Baltimore Ravens should target Travis Benjamin
By John Laird
The Baltimore Ravens are a little short at the wide receiver position. With veteran Pro Bowl wide receiver Steve Smith coming back from a serious injury, Ozzie Newsome will be looking to upgrade his pass catchers for his newly extended franchise quarterback, Joe Flacco.
The Ravens don’t have a huge cap number at their disposal, but still have enough to upgrade their roster. With Breshard Perriman coming back from an injury as well as Steve Smith, the Ravens will be in the mix for one of the wide receivers on the market.
That’s where Travis Benjamin comes in.
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Benjamin possess elite speed that really can’t be compared to anyone else in the league. He runs crisp deep routes that allow him to split zone coverage and get open down the field. Joe Flacco can throw the deep ball as well as anyone in football, so this pairing only makes sense. Benjamin can also suffice as a great returner as well.
Travis Benjamin was able to post a great stat line at 68 catches for 966 yards. That is great production if you look at whose throwing him the ball. *Insert Johnny Manziel joke here*
If Benjamin was able to post those numbers with sub par quarterback play, what kind of numbers do you think he’ll put up with one of the best deep ball players in the league? Benjamin runs a deadly post route that he seems to score deep every other week. Travis Benjamin’s hands have also gotten better has his career gets on, showing he devotes a lot to his craft. He’s a feisty player who would thrive with Flacco throwing the ball.
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For comparison’s sake, Kamar Aiken posted a 75 catch 944 yard state line. While yes, Aiken and Benjamin posted similar stat lines, look at who threw them the ball through out the season. Aiken had Flacco for 95% of the season, Benjamin was stuck with the likes of Manziel, McCown, and others throwing him the ball. You tell me which situation you’d rather be in.
Benjamin also has a 70 yard return in 3 out of 4 seasons in the NFL as a kick/punt returner. The addition of Benjamin wouldn’t just electrify the offense, but the special teams as well.
With Benjamin not being a ton of money, there’s a good chance the cap-strapped Ravens will make an offer to the former Hurricane. The signing of Benjamin would also take away from a divisional opponent as well.