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3 reasons the Baltimore Ravens must trade for Evan Engram

By Chris Schisler

New York Giants tight end Evan Engram (88) runs with pressure from San Francisco 49ers cornerback K'Waun Williams (24) in the first half. The New York Giants face the San Francisco 49ers in an NFL game at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020, in East Rutherford.Giants 49ers
New York Giants tight end Evan Engram (88) runs with pressure from San Francisco 49ers cornerback K'Waun Williams (24) in the first half. The New York Giants face the San Francisco 49ers in an NFL game at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020, in East Rutherford.Giants 49ers /
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Oct 11, 2020; Arlington, Texas, USA; New York Giants tight end Evan Engram (88) runs a reverse for a touchdown in the first quarter against Dallas Cowboys defensive end Everson Griffen (97) at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 11, 2020; Arlington, Texas, USA; New York Giants tight end Evan Engram (88) runs a reverse for a touchdown in the first quarter against Dallas Cowboys defensive end Everson Griffen (97) at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports /

The Baltimore Ravens need to shake things up offensively and trading for Evan Engram makes a ton of sense. Here are three reasons why it would be perfect:

1. The Baltimore Ravens miss Hayden Hurst’s production

Hayden Hurst at the very minimum was a target for the Baltimore Ravens that Lamar Jackson liked using in the passing game. Hurst only had 31 receptions so you may be thinking he was expendable and that we’re making too big a deal out of this.

Here’s the thing, those 31 receptions add up. Hurst had a catch in 15 out of the 16 games the Ravens played last year and he averaged 11.6 yards per reception. Essentially he was good for two to three first downs per game. Hurst caught everything thrown his way, and made some tough grabs that often came near the sideline as Jackson had rolled all the way out.

This season Jackson’s preference to throw the ball only to Marquise Brown and Mark Andrews is a little more pronounced. Marquise Brown has 26 receptions. Mark Andrews has 20. Nobody else has more than 11.

When the Ravens lost Hurst, they lost a dependable player in their passing game, one that Jackson trusted. Last year Andrews was his main target but 61 receptions came from a combination of Hurst and Nick Boyle.

In the 2019 offense, the Ravens still needed more from wide receivers, but at least they had three tight ends that made up for a lot in the passing game. The Ravens need that if Miles Boykin is going to continue his pace of almost nothing and the Ravens are going to under-utilize Devin Duvernay and James Proche.

The Ravens can’t trade for Hurst, but they can trade for a very comparable player. Evan Engram has 17 receptions this season. In his rookie year he caught 64 passes. The last two his reception totals were in the 40’s. He offers exactly the type of receiving production this offense needs. He’s an easy replacement of Hayden Hurst. The receivers aren’t getting it done and we know that Baltimore can subsidize the passing game with tight ends.

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