Baltimore Ravens: The lack of depth at receiver is concerning

Aside from the top three receivers, the Baltimore Ravens lack depth at the position. It’s a major concern heading into the regular season.

As dominant as the Baltimore Ravens defense has been this preseason, the offense has been the complete opposite. The Ravens are 3-0, but haven’t shown much confidence, if any, on the offensive side of the ball.

But is the quarterback play the only thing to blame? The Ravens wide receiver group has been hyped up, but where have they been in the preseason? Specifically the back end receivers. A couple weeks back we talked about the possibility of the Ravens taking up to seven receivers on the 53-man roster, now it may look like they could only take five.

Aside from the starters, Chris Moore, Quincy Adeboyejo, Chris Matthews, Keenan Reynolds and Michael Campanaro have been disappointing. In three preseason games they’ve mustered up just 125 total receiving yards. In only one game was a wide receiver the leading pass catcher on offense. Sound familiar?

Heading into week one of the regular season, Jeremy Maclin and Mike Wallace are really the only two shore wide receivers we can count on. Breshad Perriman is still dealing with a hamstring injury and he has no definitive timetable. Chris Moore has gone from the No. 4 receiver to possibly falling out of favor with the offense. At this point I would put Campanaro ahead of him.

The best play from the receivers this preseason has been on special teams. As great as that is, it’s not what puts points up on the board.

It’s hard to fully evaluate the group without Joe Flacco, but it’s just the reality of the situation. And from what we’ve seen, it doesn’t bring much confidence.

What if they only take five WRs?

So let’s say the Ravens only take five wide receivers. Where does the one or two extra roster spots go? If the Ravens don’t feel confident with their depth at receiver, they need suffice elsewhere. You’d think with the defensive depth that the team would want to take another offensive player, specifically at running back or tight end.

Undrafted rookie running back Taquan Mizzell has shown is ability to catch the ball and could be a factor in the slot. Against the Bills he led the team with 54 receiving yards on six receptions and a touchdown. Mizzell is small for an every down back, but could pair with Danny Woodhead. This would let Terrance West and Buck Allen handle the majority of the carries on the ground. Tight end Larry Donnell is also an option. The offseason acquisition hasn’t been a huge factor this preseason, but is another red zone threat to have.

It’s not the most ideal situation to only take five receivers, but the Ravens need to do what’s best for the offense. If that means taking a running back or tight end that’s a more efficient pass catcher, then so be it.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that we need to see more out of this group as a whole. It’s just the preseason, but it’s concerning to see lack of production from the position. We know the Ravens offense is going to struggle, but they have talent at wide receiver. The problem is counting on the production behind the top three players.

Next: 5 Ravens players that helped themselves against the Bills

When a team’s best cornerbacks are covering Mike Wallace and Jeremy Maclin, I’m concerned the rest of the group is going to have a hard time producing. The Ravens are relying on unproven talent at the back end of the position. Thursday night’s preseason matchup against the Saints will be the last chance of instilling any confidence at receiver before the start of the season.