Baltimore Ravens must target Emmanuel Sanders in free agency
The more I think about it, the more Emmanuel Sanders becomes the perfect target for the Baltimore Ravens:
The Baltimore Ravens need help at the wide receiver position. They need to bring in a free agent at the position so they don’t have to make it an early priority in the 2020 NFL Draft. What are the Ravens looking for in a wide receiver?
Well they need a receiver who has the ability to take the top off of a defense so Marquise Brown isn’t the only deep threat in the passing game. The purple and black also need a reliable receiver who is consistent and can run the entire route tree. The perfect receiver for the Baltimore Ravens is Emmanuel Sanders.
Sanders is one of the most consistent receivers in the NFL. He’s averaged at least 11 yards per reception in every season of his career. In 2019, Sanders played for two different teams and had 869 yards. In 2018, Sanders had 868 yards. He has had eight straight seasons with at least 500 receiving yards.
He’s a big play wide receiver who has been a star for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Denver Broncos and the San Francisco 49ers. If the Ravens brought him in, they know what they would get out of him. Sanders would add some veteran leadership that would help Brown and Miles Boykin.
Adding Sanders is a good move for Lamar Jackson. Sanders could be what Derrick Mason was for Joe Flacco. He could be a trusted target that Jackson could lean on as a security blanket. The Ravens need a receiver who refuses to vanish from the game. Sanders has worked with Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning and Flacco over the course of his career. The wealth of experience that Sanders has could be very beneficial to Jackson.
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The Ravens could go into the season with a respectable receiving group in just one signing. Sanders and Brown on opposite sides would be a potent combination. Willie Snead is a reliable possession wide receiver and the Ravens have three productive tight ends and a promising young receiver in Boykin.
The Ravens can’t go after players like Amari Cooper or Robby Anderson. They’re not going to have the cap space to go to the top of the free agent market. Spotrac.com estimates the market value for Sanders at $10 million per season. That’s a number the Ravens can work with.
Getting a player like Sanders would make a ton of sense because he’s the most sure thing out of the entire free agent market at the wide receiver position. A.J. Green is also a player the Ravens could get for a bargain, yet he spent the entire 2019 season on the sideline. With Sanders you have nothing to worry about.
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The Ravens would add speed to their offense. Between Brown and Sanders, the Ravens would have two legitimate burners at wide receiver. Not only would defenses be forced to respect multiple deep threats, but the Ravens would also be able to pick up a lot of yards after the catch. The Ravens should still add to the wide receiver position in the NFL Draft; yet signing Sanders might just be the most important move they can make for the offense this offseason.