Will The Baltimore Ravens Show Interest in Dwayne Bowe?

Dec 7, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe (82) against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Chiefs 17-14. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Ravens have yet to be linked to any wide receivers in free agency, but that’s not really a surprise. They were never going to go after a big money guy, well, because they never do. Now that we are nearing the end of week one of free agency, we’ll start seeing some second tier guys popping up that might be a big more affordable.

One of those guys is recently released wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, who got his walking papers from the Chiefs after amazingly going 17 games without catching a single touchdown pass. Once an exciting prospect, Bowe has served his time in the run heavy, short passing game that is necessitated by Alex Smith’s pop gun arm.

It only seems fair to give Dwayne Bowe a shot in an offense anchored by a strong armed quarterback and set him up for success. The guy hasn’t cleared 60 receptions or 801 yards the last three seasons after catching 15 touchdowns and going for 1162 yards in 2010. He’s still only 30 and likely has a few more good years left.

It may not be fair to place all the blame for Bowe’s struggles on Alex Smith and Andy Reid, but it is awfully ironic that Bowe’s decline in numbers coincides with their arrival in Kansas City. You can’t really blame them for playing to their quarterback’s strengths, either. All of this makes the decision to bring in Jeremy Maclin for big money even more puzzling, but that’s a different story for a different day.

So is Dwayne Bowe the cure for what ails the Ravens’ wide receiver corps? Probably not all by himself. A solid route runner with some speed, Bowe doesn’t excel at running short routes but can challenge a defense deep. He’s a big, physical guy that matches up nicely with the strengths of Joe Flacco.

The biggest obstacle, of course, is money. If a receiver needy and cash healthy team like the Browns or Raiders decides to jump in and overpay, there’s no way the Ravens will bite. But if Bowe is interested in winning games and playing with a quarterback who can help rejuvenate his career, Baltimore is a perfect fit.

Next: Latest Baltimore Ravens Free Agent News

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