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The Ravens were quiet in free agency, but after signing DeAndre Hopkins and retaining Ronnie Stanley, Baltimore's offense has all the ingredients to make a deep playoff run while maintaining their reputation as the most explosive offense in the NFL.
Everything starts with quarterback Lamar Jackson, and the two-time MVP will again work to get his team deep into the playoffs and, most importantly, to a Super Bowl appearance. Even with the inactivity and loss of Brandon Stephens, Malik Harrison, Patrick Mekari, Josh Jones, and Chris Board, the team is still in the midst of a Super Bowl window and has 11 2025 NFL draft picks to help restock.
With the next wave of free agency underway, we're previewing every position, starting with the wide receiver spot, where Baltimore has nine players on the roster.
Baltimore has three wide receivers from last season on the open market: Nelson Agholor, Deonte Harty, and Diontae Johnson. Steven Sims signed a one-year deal with the Seahawks. Those departures were offset by Tylon Wallace's re-signing and DeAndre Hopkins's signing a one-year contract to chase a Super Bowl and play with Lamar Jackson.
Wallace becomes the third Ravens free agent to re-sign with the team, joining Ronnie Stanley and Patrick Ricard. A special-teams standout, Wallace returns after logging a career-high 11 receptions for 193 yards in 2024.
The rookie had one catch on three targets for a 21-yard touchdown over nine regular-season games in 2024. The former UNC star was a healthy scratch until his NFL debut in Week 7 against Tampa Bay. The highlight of his first year was a 21-yard touchdown reception against the Giants for his first NFL catch in Week 15. Most of Walker's work came on special teams, as he logged 153 snaps and 55 on offense. With the addition of Hopkins, Walker will enter 2025 as the No. 4 or No. 5 wideout at best.
Wade displayed big-play potential all last summer, including a 56-yard touchdown catch against the Falcons. With Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, and Nelson Agholor as the core three, Wade could not overtake Tylan Wallace, Deonte Harty, and Devontez Walker.
Wade caught 27 passes for 390 yards and two touchdowns during his last season at Ole Miss.
The former Louisville star quarterback continues his transition to the wide receiver spot.
Miller had three catches for 12 yards in the Wild Card round win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. While that may not sound like a massive impact, it was still more than his contributions during the regular season.
Miller had just one catch in two games played during the regular season.
Kirkwood spent the 2024 season on the team’s practice squad, but he did not play in a regular-season game. He originally signed with the Ravens after participating in the team’s minicamp on a tryout basis last June. Kirkwood appeared in 13 games with four starts in 2023 for the Saints, catching five passes for 37 yards. He was also on the field for 89 special-teams snaps.
The move gives the Ravens a legit third option at wide receiver and one of the NFL's most efficient trios of pass catchers. Hopkins, most importantly, provides quarterback Lamar Jackson with an elite red zone target. Hopkins has been one of his generation's most productive wide receivers, going to five Pro Bowls and being named first-team All-Pro three times. Since entering the league in 2013, his 984 receptions lead all wide receivers, and his 12,965 receiving yards tops all players. Of the 70 wide receivers who've had 500 targets since 2013, Hopkins has the fifth-lowest drop rate at 1.6%. Last season, the Ravens' wide receivers ranked 30th in the NFL with a 5.1% drop rate.
Flowers had a team-high 73 receptions and four touchdowns, and his 1,047 receiving yards were the sixth-most in the AFC during the regular season. However, a knee injury in Week 18 against the Browns sidelined him for the Ravens' postseason run. Flowers' 19 catches of 20 or more yards tied for fourth among receivers this season, and his 6.3 yards after the catch average ranked in the 85th percentile at his position. His five 100-yard games also tied for first in the NFL.
Bateman caught four of five targets for 66 yards and a touchdown in the Ravens' 27-25 divisional-round loss to the Bills. Overall, it was his most impactful regular season since getting drafted by Baltimore with career highs in receiving yards (756) and touchdowns (nine) on the second-highest catch total of his career (45) across 17 games. Bateman is signed through the 2026 season.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Where does Baltimore stand at the wide receiver position
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Everything starts with quarterback Lamar Jackson, and the two-time MVP will again work to get his team deep into the playoffs and, most importantly, to a Super Bowl appearance. Even with the inactivity and loss of Brandon Stephens, Malik Harrison, Patrick Mekari, Josh Jones, and Chris Board, the team is still in the midst of a Super Bowl window and has 11 2025 NFL draft picks to help restock.
With the next wave of free agency underway, we're previewing every position, starting with the wide receiver spot, where Baltimore has nine players on the roster.
What's changed
Baltimore has three wide receivers from last season on the open market: Nelson Agholor, Deonte Harty, and Diontae Johnson. Steven Sims signed a one-year deal with the Seahawks. Those departures were offset by Tylon Wallace's re-signing and DeAndre Hopkins's signing a one-year contract to chase a Super Bowl and play with Lamar Jackson.
Tylan Wallace
Wallace becomes the third Ravens free agent to re-sign with the team, joining Ronnie Stanley and Patrick Ricard. A special-teams standout, Wallace returns after logging a career-high 11 receptions for 193 yards in 2024.
Devontez Walker
The rookie had one catch on three targets for a 21-yard touchdown over nine regular-season games in 2024. The former UNC star was a healthy scratch until his NFL debut in Week 7 against Tampa Bay. The highlight of his first year was a 21-yard touchdown reception against the Giants for his first NFL catch in Week 15. Most of Walker's work came on special teams, as he logged 153 snaps and 55 on offense. With the addition of Hopkins, Walker will enter 2025 as the No. 4 or No. 5 wideout at best.
Dayton Wade
Wade displayed big-play potential all last summer, including a 56-yard touchdown catch against the Falcons. With Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, and Nelson Agholor as the core three, Wade could not overtake Tylan Wallace, Deonte Harty, and Devontez Walker.
Wade caught 27 passes for 390 yards and two touchdowns during his last season at Ole Miss.
Malik Cunningham
The former Louisville star quarterback continues his transition to the wide receiver spot.
Anthony Miller
Miller had three catches for 12 yards in the Wild Card round win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. While that may not sound like a massive impact, it was still more than his contributions during the regular season.
Miller had just one catch in two games played during the regular season.
Keith Kirkwood
Kirkwood spent the 2024 season on the team’s practice squad, but he did not play in a regular-season game. He originally signed with the Ravens after participating in the team’s minicamp on a tryout basis last June. Kirkwood appeared in 13 games with four starts in 2023 for the Saints, catching five passes for 37 yards. He was also on the field for 89 special-teams snaps.
DeAndre Hopkins
The move gives the Ravens a legit third option at wide receiver and one of the NFL's most efficient trios of pass catchers. Hopkins, most importantly, provides quarterback Lamar Jackson with an elite red zone target. Hopkins has been one of his generation's most productive wide receivers, going to five Pro Bowls and being named first-team All-Pro three times. Since entering the league in 2013, his 984 receptions lead all wide receivers, and his 12,965 receiving yards tops all players. Of the 70 wide receivers who've had 500 targets since 2013, Hopkins has the fifth-lowest drop rate at 1.6%. Last season, the Ravens' wide receivers ranked 30th in the NFL with a 5.1% drop rate.
Zay Flowers
Flowers had a team-high 73 receptions and four touchdowns, and his 1,047 receiving yards were the sixth-most in the AFC during the regular season. However, a knee injury in Week 18 against the Browns sidelined him for the Ravens' postseason run. Flowers' 19 catches of 20 or more yards tied for fourth among receivers this season, and his 6.3 yards after the catch average ranked in the 85th percentile at his position. His five 100-yard games also tied for first in the NFL.
Rashod Bateman
Bateman caught four of five targets for 66 yards and a touchdown in the Ravens' 27-25 divisional-round loss to the Bills. Overall, it was his most impactful regular season since getting drafted by Baltimore with career highs in receiving yards (756) and touchdowns (nine) on the second-highest catch total of his career (45) across 17 games. Bateman is signed through the 2026 season.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Where does Baltimore stand at the wide receiver position
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