Baltimore Ravens Rumors: Steve Smith Sr. expected to return next season?
The Baltimore Ravens offense was hit harder by injuries than any other team this season, and it all started when No. 1 wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon in Week 8 against the San Diego Chargers.
Ever since Steve Smith Sr. suffered his season-ending injury, there’s been plenty of speculation regarding the status of the Baltimore Ravens wideout for the 2016 season. Before the 2015 regular season began, it was made clear that this would be Smith’s last year in the NFL with family considerations in mind. But knowing how fiery of a competitor Smith is, many wondered if he would want to leave the game on his own terms, especially since he’s shown that he has more than enough left in the tank despite being 36.
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Back in November, CBS Sports’s Jason La Canfora reported that the future Hall of Famer is “strongly leaning” towards playing again in 2016, finishing his tweet by saying “Warrior wants to keep on fighting”.
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Today, more news about Smith’s 2016 status has come through the wires, and it points in the same direction as La Canfora’s report from last month. Per sources close to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the belief in the Ravens organization is if Smith is healthy enough after tearing his Achilles’ this season, then he will indeed return for one last season.
That would obviously be a huge boost to Joe Flacco and the entire Ravens offense, which would be “plus” unit again with Smith’s return. Beyond the fact that Smith averaged a monstrous 95.7 yards per game and 14.6 yards per reception before his injury, the Ravens will also get a presumably healthy Breshad Perriman for his “real” rookie season. Since Smith’s injury, Kamar Aiken has emerged as a legitimate starting option for Flacco, and then there are the talented tight ends and Justin Forsett at the running back position.
Oct 26, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Rapoport will divulge more about this story later on today, but, for now, Ravens fans tentatively have another reason to look forward to the 2016 season. If the Ravens can have an offseason that’s more like their 2014 offseason (when they added Smith) than their 2015 version, then they could be back in the postseason, especially if Smith is back and healthy for the full campaign.
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This season, Smith had three games with at least 130 receiving yards out of his seven appearances, and I have a feeling that the second major injury of his career still won’t sap out his trademark explosiveness. At the very least, his famed toughness will be carried with him into 2016 if he does indeed continue to play, and that’s something most NFL fans can look forward to watching; he’s a living legend on the gridiron.