RAVENS TRY TO GET A HOLD OF STRUGGLING OFFENSE AS THEY ACQUIRE WR SAMMY WATKINS, PLACE DEVIN DUVERNAY ON IR
Earlier this week the Baltimore Ravens placed wide receiver and Pro Bowl kick returner, Devin Duvernay, on injured reserve, with a broken bone in his foot.
Duvernay was hurt during Tuesday’s practice and underwent tests for a foot injury later in the afternoon to determine the extent of the setback. A few hours after the tests, the team announced that it had placed Duvernay on injured reserve, ruling him out for the next four weeks, including a potential playoff game.
In an attempt to improve an already weak receiver room, the Ravens claimed former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Sammy Watkins off waivers on Tuesday morning, hours after signing former Bengals wide receiver Mike Thomas to the practice squad earlier on Monday. Watkins spent last season in Baltimore with the Ravens and was released by the Green Bay Packers on Monday morning. Watkins had failed to make a catch in his last three games.
Although a slight improvement on what the Ravens currently have at wideout, the Watkins addition has left many skeptical of the team’s plan regarding their receivers. Watkins, 29, only managed 13 catches for 206 yards and no touchdowns in nine games with the Packers this year. The former Buffalo Bill has only put up a 1,000+ receiving yard season once in his eight years in the league and registered career lows in catches (27) and receiving yards (394) in Baltimore last year.
The Ravens on the other hand, currently lack a number one wide receiver, having lost 2021 first-round draft pick, Rashod Bateman, early in November to a season-ending Lisfranc injury. The team’s receivers haven’t caught a touchdown pass since week 3 (September 25) and Jackson or Huntley will now have to rely heavily on former Kansas City Chief Demarcus Robinson, the only other Ravens receiver aside from Bateman to put up 100+ receiving yards in a game this season.
Other receivers available for the team include 15-year veteran DeSean Jackson, whom the Ravens signed in November to help provide a vertical threat, and 2020 sixth-round draft pick out of SMU, James Proche. The Ravens put 2021 fourth-round draft pick out of Oklahoma State, Tylan Wallace, on injured reserve on December 3rd and will not have him available until at least January 2nd.
Although the team is currently missing the services of starting quarterback Lamar Jackson who has not seen the field in the past two weeks due to a PCL injury, their struggles in the passing game predate his untimely injury in Week 13.
The Ravens’ passing offense ranks 27th in the league through 14 games and last in the league in the past four weeks. The team hasn’t put up more than 16 points in a game since Week 12 and is averaging 9.7 points per game in the past three contests. The team also hasn’t scored a touchdown in its past seven quarters and its wide receivers rank last in the NFL in receiving yards (1,328).
The low production on offense has brought heavy criticism on the team in recent weeks, with Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman taking most of the heat. The Ravens spent two draft picks on tight ends in the draft this year, including a fourth-rounder for Iowa State’s Charlie Kolar who hasn’t seen the field at all this year and has yet to make his NFL debut. Coastal Carolina’s Isaiah Likely has also struggled to be consistent having shown glimpses against the New Orleans Saints a few weeks ago.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, however, spoke on Monday and backed his offensive coordinator, saying Roman was “fully capable of understanding the pass game” and what the Ravens “have to do” to get it going. “First of all, we’ve got confidence in everybody,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve got great coaches and great players… Absolutely, all of our coaches, including Greg [Roman] and everybody else are fully capable of understanding the pass game and what we’ve got to do to get it done, and scheming it up.”
As far as changing personnel roles and responsibilities on the coaching staff, Harbaugh said, “We’re not getting into all that. You guys can talk about all that and I respect that. I love the fans talking about everything they can talk about. We’re together, man. We’re a team. We’re in here. We’re spending all our time getting ready for the Atlanta Falcons, with every ounce of energy and fiber we got.”
“We’ve got a bunch of people who are very good at what they do, who understand everything about our team better than anybody else possibly could. We’re getting ready to play the game. All that other stuff, we don’t have time for that. As coach Belichick said, ‘now we’re onto Atlanta’. All the ‘end-of-the-bar conversation’, is for the people sitting at the end of the bar.”
With the growing unrest surrounding offensive coordinator Greg Roman, Ravens outside linebacker Tyus Bowser posted a video on Instagram that showed handwritten pieces of paper lying in the team facility that read “Fire Greg Roman,” hours after the Ravens were beaten by the Browns in Cleveland. Bowser sought out Roman on Monday and apologized to him.
While the Ravens’ offense will continue to be a major talking point all throughout the year, especially with their defense playing really well, only time will tell if Roman and Harbaugh can fix the issues the team has in putting up points and putting their receivers in positions to succeed.
Starting quarterback Lamar Jackson missed his seventh straight practice on Tuesday, which could mean Tyler Huntley starting on Saturday against the Falcons. The Ravens (9-5) have an opportunity to clinch a playoff spot with a win over Atlanta on Saturday and a combination of two losses from three AFC East teams (the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, and New England Patriots).
With the Jets already in the loss column this week, should Baltimore continue their slide one has to wonder whether someone on the Ravens’ coaching staff will take the fall over the next few weeks.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.