Ebony Bird
FanSided

Baltimore Ravens: The production they must replace

By Chris Schisler

Oct 12, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) celebrates a touchdown pass of the first half with wide receiver Steve Smith (89) against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 12, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) celebrates a touchdown pass of the first half with wide receiver Steve Smith (89) against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

It’s no wonder the Baltimore Ravens are trying to pick up Jeremy Maclin or Eric Decker. The Ravens offense lost a lot of production from last season:

Steve Smith Sr. caught 70 passes for the Ravens in the 2016 season. Dennis Pitta caught 86 passes for the Ravens in the 2016 season. Kyle Juszczyk caught 39 passes for the Ravens in the 2016 season. Kamar Aiken caught 29 passes for the Ravens in the 2016 season. None of these players will be a part of the 2017 season. This means the purple and black have lost 224 receptions from last year’s team.

Mike Wallace is the only wide receiver on the Ravens team with more than 33 receptions in his career. A fact that seems almost impossible to believe. Breshad Perriman had 33 receptions last year, in what was essentially his rookie season.

Michael Campanaro has been here since 2014, injuries have limited him to 12 grabs in his career. Chris Moore, had an uninspiring rookie campaign (on offense) and Keenan Reynolds still hasn’t had the chance to make an impression.

Related Story: Can C.J. Mosley win defensive player of the year?

The Ravens should be looking at a productive backfield in the passing game. Terrance West had 34 receptions last year. With Kenneth Dixon being suspended for the first four games, he is the main guy for the start of the season. The Ravens brought in Danny Woodhead, a player who has been one of the league’s best receiving backs over his career. The problem is that you can’t be too over dependent on running backs catching passes.

The Ravens lost their leader in receptions in Pitta. Smith Sr. caught the third most passes, Juszczyk caught the fourth most. You can say what you want about the players the Ravens lost. You can say that Pitta wasn’t explosive and Smith Sr. was old. However, the Ravens just lost the main pieces of their offensive attack. The Ravens didn’t replace what they lost. If they don’t sign Maclin or trade for Decker, the Ravens could be in trouble (even if Perriman steps up).

Next: 5 big questions for Ravens going into training camp

The only positive here, is that a lacking Ravens offense may have no choice but committing to the running game. Still, it’s hard to be excited to watch this offense. The Ravens need to add a weapon. You can’t lose big chunks of your production without replacing any of it.

Home/Ravens News