Ravens named potential trade destination for former first-round WR
By Matt Sidney
One of the ongoing questions for the Baltimore Ravens has been, "Who will Lamar throw to?" For the first few seasons of his career, it was relatively unclear. Mark Andrews has been a nice piece, but the receiver room has always felt a bit lackluster.
Last year, rookie standout Zay Flowers became a dude. Jackson had a lot of fun throwing to his rookie receiver and they set records together. Odell Beckham Jr. was brought in to potentially fill the receiver void, however, he failed to live up to the hype. There is also former first-round pick Rashod Bateman and his three NFL seasons that have yet to yield tangible results.
Long story short, the receiver room has needed help for a while and seldom do the Ravens find ways of doing so. The offseason addition of Derrick Henry is sure to excite fans, but the Ravens are already the best rushing team in the NFL.
The questions remain the same, who will catch passes from Lamar Jackson? Is Rashod Bateman ready to make a leap in year four? Is Nelson Agholor a reliable third option? Is rookie Tez Walker ready to contribute right away? Or is the answer someone who isn't on the roster today? Could the Ravens entertain the trade market for another receiver?
Gregg Rosenthal from NFL Media, who also hosts the NFL Daily podcast, recently suggested that the Ravens might be in the mix to trade for an underperforming receiver. The receiver of note was a former first-round pick of the Washington Commanders, Jahan Dotson.
Would the Commanders trade Dotson and where would he fit on the Ravens?
Dotson is a former first-round pick. He is only 24 years old. He is going into his third NFL season. In his previous two seasons, Dotson has amassed 84 receptions, 1,041 yards, and 11 touchdowns. While the numbers won't jump off the page, they're solid enough, and their stats are in the ballpark of a prototypical WR3.
On his podcast, Rosenthal suggested that the Ravens could start their trade negotiations with a fourth-round pick straight up for Dotson. He'd note that this offer might fall a bit short, but are the Commanders truly in a position to turn down such an offer? The Denver Broncos received a fifth and sixth-round pick from the Browns when they traded Jerry Jeudy earlier this offseason.
The Commanders are ushering in a new offensive scheme with new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. Kingsbury has routinely been a coach who likes to play "his guys." Rosenthal noted, "It's a new coaching staff who didn't draft him in the first round. So, I tend to think he's available if someone wants to give up a pick for him."
Moving the 'Jahan Dotson is available for a pick' notion further is the fact that Dotson has been playing A LOT this preseason. That doesn't necessarily bode well for a third-year player with a first-round draft pedigree.
To Dotson's credit, he's had Carson Wentz, Jacoby Brissett, Taylor Heinicke, and Sam Howell throwing him the football. None of those QBs figure to be a long-term answer for any team. Maybe Dotson just needs a change of scenery.
The Ravens should entertain an offer and a fourth-round pick feels like a very safe starting point.
The Ravens have a clear WR1 in Zay Flowers. Training camp looks like it's going well for potential WR2 Rashod Bateman. There is a clear hole for the WR3 spot. Should the Ravens trade a pick for Dotson, they'd have three former first-round pick receivers under the age of 25 who could be the receiver core of the future.
The Ravens could be in the market for a new WR3 and Jahan Dotson would be an incredible get, especially at the suggested price point. The offense would be even more unpredictable and Dotson's addition just might be what the team needs to be a true championship contender.