I found myself doing something this weekend for what I believe was the first time in my entire life.
“What, not grabbing a fifth sausage off the grill?”
No. No, obviously not that. I probably enjoyed 12. Actually, I found myself being asked about the possibility of the Baltimore Ravens adding another wide receiver and I didn’t say, “YES OBVIOUSLY YES” before the question was even finished.*
(*Except for Antonio Brown, who I don’t qualify as a “wide receiver” as much as an “unrepentant, truly garbage psychopath narcissist alleged rapist.”)
You of course know the circumstances. The Arizona Cardinals are parting ways with DeAndre Hopkins because when you have the chance to play Zach Pascal more frequently, you simply have to take it. They attempted to trade the five-time All-Pro but apparently the contract Odell Beckham Jr. received from the Ravens ruined their ability to make the deal happen. The Ravens were once believed to have been in the market for Hopkins before signing Beckham, their quarterback is a fan of Hopkins and Hopkins is a fan of their quarterback.
And so, naturally, we’ve entered “maybe DeAndre Hopkins could still be a Raven” territory.
So when I was asked about it by my friend Bruce Raffel in the aftermath of Hopkins again becoming available, I was kinda confused by … my … confusion. (They don’t teach you prose like that at any old journalism school, friends.) It truly feels like for the entire history of the Baltimore Ravens, whenever a wide receiver possibility has been discussed, I’ve offered some form of affirmative.
“Should they trade for Julio Jones?”
“HELL YES GIVE THEM A FIRST-ROUND PICK AND TWO IF YOU NEED TO.”
“Which receiver would you think about drafting at 25?”
“LITERALLY ANY OF THEM. ALL OF THEM. BROWN, HARRY, SAMUEL, METCALF, MCLAURIN, ALL OF THEM. THERE ISN’T ONE I’D SAY NO TO.”
“Could they try again to coax Calvin Johnson out of retirement?”
“HOW OLD IS HE?”
“37.”
“THERE SHOULD BE 37 EDIBLE ARRANGEMENTS WAITING ON HIS DOORSTEP BY 5 P.M.”
To be fair, there have definitely been times that I haven’t exactly been enthusiastic about the receivers the Ravens were linked to, poked around about or signed … or tried to sign and then realized “the hell are we giving Ryan Grant that contract for?” and then moved on. I mean, why not sign Chris Givens? How could he be any worse than what you had?
DeAndre Hopkins, of course, is definitively not Chris Givens. He’s one of the more talented players in modern NFL history. He has perhaps the greatest catch radius in the history of the sport. Yes, he’s going to be 31 in June and he’s two years removed from a torn MCL and was suspended six games last season for a violation of the league’s performance-enhancing drugs policy but honestly, none of those things are reasons why I’d be a “no,” per se.
Don’t get me wrong, they’re not ideal. But this is DEANDRE HOPKINS we’re talking about. I’m willing to consider imperfect circumstances for extraordinary talent. It’s like that thing where my wife starts telling me about how attractive Channing Tatum is and I say, “Yeah, but what if he farted uncontrollably at night” and then she kinda looks at me and I look back at her as we simultaneously recognize the irony of the question.
So clearly my answer isn’t “no” on Hopkins. I’m just not sure that it’s “yes,” either.
It’s so vitally important that the Ravens prioritize the development of their young, drafted receivers. They have a unique opportunity to create something similar to what the Bengals have with their young receivers right now and what the Steelers have had throughout the history of their franchise. Rashod Bateman and Zay Flowers are uniquely talented and could provide an amount of stability at receiver unlike anything we’ve seen in the history of the team. The addition of Beckham was logical (particularly before Flowers was selected) because, if healthy, he can both bolster the receiving corps and he can provide mentorship to the two young receivers. It’s a logical trio.
But would a further addition of Hopkins potentially derail the development of either player? Much has been made on Twitter about the possibility that signing Hopkins would lead to Bateman essentially checking out (or maybe even demanding a trade) because the team would perhaps be giving up on him as their top wideout. I’m not remotely prepared to consider that possibility, but I do recognize that the whole “not enough balls to go around” concept could prove to be real and absolutely could have some form of negative impact on the development of Bateman as a true No. 1 receiver and/or Flowers as an impact player.
I also know what you’re thinking. I know you think that it can’t be a bad thing to limit what’s needed from Flowers in his rookie season or from Bateman coming off of a significant injury. I also know that even if the addition of Hopkins were to somehow be a detriment to the younger receivers, it might be a significant benefit to the Ravens’ chances of breaking through in the Murderer’s Row that is AFC offenses at the moment. AND it could possibly prevent one of their direct competitors like the Bills or Chiefs from signing him as well.
I get it. I really do. That’s why I am most certainly not a “no.”
In fact, I’d say I’m leaning toward a “yes.” It’s just that if they do it, they have to figure out a way to make sure they continue to prioritize the development of Bateman and Flowers while also incorporating Hopkins (and Beckham). That’s not an easy line to walk. But I believe it to be possible.
And I’ll understand if they decide it’s simply not practical. Unlike all of the other times they did the same in their history.