Robby Anderson, who is hitting the unrestricted market after a four-year stint with the Jets. ProFootballTalk reported yesterday that New York is looking to re-sign Anderson to a new contract but the possibility that he plays elsewhere remains for now.

Anderson is one of the top available free agents at the position, especially after big-name players such as Amari Cooper and A.J. Green. For the Ravens, Anderson would be a more realistic target then breaking the bank on either of the other aforementioned players.

Since entering the league in 2016, Anderson has established himself as a vertical downfield threat in the passing game. He holds a career average YPC of 14.8 and has held steady at 15.0 YPC in each of the past two seasons. In 2017, he posted career-highs in both receptions (62), receiving yards (941) and touchdown receptions (7).

Over the past two seasons with QB Sam Darnold at the helm, Anderson’s numbers were near identical. He’s dealt with some off-the-field issues at times but has missed just two games in his career, both of which came in 2017 and were a result of injury.

His 2019 season was a bit up-and-down but his most productive stretch of the season came between Week 12 and Week 15. In four games, including one against the Ravens, Anderson posted back-to-back 100-yard receiving outings and a combined stat line of 22 receptions, 370 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Highlights:

Fit with the Ravens:

Anderson would give the Ravens offense an established receiving threat who could compliment the likes of Mark Andrews and Marquise Brown in the passing game, while giving Lamar Jackson another weapon to throw to. Anderson is limited as a run-blocker and doesn’t offer much in terms of special teams but as a pure pass-catcher, he’s more dynamic than Willie Snead IV and more proven than Miles Boykin.

Verdict:

There’s clearly some attributes to Anderson’s game that are appealing and while he would add some juice to the team’s receiving core, the potential return on investment is questionable. Anderson appears to have settled in as a more-than-serviceable No. 2 or No. 3 wide receiver for his career but the Ravens may be better off using their cap space elsewhere and instead finding cheaper receiving help in the draft.