Tim White became an offseason sensation for the Ravens after signing with the team as an undrafted free agent during the 2017 offseason. With the Ravens needing plenty of help at wide receiver, Tim White could be an important piece of the puzzle.
White spent the majority of his 2017 training camp competing with the likes of Michael Campanaro, Keenan Reynolds, Chris Moore, and fellow undrafted rookie Quincy Adeboyejo. White was easily the top playmaker among this group all throughout camp, and quickly became the favorite of both fans and Ravens media members to make the final roster.
There was a lot of hype surrounding White leading up to the Ravens’ first 2017 preseason game against the Redskins. He did not disappoint. The rookie snagged a beautiful back shoulder throw from quarterback Josh Woodrum for a 33-yard touchdown in the 3rd-quarter. While that was White’s only catch of the game, It’s also worth mentioning that he was the first Ravens player to get a crack at returning punts in the game, and he was also used on a jet sweep that gained 8 yards.
All of this sounds fantastic so far right? So why aren’t we all talking more about White in 2018?
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Well… that’s probably because he suffered a season-ending thumb injury during the game. This was awful news for an undrafted free agent that was doing all the right things to earn a spot on the roster.
The Perfect Storm
Fortunately, White finds himself in a great position heading into the 2018 season.
Head Coach John Harbaugh noted that White was back to 100% health during the Ravens end-of-season press conference. This will allow him to attempt to pick up where he left off and perform at the same level as prior to the thumb injury.
Only this time around, he finds himself in a situation where four of the top receivers on the depth chart are far from guaranteed to return to the team in 2018. Mike Wallace and Michael Campanaro are both unrestricted free agents. Jeremy Maclin is perhaps the most likely player on the team to be cut after a massively disappointing season. Then there’s Breshad Perriman. While I don’t believe he’s going to be cut until 2019, it’s certainly still a possibility. I don’t expect all of these guys to be gone, but I do believe it’s very likely that one or more will be.
Just keep White in mind this offseason:
This would naturally move White up a few spots on the depth chart. Not only at just wide receiver, but if the Ravens let Campanaro walk, it wouldn’t be surprising to see White get another chance at being the team’s punt returner. Regardless of what happens to the roster around him, what he showed us in 2017 proves that he’s not afraid to put in the work to impress the coaching staff.
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It’s still very early in the offseason. There are many potential moves to be made in free agency and we still have the NFL Draft on deck. With all these things in mind, it’s not hard to see the perfect storm brewing for Tim White to become an impact player for this Ravens team in 2018. Don’t be surprised if the hype train returns once OTA’s arrive. All aboard.