Baltimore Ravens have given Joe Flacco what he needs to shine
After signing quarterback Joe Flacco to a three-year, $66.4 million extension this offseason, the Baltimore Ravens have done everything in their power to stack up the weapons around him.
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Ronnie Stanley, Chris Moore, Kenneth Dixon, Keenan Reynolds, Ben Watson, and Mike Wallace. The Baltimore Ravens added six new players to their offense in 2016, and you could make that seven if you want to count 2015 first-round pick Breshad Perriman, who might be one of the most explosive players in the NFL, as a new addition.
At this point, the Ravens are at least two-deep at running back, three-deep at tight end, and six-deep at wide receiver. In Eugene Monroe, Ricky Wagner, and Stanley, the Ravens should be able to cobble together a competent offensive tackle bookend with John Urschel, Jeremy Zuttah, and the elite Marshal Yanda in between them.
Sure, Kelechi Osemele was a tough loss to swallow, but the Ravens have more than made up for it. The Stanley selection alone could be enough to make Flacco forget about Osemele, though that’s more of a long-term hope than a short-term move.
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Last season, the Ravens were 25th in the NFL in points per game, 22nd in net yards per attempt, and 24th in yards per carry. For the second time in three years, injuries caused the offense to tank. Counted on to be the No. 2 receiver, Perriman never played a snap as a rookie. That wouldn’t have been a problem due to Kamar Aiken‘s emergence, but Steve Smith Sr.’s season-ending injury was a death blow. But at least the Ravens could lean on Justin Forsett and the running game, right? Nope. His season was over after ten games.
You could look at all of the Ravens depth at the wide receiver and tight end positions and laugh it off as Ozzie Newsome allocating too many resources to helping his big-money- and, in the eyes of some, overpaid- quarterback.
Instead, it’s a hedging of bets that has become necessary, because the Ravens have seen just how little they can rely on their players to stay healthy. Moreover, they’ve seen the drastic effects when those players do go down, just as they have witnessed dominance when everyone stays off the injury report. In the 2014 season, the Ravens took the Super Bowl champs to the wire in the divisional round, and they have a shot with anyone in the AFC if health stays on their side.
And health, of course, is something nobody should count on, because it is out of a team’s control. “Depth” is such an important concept as a result of the threat of injury, which is why the Ravens have embraced the idea of giving Flacco multiple options. It would be irresponsible for them to count on players with injury histories to remain healthy for 16 games, so they’ve added capable “next men up” in the likes of Watson, Moore, and Wallace. None of those three player are great talents (well, Moore could become one), but they all have positive traits that fit the offense.
When everything stays somewhat stable around Flacco, he’s capable of pulling 7.2 yards per attempt, 27 TDs, 12 INTs, and a 91.0 QB Rating; those were his numbers in 2014. If everything is torn apart at the seams, he’ll throw about as many picks as scores with a QB Rating hovering somewhere around 80.0.
The Ravens know that their hopes live and die on their above-average starting quarterback, and while he hasn’t shown that he can turn scraps into gold, he has shown that he can win when given a competent supporting cast. That’s exactly what the Ravens have done…and then some. They recognize the fact that depth is key, they’ve satisfied him financially, and they’ve given him every single big-play threat or safety valve (check the TEs and RBs) so that he can answer the “Is Joe Flacco elite?” question to his liking.
No, he’s not elite, but he is in a situation where he can thrive again. The Ravens will have to hope that Eric Weddle can spearhead a turn-around on defense- they were equally poor on that side of the ball in 2015- but if Flacco can turn a myriad of promising pieces into a well-rounded offensive attack, the margin for error on defense will be high.
Though the Ravens look hopeless at times last season, even before their star players suffered injuries, I wouldn’t blame fans in Baltimore for being excited. Say what you want about Flacco and his contract, but he’s a good quarterback.
Smith Sr. and Forsett balled out before their injuries, Perriman is one to watch, all of the tight ends had strong 2015 seasons, Aiken had a legitimate breakout year, Moore has long-term potential, every fan base in the league wanted their team to draft Dixon, and maybe the Ravens will be the team to figure out that Wallace is more of a 15-yard sideline and red zone jump-ball guy than a pure deep threat.
Plenty will come down to how the offensive line fares, and Osemele’s departure casts some doubt. Even so, I love what the Ravens have done to coax a bounce-back season out of their offense, and looking for depth at skill positions from players who fit your offensive philosophy is exactly the right strategy.
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In that way, Flacco has the keys to the universe, because, in theory, they should be able to withstand the rigors of a full season. Losing Smith and Forsett again would greatly damage their chances, but with the likes of Perriman, Wallace, and Dixon on the roster, they’ll at least give Flacco a chance to prevent the offense from floundering completely.