So there have been some interesting recent developments in NFL news in the past few days. Ricky Williams announced his retirement from the NFL, Rob Gronkowski was seen dancing out at a club a day or two after losing the superbowl, fans in Boston demonstrated the definition of what it means to be poor losers, and Gisele Bundchen responded angrily towards criticism of her hubby's late-game Superbowl performance and placed the blame of the loss squarely in the hands of the Patriots' receiving corps.
Only one of those stories, however, is serious news that will have any effect on the NFL next season. The Ravens will have an important decision to make regarding their running back depth in light of Ricky Williams' retirement. Ricky provided exactly what the Ravens needed in a backup: he was experienced and proven, he was content to serve as the 2nd string back behind Ray Rice, and he provided good speed burst and substantial size to muscle through tacklers when necessary. The Ravens could opt to give Anthony Allen a try at being Rice's backup. Allen displayed impressive speed and size in the 2011 pre-season, and he rushed for over 1800 yards in his final season of college. Allen would be quite a cheap option on a team that could use all of the salary cap space in a year where the Ravens will be looking to sign and retain Ray Rice, Joe Flacco, Ben Grubbs, and Lardarius Webb. Ozzie Newsome also made it clear that the Ravens will be looking to improve at wide receiver. This could mean utilizing young receivers such as Tandon Doss and LaQuan Williams, or it could mean going after a big name free agent...and, maaaan, there are some big names out there to choose from!
The list of unrestricted free agent wide receivers is a who's who of NFL playmakers. Here are the top 13 options:
1. Vincent Jackson, Chargers
2. Marques Colston, Saints
3. Wes Welker, Patriots.
4. Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs
5. Laurent Robinson, Cowboys
6. Stevie Johnson, Bills
7. DeSean Jackson, Eagles
8. Reggie Wayne, Colts
9. Brandon Lloyd, Rams
10. Mario Manningham, Giants
11. Pierre Garcon, Colts
12. Jerome Simpson, Bengals
13. Robert Meachem, Saints
Clearly, Ravens fans will be begging their beloved team to pick up the likes of Vincent Jackson, Marques Colston, or Dwayne Bowe. A big receiver with proven hands and great speed would put the Ravens receiving corps into elite status. Suddenly the Ravens would be able to put Anquan back in the slot where he plays most naturally, they would have Torrey Smith to take the top off opposing defenses, and they'd have a wide receiver who can win jump ball situations and also spread the field. A Vincent Jackson type receiver could offer the speed, size, and hands to bring the Ravens into the top 10 in total offensive production as added firepower to the passing game would open things up further for Ray Rice and the Ravens' rushing attack. "GREAT!!! Where do we sign up?", you're probably asking. Well not so fast. Receivers of this caliber come with hefty price tags, and "the right player at the right price" has always been the motto of the Ravens' free agent acquisition process.
Nevertheless, the idea of Vincent Jackson in purple and black is an intriguing one. We've seen Philip Rivers launch bombs to Jackson for years, and one could only imagine that Flacco's arm strength would allow Jackson's role on the Ravens to be nearly identical. Only time will tell which of these many free agents will fall into the Ravens' price range and which will simply get re-signed by their current teams.
A big, speedy, sure-handed wide receiver would be an enormous piece to the puzzle of the Ravens' pass offense, but acquiring one won't mean much without an solid offensive line to give Flacco time to find his targets. The Ravens most likely will have to draft a center within the first 2-3 rounds of the draft, but more questions remain because of Ben Grubbs' free agency. Grubbs is a pro bowl lineman and one that the Ravens should do everything within their power to retain. Because of his performance, however, Grubbs will have the power to command a high salary and will undoubtedly entertain bids from other teams. Some have recently mentioned the possibility of Jah Reid moving from back-up tackle to guard and taking Grubbs' place. Guard is not an easy position for a tackle to play, and Grubbs has the speed and athleticism that Jah Reid may lack at that position. Reid is, after all, prototypical tackle size at 6'7" and roughly 340 pounds. Grubbs, by contrast, is 6'3" and much faster at 310 pounds.
Hopefully the Ravens will be able to free up enough salary cap room to sign Flacco, Rice, Webb and Grubbs to long term deals and still have enough left over to make a serious bid for a big name wide reciever. Ricky Williams departure will mean that the Ravens will most likely replace him with a much younger and cheaper back in Anthony Allen. Lee Evans will most likely become a salary cap casualty unless he agrees to play for FAR less money than was agreed upon in his original Raven contract. Paul Kruger may also take the starting position of veteran linebacker Jarret Johnson, but Kruger has mostly displayed pass rushing abilities and lacks strong run-stopping ability that JJ has provided for close to a decade. We'll know a lot more by the time the 2012 draft is over, but I have no doubt that Ravens fans across the state will excitedly ponder the possibilites!
As always, GO RAVENS!
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