It is time to get training camps going and with the arrival of the first real activities of the pre-season leading up to some games through August come the adveniment of the first Power Rankings for the 2023 campaign.
The Baltimore Ravens are, at the very least, into the group of teams locked into making the playoffs next season. Even the least optimistic of people can envision this team making a postseason run, and who knows if they can even with the Super Bowl!
The Bleacher Report staff put together their first PR of the season ahead of training camp and before, sadly, injuries start to pop up and mess up this and that roster. As things stand, though, the Ravens got a nice rank for the upcoming campaign.
No. 8 - Baltimore Ravens
"Baltimore actually has decent wide receivers in 2023. First, the team signed veteran Odell Beckham to a one-year contract. Then, the Ravens selected Zay Flowers of Boston College with their first selection in the 2023 draft. Combined with holdover Rashod Bateman, it offers Lamar Jackson potentially his best trio of receivers, well, ever. However, Moton has his reservations whether what looks good on paper will translate to success on the field. “While the Baltimore Ravens should be a playoff team with Lamar Jackson healthy, they’ve undergone significant offensive changes that may result in a slow start to the season,” he wrote. “The Ravens parted ways with offensive coordinator Greg Roman and hired Todd Monken. Baltimore also revamped its wide receiver group, adding Odell Beckham Jr., Nelson Agholor and rookie first-rounder Zay Flowers. Though the receiver additions look good on the depth chart, optimists should pump the brakes on the thought that everything will click right away.” “Beckham hasn’t played in an NFL game since Super Bowl 56,” Moton continued. “He’s also coming off his second ACL tear in three years. Agholor has seen a decline in his receiving numbers since his 2020 term with the Las Vegas Raiders. Flowers may have a bit of a learning curve in an adjustment to the pro level. By the way, wide receiver Rashod Bateman is still recovering from Lisfranc surgery. Don’t jump on the Ravens bandwagon yet—let the offense work through some wrinkles at training camp."Bleacher Report
The lads over BR.com ranked Baltimore as the eight-best team entering training camp this week and coming off a season that saw the team crash out of the playoffs at the hands of the 2021 SB runner-up Cincinnati Bengals.
As BR sees the Ravens, they think the squad has enough to be "a playoff team with Jackson healthy" while also worrying folks that the squad "has undergone significant offensive changes that may result in a slow start to the season."
That's perfectly reasonable to mention, mind you, and something that should in fact be taken into consideration when assessing this team potential and, most prominently, current status entering a season that (for now at least) is full of uknowns.
"Don't jump on the Ravens bandwagon yet—let the offense work through some wrinkles at training camp," BR wrote.
That's correct, and we should wait at least for a few days or weeks before we see the mob running some plays on the new Monken Scheme through training camp and in pre-season games even though those will only feature (for the most part) reserves and backup players.