Ravens taking calculated risk with bold Michael Gallup free agency interest

The song remains the same for the Baltimore Ravens as they enter the seventh season of the Lamar Jackson era. The Ravens are again thin at wide receiver as Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman are the two projected starters for what should amount to a championship roster.

Baltimore will undoubtedly make some additions in the 2024 NFL Draft. but they shouldn't turn their nose up at the idea of adding a veteran who can win 50/50 balls and be a red zone threat. That's where Michael Gallup, recently released by the Dallas Cowboys after a series of injuries, comes into play.

The Ravens and Gallup are meeting up, as the former Colorado State star needs a place to resurrect his career and the Ravens need to find an Odell Beckham Jr. replacement. Considering how the last few years have gone, both teams need this fit to work out for the best.

It has been three years since Gallup, who just turned 28, was able to move the needle on the offensive end. However, the idea of what he could be offensively for a team like Baltimore might be enough to help him land a new contract, perhaps on a shorter "prove it" type arrangement.

Michael Gallup could be a risky signing for the Baltimore Ravens

Gallup has lost many of the separation skills that made him such a dynamic presence early in his Cowboys career, as he hasn't tallied more than 500 yards in a season since 2020. Even though he was healthy last season, he found himself buried behind CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks in Dallas.

Gallup is still a physical receiver who can win in contested catch situations. With the skinny Flowers and still developing Bateman as the top two targets, the Ravens could have some use for a veteran player who with sure hands in a Todd Monken offense that has thrived with similar players in the past.

Gallup slotting in as the No. 3 wide receiver, possibly competing with a player Baltimore selects on Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft, would be a better loadout than rolling out what's left of Beckham. With the re-signed Nelson Agholor able to step in if one of those two keeps struggling, Baltimore will have depth (if nothing else) at receiver next year.

If Gallup is able to physically get back to what he was early in his Cowboys career, the Ravens could finally hit on a veteran wide receiver signing after years of slip-ups.