Ravens shouldn’t pin their hopes on Seahawks’ DK Metcalf
By Kristen Wong
The Baltimore Ravens have neither the money nor the need for Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf, who may not even become available this offseason.
As part of their recent rebuilding efforts, the Seahawks traded Russell Wilson and offloaded Bobby Wagner, but rumor has it that they will hold onto their top receiver weapons DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.
In the event that Metcalf wants out of Seattle, Baltimore shouldn’t splurge on the expensive but highly talented wideout as they have more pressing issues to worry about in 2022.
Trading for Metcalf would require Baltimore to fork over significant draft capital, and given the Ravens’ successful history of drafting and developing prospects, the franchise shouldn’t sabotage its future over one shiny wide receiver.
A trade makes sense for the New York Jets, who have plenty of early-round picks and can afford to give up a first-round pick for Metcalf and can also easily absorb his salary.
The Ravens, on the other hand, are working with limited available cap this offseason, and if the team were to target a Seahawks player, it would likely be linebacker Bobby Wagner, who was recently released by Seattle to save cap space.
The Ravens should not take a flyer on Seattle’s DK Metcalf
All of this has skirted around the central point of Baltimore’s offseason plans which is: the Ravens are mostly set in the receiver room for 2022.
The Ravens took a chance on a veteran wideout in Sammy Watkins last year and that didn’t exactly pan out. While Metcalf offers much better production and reliability than Watkins, he takes up valuable cap space that could be better used toward upgrading the team’s offensive and defensive lines.
Heading into the 2022 season, the Ravens will use Rashod Bateman in the slot and Marquise Brown as their WR1. They may pick up a rookie receiver in the later rounds of the draft or give Devin Duvernay or James Proche a shot at a starting spot, but they have little reason to be worried about receiver production.
Brown was mostly consistent last season, despite a few drops, and Bateman will look to make a big jump in Year 2 and hopefully establish better chemistry with Lamar Jackson.
DK Metcalf’s numbers are nothing to scoff at, as he has racked up 900-plus receiving yards every season and added 29 total touchdowns, and there’s no doubt he would continue playing at an elite level under the arm of Lamar Jackson.
Given how much Metcalf would cost the Ravens, though, the need just isn’t there.
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The Ravens have built their franchise around drafting well and developing their young players for the future — they would be wise not to make the same dangerous and ill-conceived trades the Seahawks did.