November 18, 2012; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Stokley (14) entering the field before the first quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
The Baltimore Ravens have reportedly agreed to terms with free agent WR Brandon Stokley.
Stokley was still on the market because he is 37 years old and doesn’t bring much to the table at this point in his career. Stokley does still have great hands and is one of the best route runners in the league, but his speed is pretty much non-existant. He also doesn’t really fill the role of a big possession guy because he isn’t really big and he can’t really box out defenders especially well in traffic. That said, Stokley still can offer some short yardage help thanks to his routes and his savvy to get open against a zone coverage. If nothing else Stokley has a wealth of information he could pass on to the Ravens young receivers.
This is also a clear signal to the Ravens receivers to step up. The pre-season opener was less than inspiring for the WR group, they had just 3 catches at halftime and two of those belonged to Torrey Smith. For the record, no one has questions about Torrey Smith, we all know he is awesome. The rest of them were mediocre to say the least.
The signing of Stokley also brings up some fond memories. Stokley was, of course, a member of the 2000 superbowl team and played with the Ravens for 4 years after being drafted by them in 1999.