The Ravens are lining up a familiar face to help patch together their receiver room, with Chris Moore expected to be promoted before Sunday’s home opener against the New Orleans Saints.
Baltimore’s depth chart has taken a hit fast. Zay Flowers is dealing with what the team views as an annoying hamstring injury, and Ja’Kobi Lane is set to miss about a month after fracturing his wrist. That has forced the Ravens to sort through their options, and the most practical one may be the veteran who already knows the building.
Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reported that the move is expected, though it may not become official for several days. CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz added that Lane could undergo surgery as soon as Wednesday.
The Ravens are hoping their third-round pick can make it back in about a month, and if Lane goes on injured reserve, that would create the opening for Moore. Lane would need to miss at least four games before he can return.
Moore is not a like-for-like replacement for Lane’s 6-foot-4 frame or catch radius, but he offers the steadiest short-term answer among the receivers Baltimore has available. He showed that against the Indianapolis Colts in the Ravens’ 41-23 win, catching one of his two targets for 53 yards after Lane and Flowers were hurt. He also handled four kickoff returns for 121 yards, highlighted by a 42-yard runback that set Baltimore up nicely before its first touchdown.
His value went beyond the stat sheet. Moore and Rashod Bateman turned in important blocks on Derrick Henry’s 32-yard touchdown run, a reminder that Baltimore wants its receivers to bring more than just receiving production in Declan Doyle’s offense.
That all-around utility is what puts Moore ahead of the rest of the current options.
LaJohntay Wester has speed and return skills, but he is much smaller and less experienced. Devontez Walker brings size and vertical speed, though he was inactive against Indianapolis because of a groin injury.
Rookie Elijah Surratt was a healthy scratch. Gage Larvadain, recently added to the practice squad, still needs time to learn the offense before he can be trusted with a real role.
Moore already knows the terminology, the expectations and the special-teams setup in Baltimore. The Ravens took him in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, and that familiarity should let him step right back into the mix without much delay.
Now 33, Moore has 150 catches for 1,970 yards in his NFL career. He has never been a volume receiver, but he has built a reputation as a reliable outside target who can stretch the field, block in the run game and help in multiple phases on special teams.
That makes him the better immediate fit than a younger player who might have more upside but cannot shoulder as many jobs. Flowers is day-to-day with the hamstring issue, Walker’s availability is still unclear, and Baltimore could be looking at Bateman, Moore, Wester and Surratt as the receivers available against New Orleans.
For a Ravens offense trying to get through an early test of its receiver depth, Moore looks like the first move.
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