The Ravens’ Week 1 win over the Colts came with a price tag, and it was a steep one at wide receiver.
Baltimore rolled to a 41-23 victory on Sunday, but the depth chart took a hit almost immediately. Rookie Ja'Kobi Lane, who is expected to play a big role in the passing game this season, left early with an injury. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo later reported that Lane suffered a fractured wrist, and while the full severity isn’t known yet, the expectation is that he’ll miss some time.
That wasn’t the only concern. Zay Flowers also went down with a hamstring injury that forced him out early, and the Ravens were already missing Devontez Walker, who was ruled out before kickoff because of a groin injury.
That kind of attrition is why a trade idea makes sense, and Carolina’s Xavier Legette looks like the kind of player Baltimore could target.
Legette is currently the Panthers’ No. 3 receiver, but he didn’t do much to help his case in Week 1. Even with Carolina piling up 361 passing yards and 37 points, he finished with no catches on two targets and was charged with the team’s only drop of the day.
The former No. 32 overall pick has yet to find his footing in the NFL. Over his first two-plus seasons, Legette has totaled 84 receptions for 860 yards and seven touchdowns. For a player with that draft status and athletic profile, that’s a rough return, and he’s starting to look like the kind of receiver who needs a reset.
Carolina wouldn’t be dealing from a position of strength, but it also wouldn’t be stripping the roster bare. Jimmy Horn Jr. and John Metchie give the Panthers other options behind their top receivers, so moving Legette would be manageable.
From Baltimore’s side, the appeal is pretty simple: Legette may not be the answer, but he is another body, and the Ravens need bodies right now. He also brings more experience than the players currently in line to help replace Lane.
Those alternatives include Walker, who may not be ready for Week 2, and rookie Elijah Sarratt, who hasn’t even been active yet. Walker does have more experience, but his career line sits at just seven catches for 157 yards and four touchdowns across 21 games.
Because Legette’s value has sunk, the price shouldn’t be high. A late Day 3 pick, or even a swap of late-round selections, would probably get it done.
If that’s the market, Baltimore should be making the call.
In Other News...
Joey Porter Jr. Just Gave Steelers Fans A Reason To Hope
Joey Porter Jr. is giving the Steelers something to watch heading into Week 2, with the young cornerback increasing his practice participation after being limited earlier in the week. Head coach Mike McCarthy said Porter is expected to do more, which at least points to progress for a player who matters a great deal to Pittsburghs secondary.
The catch is that a fuller practice workload does not automatically mean he is ready to suit up, and the larger backdrop still hangs over the situation. Porter is in the final year of his rookie contract, and while the Steelers have control beyond this season through their roster mechanisms, the current impasse remains unresolved as the team waits to see how much of a step forward this latest practice bump really represents. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Fans Know How Rare This Patriots Memory Really Feels
The Steelers-Patriots rivalry has long carried a strange mix of familiarity and frustration for Pittsburgh fans, but the roots of it go back to a time when the balance felt very different. In 1997, the Steelers beat New England in overtime during the regular season, a game that stood out for the kind of hard-nosed, late-game swing that used to define this matchup before the Patriots took control in the Tom Brady era. Pittsburgh not only won that game but went on to capture the division and later saw New England again in the playoffs, giving that season an extra layer of significance.
For Steelers fans, that memory matters because it captures how rare those old advantages have become. What once felt like a competitive heavyweight series gradually shifted into something else entirely, and the 1997 win now reads like a snapshot from a different football age. It is the kind of reminder that makes longtime followers appreciate just how much the rivalry has changed, and why the moments when Pittsburgh had the upper hand still resonate so strongly. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Mourn The Loss Of An Early 1960s Standout
The Steelers are remembering one of their early defensive standouts after news broke that Jim Bradshaw died at 87, according to a social media post from his family. Bradshaw was part of Pittsburghs roster through the middle of the 1960s, appearing in 62 NFL games from 1963 to 1967 and making his mark as a safety after initially being converted from quarterback.
Bradshaws Steelers tenure ended after the 1967 season when he was traded to the Browns, though he never got the chance to suit up for Cleveland before being released. For a franchise that has long prized its defensive identity, his career serves as another reminder of the players who helped shape it during an earlier era. [Read more 🡒]