The Baltimore Ravens spent free agency looking at the wide receiver market and have been one team discussed to select a wideout in the 2021 ߣÏÈÉúAV Draft.
Despite their offseason interest in the position, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta took issue with the belief that his club needs to upgrade the receiver corps, pointing to the young talent already amassed.
"I'm aware that there's some fan discontent with our wide receivers and our drafting and all that," he said Monday. "But in general, I look at our record, and how we win games and how we play football, and I'm proud of the team. I know Coach (John Harbaugh) is proud. I know (director of player personnel) Joe (Hortiz) is proud. So we've got some really good, young receivers. It's insulting to these guys when they hear that we don't have any receivers. It's quite insulting. I'm insulted by it, too, to be honest. I think we've got some guys that want to show everybody what they can do. We love our team. We love our roster. We've got a lot of really good young football players who care really badly about it. ...But I think we've had a lot of good receivers here over the years that have won a lot of big games for us. I know this. I think Lamar (Jackson) likes the receivers, you know. I think our coaches like our receivers. I think the teammates, the guys in this team, like our receivers. That's my answer to that question."
Since DeCosta took over the Ravens' front office in 2019, he's selected four wide receivers, including 2019 first-round pick Marquise Brown.
The Ravens were in the running for free-agent JuJu Smith-Schuster this offseason before he returned to Pittsburgh. DeCosta also signed Sammy Watkins. His actions in free agency belie the "insult" he feels when it's suggested the group needs upgrading.
Baltimore's current receivers group is headlined by Brown, Watkins, Miles Boykin and Devin Duvernay. Jackson's go-to target has been tight end Mark Andrews.
The Ravens' run-first offense under Jackson remains without an alpha, field-tilting pass-catching presence. Brown has been a solid deep threat but hasn't commanded coverage in the Ravens offense. Sitting with the No. 27 overall pick in draft, Baltimore could go a lot of ways, including restocking its defense line. Despite DeCosta's vocal defense of his wideouts, Baltimore taking another swipe at the position at some point early in the draft shouldn't be ruled out.
