Baltimore Ravens: Missing out on Jordy Nelson was a blessing in disguise
By Cory Hughes
Ozzie Newsome and the Baltimore Ravens lost out on another big name wide receiver in Jordy Nelson. However, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Jordy Nelson, one of the bigger names in the NFL today was surprisingly cut earlier this week by the Green Bay Packers. And like every other marque wide receiver free agent, Ravens fans clamored to the idea of Jordy catching passes in the purple and black. That fantasy was short lived though, as he was signed by the Oakland Raiders on a two-year $15M deal.
I’m here to tell you Ravens fans, you shouldn’t be as distraught about missing out on this big-name wide receiver. Why, you ask? Nelson is such a good receiver, a proven deep threat and perfect for what Joe Flacco needs, right? Yes, but he’s also 32-year-old and on the backend of his career. For the most part, Nelson’s best years are behind him. Signing Jordy had Ozzie written all over it, I do admit that. Signing receivers with their best years behind them is a classic Ozzie Newsome move and it’s what must change with this organization moving forward.
The front office needs to stop with buying receivers and instead draft and develop their own. The “let us add a bunch of guys in free agency and not build the skilled positions players through the draft” is why the team has gotten here in the first place. It’s why the front office is forced to reevaluate the wide receiver position every two-three years.
The Ravens signed Jeremy Maclin after he was a late cut last June then didn’t draft one skill position player in April’s draft. In result, fans had to miserably watch guys like Juju Smith-Schuster, Kareem Hunt, and Alvin Kamara become stars in other in different uniforms. The system the Ravens have in place just isn’t working, at least not anymore.
It’s finally time to buckle down and build through the draft
Say Ozzie and the front office did sign Jordy Nelson, that would’ve been two wideouts signed this offseason before the draft even occurred. In the past, it’s how Ozzie has weaseled himself out of drafting wide receivers. By signing John Brown to a one-year deal, the front office is in a position where they can add two wide receivers and possibly a tight end come April’s draft. If they added a Jordy Nelson, the wouldn’t have been as much of a need to take several skill position players come draft weekend.
The Ravens have the worst talent in the division at the moment. John Dorsey has been in charge for about five minutes in Cleveland and he has put together a better offense than the Ravens have had for the last couple of years. I know, we’re a long way away from September but on paper, the Ravens’ roster just isn’t looking too hot for 2018. The draft is about a month away and there will be a substantial amount of talent present in the Ravens’ grasp. Hopefully, in his last year of being in charge, Ozzie will give the fans something to be thrilled about for the future. Attendance has significantly dropped this past year and I can’t help but wonder if it has to do with the lack of playmakers on the roster.
The Bottom Line
Jordy Nelson is going to be a significant piece for Jon Gruden and the Raiders but it just wasn’t the right move the Ravens. John Harbaugh and Joe Flacco need young guys they can count on to make plays for the foreseeable future.
Next: AFC North Free Agency Primer: What Ravens fans need to know
The talent this year’s draft class is bringing to the table is truly eye-opening. You see guys like Michael Gallup, Courtland Sutton, D.J. Moore, Deontay Burnett, Simmie Cobbs, Marcel Ateman and James Washington, Ozzie should be clamoring of the idea of ending up with one, even two of those guys on the roster instead of making panic moves like Jordy Nelson and John Brown.