The Ravens don’t need to get fancy with this one. They need a receiver who can stretch the field, make a defense pay, and turn a handful of snaps into something real. Devontez Walker has already shown he can do exactly that.
That’s why his role should be growing now, especially with Zay Flowers and Ja’Kobi Lane dealing with injuries and Baltimore’s receiver depth looking thin in Week 2. Walker gave the Ravens a reminder in their loss to the New Orleans Saints, catching one pass for 47 yards. It was the kind of play that jumps off the screen because it’s the kind of play he keeps making whenever he’s actually given the chance.
The problem has never really been production. It’s been volume.
Walker played only 17 snaps last Sunday, while Chris Moore was out there for 32 snaps and finished with one catch for 6 yards. If the Ravens are trying to move the ball and put points on the board, the answer seems obvious: get Walker on the field more often.
Baltimore has already seen what happens when Lamar Jackson has one of his top targets available. Zay Flowers opened the season with 5 receptions for 150 yards and a touchdown in Week 1, and Rashod Bateman followed that up with 7 receptions, 88 yards and a touchdown the next week.
Between Flowers, Bateman and Mark Andrews, there’s enough there to function. But if Flowers is out again, or even if he isn’t, the Ravens need someone else to step into a bigger spot.
Walker has done his part in limited opportunities during his third season. He has 8 receptions for 204 yards and 4 touchdowns, and the big-play profile is impossible to miss.
His 25.5 yards per reception says everything about the type of threat he is right now. When he touches the ball, something can happen fast.
There are reasons he hasn’t climbed higher on the depth chart. He’s still working to broaden his route tree, and at the moment his role is mostly that of a vertical specialist.
That makes him dangerous, but it also makes him easier to read. He also has to get better as a run blocker.
With Derrick Henry in the backfield, Baltimore is going to live in a run-heavy world at times, and if a receiver can’t hold up there, it affects his chances of staying on the field. Pro Football Focus has Walker with no snaps in the run game on his 17 snaps so far.
Still, Henry is the kind of back who can create damage even without a lot of help from wideouts. And when a player is producing the way Walker has, the Ravens have to weigh that against the rest of the picture. At some point, the explosive plays matter enough to force the issue.
That point feels like Week 3 against the Dallas Cowboys.
Baltimore is heading to Brazil for a matchup that could turn into a shootout. Dallas brings Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.
Baltimore counters with Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and, presumably, Zay Flowers. If the Ravens want one more weapon to keep pace, Walker looks like the cleanest answer.
The matchup gives them even more reason to lean in. Dallas had the worst passing defense in the NFL last year, and while the numbers have looked better this season, Cobie Durant is out and Malik Hooker is trending toward being out as well. In a game that could open up quickly, Walker fits the moment.
For an offense built around explosive plays, he feels like the natural fit while Lane recovers from a fractured wrist and Flowers works through a hamstring injury. Jackson has the arm to launch it, and Walker has the speed and tracking ability to run under it. Baltimore may already have the pieces, but Walker is the one who could make the whole thing pop.
In Other News...
Ravens Just Got A Pregame Edge Dallas Cant Ignore
The Cowboys are heading into their matchup with Baltimore already shorthanded on defense, and the injury list is hitting hard in the middle of the field and on the back end. Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, cornerback Cobie Durant, and safeties Malik Hooker and P.J. Locke have all been ruled out, leaving Dallas to patch together its coverage and run support against a Ravens offense that will be looking to test every weakness.
Rookie linebacker Jaishawn Barham and cornerback Shavon Revel are expected to step into larger roles, which gives Baltimore a chance to go after some inexperienced snaps early and often. For a Ravens team that can make life difficult with pace, physicality and layered pressure, the absences on Dallas defense create a much different pregame feel than the Cowboys probably wanted entering this one. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens-Cowboys Brazil Trip Suddenly Comes With A Serious Field Concern
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The NFL says it is confident the surface can be managed, and maintenance work is already underway to help reinforce it ahead of the game. Still, for Baltimore, the bigger picture is easy to see: a showcase matchup in a famous venue is only as good as the ground beneath it, and the coming days will determine whether this one feels like a marquee event or a slog. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Quarterback Search Takes A Turn Ravens Fans Should Notice
The Giants quarterback search has picked up another layer of intrigue after a season-ending injury forced them to sort through both the short term and the bigger picture. Jameis Winston is set to start for now, but New York is still evaluating depth behind him, and the coaching staff has kept the door open to just about every possibility as it looks for stability at the position.
One name that surfaced in the discussion was Joe Milton, though Josina Anderson reported that he remains on the Cowboys practice squad and that the Giants have not made any formal move to bring him in. For Ravens fans, it is the kind of NFC roster churn worth tracking because any quarterback shuffle in New York can ripple through the league conversation, especially with a divisional-style urgency attached to teams trying to protect themselves from being left thin behind center. [Read more 🡒]