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Realistic expectations for Marquise Brown and Miles Boykin in 2020

By Chris Schisler

SEATTLE, WA - OCTOBER 20: Wide receiver Miles Boykin #80 of the Baltimore Ravens reacts after making a 50 yard catch in the first quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field on October 20, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - OCTOBER 20: Wide receiver Miles Boykin #80 of the Baltimore Ravens reacts after making a 50 yard catch in the first quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field on October 20, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 25: Wide receiver Miles Boykin #80 of the Baltimore Ravens carries the ball against the defense of cornerback Jalen Ramsey #20 of the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 25, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 25: Wide receiver Miles Boykin #80 of the Baltimore Ravens carries the ball against the defense of cornerback Jalen Ramsey #20 of the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 25, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /

The focus of today’s look ahead to the 2020 season of Baltimore Ravens wide receivers is Marquise Brown and Miles Boykin. These two players are entering their second season from a much different set of expectations:

Preseason expectations got too high for Miles Boykin in his rookie season. Boykin had just 13 receptions for 198 yards and three touchdowns. He had some flashes, it’s clear that the talent is there. Boykin had a 50 yard reception on the first drive against the Seattle Seahawks. Against the Los Angeles Rams he had a 39 yard catch. Boykin has big play potential because of his frame and his quickness.

The key here is to have reasonable expectations for him in his second season. He won’t go from 13 receptions and three touchdowns to 75 grabs and 10 touchdowns. He won’t go from being a player with limited route tree to a polished veteran who can do it all. Boykin is still in the early stages of his development. The Ravens cannot go into the next season and expect him to magically become their number two wide receiver. The Ravens can’t go into next season needing production from Boykin. They need to remake the position group this offseason. The production they get from Boykin should be gravy. Who doesn’t love gravy?

With that in mind, let’s think about realistic expectations for the Notre Dame product. A good goal for Boykin would be to get to 30 receptions and to score five touchdowns. He needs to give the Ravens a reason to make him a bigger part of the offense. A good way to do that is to lean into his strengths. Letting Boykin stretch the field and making plays with his frame and vertical ability will put him in his comfort zone. If he just runs slants and go routes, Boykin can become a factor in this offense.

He averaged 15.2 yards per reception. If the Ravens can use him as a big play receiver, almost like a fast tight end, he’ll fit right in with the Lamar Jackson led offense. 30 receptions averaging 15.2 yards a pop would give Boykin 456 yards. That kind of production would be valuable. He doesn’t need to be a star to be a weapon.

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