Ravens: Are Julio Jones and Justin Houston really necessary?

Waking up sucks, especially with an annoying alarm clock blaring in your ears. It does, however, provide one undeniable benefit. It provides the opportunity to check out the latest Baltimore Ravens news.

Whether you’re a super-fan wearing purple-camo pants and driving a van painted with the Ravens logo, or someone who just reads the Monday morning recaps, you likely care deeply about the team…Baltimore’s team. Maryland’s team.

Lately, much of Ravens fandom has been keeping tabs on the Julio Jones trade rumors. Twitter’s also abuzz with folks hoping Eric DeCosta is able to lure Justin Houston to Baltimore on a reasonable deal.

The Ravens have had a dearth of solid wide receiver options ever since they traded Anquan Boldin. And they do need another veteran presence at edge rusher in order to keep the pressure on Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, and the litany of other top-notch quarterbacks they’re set to face during the 2021 season.

Do the Ravens really need Julio Jones and/or Justin Houston?

Although it’s exciting to keep tabs on the Ravens’ latest moves, it’s easy to forget that the city of Baltimore, the state of Maryland, and the rest of the scattered Ravens fans are blessed to have a team at all.

Many fans don’t remember the Colts abandoning Baltimore — I know that I was only five years old when the Mayflower moving vans whisked them away.

Between the Colts’ exodus and the Ravens’ arrival, many Baltimore’s football fans latched on to the Joe Montana and Jerry Rice-led 49ers teams of the 1980s and early 1990s, the Troy Aikman-led Cowboys, or some other out-of-state franchise.

Rooting for an out-of-town team is not the same as having your own team, though. A team located within driving distance. A team for which your friends and family also root.

Because the Baltimore Ravens are the home team, however, they don’t merely consist of the 53 men on their roster. The Baltimore Ravens football team consists of each person, no matter their age, race, or gender, who roots for the team.

This includes both the superfans who attend every game and the fans who just tune in on Sunday afternoons to watch the next step in their team’s perennial journey toward the playoffs.

As part of the Ravens team, fans lift each other up when they’re down. They root for the team and root for one another. And no matter what happens in the draft and in free agency, they don’t abandon the Ravens after one mistake.

No individual on any team is perfect. But a team coming together to support one another, even after they make mistakes, is about as close to perfection as humans can get.

The Ravens’ relationship with Mo Gaba, a young superfan who lost his life to cancer, illustrates the support such a team can provide.

Eric DeCosta, keep working hard to get Justin Houston. See if Julio Jones makes sense in the long and short term. And make any other moves you think will improve the team.

Ravens fans will be watching — and checking for updates every morning. But regardless of what moves you make, fans will support you, the players and coaches, and each other.

After all, everyone who supports the Ravens is part of the team — and that’s what teams do.