Mixed Year for Ravens Receivers

In what has been a rollercoaster of a year for the Baltimore Ravens, which ended with a 35-31 defeat by Betfair’s marginal Super Bowl outsiders the New England Patriots in the play-offs, there has been plenty of food for thought for the franchise’s management regarding the performances of their wide receivers. While there have been some real positives in the shape of Steve Smith and the strength in depth of the roster, there have been questions asked of Torrey Smith, and especially Jacoby Jones. So, let’s take a look at how each wide receiver on the Baltimore roster has done this season?

Torrey Smith

Starting the season as the Ravens’ sole deep threat, much of Torrey Smith’s campaign was plagued by injuries. While the 25-year old managed to stay fit enough to avoid a lay-off, it was clear for large parts of the regular season that Smith wasn’t as explosive or dynamic as he had been in previous years. But despite some disappointing aspects of his game, Smith did bring plenty to the team in 2014 in terms of setting the tone. The second half against the Cleveland Browns highlighted just that, with the wide receiver taking two towering balls in the fourth quarter to help the Ravens secure their first offensive touchdown of the game.

With a career-high 11 touchdowns to his name in 16 regular seasons, Smith certainly improved his ability to get into the end zone on a regular basis. While some will see him as a receiver who is capable of stretching the defense and make the most of a simple long ball, there will be plenty of teams in the NFL willing to pay Smith a large wage to do that for their team now he is entering the free agency, unless the Ravens and the former second-round pick agree a new deal. It might be a blow to the Ravens to lose the wide receiver but Smith isn’t a player the Ravens will feel they won’t be able to replace.

Steve Smith

It’s fair to say Steve Smith entered the latter stages of the season in different form compared to how he started the campaign. After racking up over 100 yards in a sensational four of his first six games of the regular season, Smith failed to achieve that feat again until the Wild Card round of the play-offs, averaging more than 12 yards a catch just once in his final nine appearances of the regular season. Smith struggled to handle the closer attention from defenders which his early-season form resulted in, and a combined 19 drops alongside fellow receiver Torrey Smith also needs to be addressed. At 35-years old, Smith still brings plenty to a team in terms of aggression but the veteran is most likely facing the prospect of playing a back-up role next season should the Ravens restock their wide receiver supplies.

Kamar Aiken

As with the rest of the receiving corps, Kamar Aiken showed signs of his best football at times this season without ever managing to achieve the level of consistency he would have wanted. Aiken was Baltimore’s third most productive receiver in 2014 with 24 catches for 267 yards with three touchdowns, establishing himself as a real red zone threat and a dangerous weapon to have as a special teamer. The 25-year old definitely did enough to warrant a bigger role for the Ravens next season.

Marlon Brown

Marlon Brown’s second year might not have been as successful as his first, but the youngster still showed what he is capable of during times in 2014. After a slow start to the year, Brown’s productivity improved significantly throughout the season, averaging 40 yards a game in a three-game run towards the end of 2014. While it doesn’t look as though Brown will ever reach that top tier of wide receivers in the NFL, his technical ability and six-foot-five frame will always make him a very useful player to have on a roster.

Michael Campanaro

One of the finds of the season, Michael Campanaro did his case for an increased role in 2015 no harm with an impressive rookie season. Not many Ravens fans would have expected much from their seventh round draft pick, but Campanaro proved he can handle playing in the NFL every time he took to the field in 2014. In just four regular season appearances, the 23-year old caught seven balls for 102 yards and was one of the most dangerous slot receivers in the team. A hamstring injury took out a large chunk of the rookie’s season, though, and it’s his fitness which could stop Baltimore from giving Campanaro a bigger role in 2015.

Jacoby Jones

Among the biggest disappointments of the season, Jacoby Jones was plagued with the butteriest of fingers in 2014, suffering a number of drops which saw him relegated to the bench during a season in which the Ravens could have desperately used more from him.