OWINGS MILLS, Md. Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta vehemently defended the team’s wide receivers during Monday’s pre-draft press conference.
“I am aware that there is some fan dissatisfaction with our wide receivers and our attitude and stuff,” DeCosta said. “We have some really good young receivers. It’s offensive to these guys when they hear that we don’t have any receivers. It’s kind of offensive. I’m offended by it too, to be honest. I think we do. some guys who want to show everyone what they can do. “
Since the first version of the Ravens in 1996, Baltimore and Washington have been the only teams not to have drafted a Pro Bowl-wide receiver. In each of the past two seasons, Baltimore’s wide receivers ranked last in the league for catches and receiving yards in the team’s run-oriented offense.
The Ravens are heavily linked in the first round to a pair of wide receivers – LSU’s Terrace Marshall Jr. and Minnesota Rashod Bateman – because of the perception that the team doesn’t have much in that position. Ravens coach John Harbaugh is annoyed by this opinion.
“We will assist our boys,” said Harbaugh. “I’m not going to apologize for our boys. Our boys are going out to win soccer games for us and make plays. They are going to show people. I can’t wait to see it happen.”
The Ravens have recently invested heavily in wide receivers, a total of three in the first three rounds in 2019 and 2020. No other team has lined up in the first two days of that period.
In 2019 Baltimore Marquise selected “Hollywood” Brown in the first round and Miles Boykin in the third. Last year, the Ravens drafted Devin Duvernay in the third round.
With one of the youngest broad receiver groups in the league (no one is over 24), Baltimore added Sammy Watkins as a free agency.
“I know this: Lamar [Jackson] “DeCosta loves the recipients,” said DeCosta. ‘I think our coaches like our receivers. The teammates love our receivers. “
DeCosta also spoke about contract talks with Jackson and said talks with the former NFL MVP are “fluid” and “underway”.
Jackson, 24, is entering the final year of his $ 9.5 million four-year rookie contract. The Ravens can exercise Jackson’s fifth-year option to keep him signed until 2022.
He will make $ 1,771 million this season – which currently ranks 24th among quarterbacks – after leading Baltimore to the playoffs in each of his three seasons.
“I think it’s important to us and it’s important to him too,” DeCosta said of Jackson’s contract extension. “I think Lamar is clearly a very patient man. He wants to be the best he can be. He wants this team to be the best it can be and he wants to win really badly. So we’re tuned that way. am confident that we will continue to discuss this and I think that at some point we will hopefully have good news for everyone. ”