Baltimore Ravens: Julio Jones would be the missing piece in passing game

The Baltimore Ravens might be interested in trading for Julio Jones of the Falcons, writes Jeff Schultz of The Athletic. Schultz wrote an article about how the Falcons might trade Jones and discussed the logistics behind it (you must be subscribed to read the article).

Within the article, he mentions that the market for Jones would be limited but says teams could opt to trade for him if they’re able to absorb his cap hit, think he’d put them over the top, or they’re a young, rebuilding team. The Ravens fall into the second category and there’s no debating that Jones would make this Ravens offense even scarier than what it already is.

Julio Jones would put the Baltimore Ravens’ offense over the top.

The Ravens haven’t been a great passing team since Lamar Jackson became the starter. In fact, they finished last in the league in passing yards a season ago, even behind teams like the Jets and Jaguars. Hollywood Brown hasn’t been the kind of player the Ravens were hoping for, but Jones — along with first-round pick Rashod Bateman — could make this passing offense legitimate.

Jones has totaled over 1,000 yards receiving in seven of his 10 NFL seasons with this past season being one of the three where he fell under the mark. He finished the year with 771 yards and three touchdowns but only started nine games. The big thing with Jones is injuries, though he’s remained relatively healthy in recent years, and also his age. He’s 32 years old and expensive, which makes trading for him a risky move.

That being said, the Ravens aren’t a tough team to figure out. They’re a run-first team and that’s been their Achilles Heel in the postseason, as teams stack the box and force Lamar Jackson to throw the ball. Jones would give Jackson another weapon for his arsenal and the passing game would be a much scarier one, that’s for sure.

Trading for Jones would make the Ravens a better team but with an extension coming for Jackson in the foreseeable future, absorbing Jones’ cap number would cut into that. It’ll be a difficult decision for the Ravens to make.