After trading Marquise Brown to the Arizona Cardinals last Thursday night, the wide receiver position has quickly become a hot-button topic for the Baltimore Ravens once again. The Ravens did not select a receiver in the draft to replace Brown, leading to speculation that the team could make a play for a free agent or possible trade target.
General Manager Eric DeCosta said earlier this week that the organization is confident in the young wideouts that currently make up the team’s core: Rashod Bateman, Devin Duvernay, Tylan Wallace, and James Proche. However, he also suggested that the Ravens would continue to monitor the market and that there were viable options available.
One of these options could be veteran wide receiver Jarvis Landry. According to Brad Stainbrook and Dov Kleiman, the Ravens have recently expressed interest in signing the 29-year-old.
The #Ravens are interested in signing former #Browns, #Dolphins possession WR Jarvis Landry, according to @StainbrookNFL
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) May 6, 2022
Stainbrook also noted that Landry, an unrestricted free agent, has not had any contact with the Cleveland Browns as of late. The Browns drafted two wide receivers this past weekend and traded for Amari Cooper earlier in the offseason, all indications that a reunion with Landry is probably unlikely.
Landry has played the past four seasons for the Browns since signing with them in 2018 after a four-year stint with the Miami Dolphins. In Cleveland, he started all but three of his 59 games played and totaled 288 receptions, over 3,500 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns.
His best season as a Brown came in 2019, where he caught 83 passes for 1,174 receiving yards en-route to a fifth-straight Pro Bowl selection. He previously had back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving campaigns in Miami in his second and third career seasons.
The Ravens are plenty familiar with Landry’s talents, as the veteran has done some damage against Baltimore over the years. In eight total meetings against the Ravens as a member of the Browns, Landry caught nearly six receptions and 85 receiving yards per game. He had three 100-yard performances against the Ravens and averaged 14.4 yards-per-catch. These marks are all greater than his career averages overall.
As a possible free agent addition, Landry makes sense for the Ravens. At 5-foot-11, he may fit the mold of the big-bodied “X” receiver that many see as a need for Baltimore. He’s also not an elite speedster or scoring threat. For his career, Landry averages 11.0 yards-per-catch and has caught 37 touchdowns in eight seasons.
However, Landry has established himself as one of the league’s premier slot receivers and possession wideouts. Since entering the league in 2014, only three other players — DeAndre Hopkins, Julio Jones, Travis Kelce — have caught more passes than Landry, who has 688 career receptions to his name.
Landry has proven to be a threat to create yards after the catch, too, and is a consistent reception hog over the middle of the field. On top of that, he also plays with a level of physicality and willingness to block that the Ravens have long coveted in wide receivers.
The Ravens could probably use some greater size and/or speed at the position, but beggars can’t be choosers. In terms of proven talent, Landry is one of the top available options still remaining on the free agent market. He’d provide an immediate upgrade to the Ravens’ passing attack.
It will be interesting to see if Landry would entertain joining a rival team of the past four seasons, and if he desires to remain in the AFC North or AFC at all. Of course, what he desires in terms of salary could also be a make-or-break factor for the Ravens’ chances of signing him.