The Baltimore Ravens got next to nothing from their kick returners in 2016. This must change this season.
The Ravens have seen the impact that a good kick returner can make. Jermaine Lewis and Jacoby Jones both scored a return touchdown for the Ravens in the Super Bowl. Both Lewis and Jones made history. Lewis’s return in Super Bowl XXXV was seconds after the Giants returned a kick for a touchdown. Jones broke a record in Super Bowl XLVII with his kickoff return for a touchdown.
If there is one thing that Ravens fans can all agree on, it’s that the Ravens return game was less than super this past season. Baltimore cut Devin Hester after his big mistake pinned the Ravens on their own goal-line. Hester to the Ravens was a disaster. Without a competent and confident return man, the team will lose yards and make life more difficult on the offense.
More from Ebony Bird
- Will Baltimore Ravens be rewarded for risky Lamar Jackson decision?
- The Baltimore Ravens Big Gamble
- Ravens Super Bowl odds present fascinating insight on Lamar Jackson’s future
- Should Baltimore Ravens be interested in this recently released WR
- Do the Baltimore Ravens have serious interest in this free agent wide out?
The purple and black have several options to fill the kick returning void, but none of them are overly proven. Michael Campanaro is the most natural kick returner the Ravens have, but he has taken injury prone to new levels. Keenan Reynolds was a great play-maker in the open field at Navy, but we haven’t seen it in the NFL. Lardarius Webb has experience, but he has certainly lost a step from his returning days. Finally there is Chris Moore, who has blazing speed and little experience.
You wouldn’t think that John Harbaugh, a former special teams coach, should have to be told the value of a kick returner. Other than Jacoby Jones though, it is a position his Ravens have seldom got right. While the Ravens didn’t fair so badly on kickoff returns, they ranked 24th in yards per punt return. Baltimore just got 7.4 yards per return in the 2016 season. That’s not okay.
The Ravens also had three fumbled punt returns (and two fumbled kick returns). That’s also unacceptable. Baltimore needs to move forward with a legitimate return man. Turnovers are never forgivable, especially when they come from special teams miscues. Fielding punts incorrectly equates to lost opportunities.
Next: Ravens round table: Players to watch in 2017
The Ravens are hopeful that they will add a receiver. While we are waiting for them to fill that big need, we can’t forget about their key special teams need. The Ravens must find an answer for returning kicks, or they will be due a lot of frustration this season.