Ravens stepping up interest in veteran playmaking WR with Friday meeting

The Baltimore Ravens are on a mission to once again find a veteran wide receiver who can hit their stride alongside Lamar Jackson instead of regressing. With Odell Beckham Jr. off the table and flirting with the Miami Dolphins, Baltimore is in need of a downfield playmaker in their offense.

The Detroit Lions appear to have their top two wideouts in Amon-Ra St. Brown and former top pick Jameson Williams locked in, making it more difficult to envision a scenario where top tertiary target Josh Reynolds is brought back. Reynolds remains one of the better options on the free agent market.

The Ravens, seemingly favoring the idea of adding a veteran player instead of using one of their top picks in the 2024 NFL Draft on a downfield threat, are taking a keen interest in Reynolds, even scheduling a meeting with him on Friday to gauge how good of a fit he truly is.

While there is no perfect option on the open market at this stage, adding a consistent performer with a history of being an effective vertical playmaker could be a very fine use of Baltimore's available funds. Reynolds picked a great time to have a career year and hit the open market.

Ravens hosting veteran big-play WR Josh Reynolds

Reynolds, who got his career back on track in Detroit after a disaster of a stint with the Tennessee Titans following his original Los Angeles Rams departure, is a bigger playmaker at 6-2 with plus speed and the ability to make contested catches. Jared Goff was a big fan of Reynolds on third down.

Reynolds recorded 40 catches for 608 yards and five touchdowns, tying his career-best TD mark and coming just 11 yards short of setting a new yards benchmark. After being relegated to tertiary roles in high-flying offenses in LA and Detroit, Reynolds could be the No. 2 target if he goes to Detroit.

While John Harbaugh seems to be giving Rashod Bateman another chance to show he is a solid player in this league, Reynolds would be the superior player strictly for next year. He and Flowers teaming with Bateman might make it tough for a rookie to get on the field, but it would get the most out of Lamar Jackson's arm in what is a championship or bust season.

While Jackson and Derrick Henry will make Baltimore a run-first team no matter what else happens, getting Reynolds for a relatively cheap deal would be one way for the receiver room to adequately supplement those stars.