The start of the new league year is nye and officially begins on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, at 4 pm EST while the legal tampering period opens up on Monday, March 13.
Given that the Baltimore Ravens are still currently over the cap as a result of placing the nonexclusive franchise tag tender on their star quarterback, Lamar Jackson, they will likely be one of the quiet if not inactive teams during the first wave of unrestricted free agency even after becoming cap compliant.
While getting the former unanimous league MVP locked up for the foreseeable future on a long-term deal is the first and most pressing order of business, getting him more weapons to through to is paramount as well.
Much to the dismay of the team’s fans, Ravens’ general manager Eric DeCosta and the rest of the front office likely won’t make any splashy signings for one of the top available wide receivers or swing any big trades for an elite player at the position this offseason.
However, there are several supplementary players at both of their positions of need on the defensive side of the ball that should and probably still will be available in the second and third waves of free agency before and after the draft that the Ravens can pick from.
WR DJ Chark
The former second-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars out of LSU in 2018 is three years removed from his first career Pro Bowl season and didn’t post prolific numbers with the Detroit Lions last year with just 30 receptions on 52 targets for 502 receiving yards and a touchdown per Pro Football Reference.
However, at just 26 years old, measuring in at 6-foot-4 and around 200 pounds with an average of 16.4 yards per catch and a career-high 9.7 yards per target, Clark is everything the Ravens could ask for in an outside receiver. He can stretch the field, make contested catches, and possesses a wide catch radius that gives that could give Jackson more of a target area to throw to.
GO DJ 🦈
📺: on FOX
📱: Stream on NFL+
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According to spotrac.com, Chark is surprisingly only projected to make an annual average of $9.5 million a year which is low for a player of his age and potential. He’d be a much more affordable and …read more
Source:: Heavy.com