Early look at the Detroit Lions 2017 opponents: Baltimore Ravens

Wide Receivers

The Ravens lost Steve Smith in the offseason. Smith was not the player he once was, but he was still a productive receiver. The Ravens brought in Jeremy Maclin, who hopes to resurrect his career the same way that Smith did in Baltimore. He should not have trouble finding room underneath the coverage the team will see. Their makeup in the passing game makes them very dangerous deep.

Speedsters Breshad Perriman and Mike Wallace will give secondary coaches nightmares. Wallace has bounced around the league a bit since leaving Pittsburgh He landed a massive contract in Miami, spent a year with the Vikings, and finally found a home in Baltimore in 2016. He was the Ravens most productive receiver in 2016. Perriman missed his entire rookie season and had a limited role in the Ravens’ offense during his sophomore season.

Another intriguing player on the Ravens roster is Keynan Reynolds. Reynolds is a former option quarterback for Navy. He will be a wide receiver and kick returner for the Ravens. Tom Patrick is another prospect with interesting traits for the Ravens. He stands 6’4″ and weighs 212 pounds. He also ran a 4.47 at his pro day. If he can figure out how to regularly catch footballs he could be a contributor in the red zone.

Tight End

Dennis Pitta was an extremely important part of the Baltimore offense last season. The Ravens have failed in their efforts to replace him. Ben Watson had 74 catches in the last season he played, but he is coming off Achilles surgery in his thirties. Chances are that he will not have enough zip in his step to be an effective receiver. Crockett Gillmore is coming off two shoulder surgeries and has been quoted as saying he had a “broken back” bothering him in 2016.

Maxx Williams managed to find an injury that required a surgery that no NFL player has ever had to undergo. While that is impressive given the breadth of knee injuries that NFL players have suffered, it does not bode well for his future in 2016. It leads one to wonder whether he will be back at full strength after his week four 2016 injury. Nick Boyle is too slow to be an effective receiver for the Ravens, but he has been an effective blocker, and that might gain him a roster spot. The Lions numbers against tight ends will likely improve against the Baltimore Ravens.