ExtremeRavens Posted Saturday at 11:30 AM Posted Saturday at 11:30 AM INDIANAPOLIS — The NFL scouting combine looks pretty orderly on television with prospects in matching gear working out in front of cameras and stopwatches. But inside the hotels and convention space surrounding Lucas Oil Stadium, it’s a much more chaotic scene. Over the past week, nearly every important NFL decision-maker and their scouting staffs shuffled between on-field activities and team suites to buzzing restaurants and bars, discussing pertinent topics around roster construction. The scouting combine, leading up to April’s NFL draft, serves as one of the most important weeks on the league calendar, and each offseason forces teams to choose between needs and wants. The Ravens, in particular, need help across the offensive and defensive lines. They also need cornerback depth after a season in which their pass defense dropped to 31st in the NFL. They probably need another pass rusher or two, as well. Those specific position groups tend to surface when discussing needs, but the exact order of the most pressing varies based on your appetite. What Baltimore craves and wants — and what quarterback and two-time NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson has lacked for much of his career — is a dominant, physically imposing No. 1 wide receiver. On Friday, a report surfaced that Eagles general manager Howie Roseman continues to assess the trade market for three-time All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Brown, seeking a return in a potential deal that includes both a first- and second-round draft pick, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane. The Ravens have 11 selections in April’s draft, including …*checks notes* … picks in the first and second rounds at Nos. 14 and 45. Hmm. General manager Eric DeCosta is famously protective of his draft capital. It serves as the root of the team’s longstanding roster-building model as a “draft and develop” squad. But roster construction is also about windows, and Jackson enters his age-29 season still seeking to bring home and lift his first — and the franchise’s third — Lombardi Trophy. The Ravens certainly could benefit from the addition of a dominant “X” receiver and pairing a playmaker in Brown with back-to-back Pro Bowl selection Zay Flowers would leave first-year coordinator Declan Doyle salivating. Baltimore’s passing offense finished 16th in the league last season. Not good enough. Jackson and Flowers need reinforcements after Flowers posted 86 catches for 1,211 yards in 2025. He was the lone receiver to top 40 catches or 330 receiving yards. It’s laughable, really, when you look at the disparity. Rashod Bateman, meanwhile, remains a constant question mark. The former University of Minnesota wide receiver has delivered modest production but is coming off a career-worst campaign in 2025, as he finished with 19 catches, 224 yards and two touchdowns as an ankle sprain limited him to 13 games. Bateman, who signed a three-year, $36.75 million contract extension in June 2025, could serve as a piece in a potential trade. Bateman, like Eagles standout receiver DeVonta Smith, was taken in the first round of the 2021 draft. Their career trajectories, though, have gone in different directions. Bateman turns 27 in November and is still seeking his first 1,000-yard season, while Smith has posted three such campaigns with 5,019 career receiving yards, 385 catches and 31 touchdowns. Bateman has less than half that production with 157 receptions, 2,147 yards and 15 touchdowns. Would Philadelphia value Bateman as part of a larger package for Brown, one that’s expected to include significant draft capital? Bateman has flashed throughout his spotty five seasons in Baltimore. He’s perhaps the team’s best route runner but has struggled to develop a consistent rapport with Jackson and too often appears visibly frustrated during rough patches. Bateman might benefit from a change of scenery, whether it be Philadelphia or elsewhere. It wouldn’t be surprising if Bateman finally posted his first 1,000-yard campaign in Year 1 with a new team. Sometimes, a parting of ways and fresh start can be beneficial for both parties. The Ravens nearly traded Bateman to the Dallas Cowboys last offseason before they reached an agreement on a modest contract that kept him in Baltimore. Of course, the second part of the equation involves DeCosta’s willingness to part ways with his beloved pool of draft picks, along with factoring in the team’s other pressing needs and addressing Jackson’s pending contract situation. The last time Baltimore possessed the No. 14 pick, it selected do-it-all safety Kyle Hamilton. With defensive mind Jesse Minter at the helm, will the Ravens lean toward addressing their broken defense in the early rounds? Imagining an incoming rookie talent such as Miami defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. or LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane (Spalding) in Minter’s defense appears as tantalizing as adding Brown and reuniting him with future Hall of Fame running back Derrick Henry. The two offensive stars spent part of Super Bowl week together earlier in the month, and Henry teased his former Tennessee Titans teammate by bringing up the idea of Philadelphia trading Brown to Baltimore. “A.J. to the Ravens, bro, to the flock,” Henry clamored on Plaqueboymax’s Twitch stream. Brown offered a playful stare before he burst in laughter. Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta, shown at the NFL scouting combine, may try to add a high-level wide receiver to Baltimore's roster in 2026 to complement Zay Flowers. (Michael Conroy/AP) Asked earlier in the week about the ideal skill set of a receiver to complement Flowers, Minter replied: “That’s a great question. Receivers, they’re weapons on offense, and so they come in all different shapes and sizes, so, [we’re looking for] guys that can be impactful with the ball in their hands. Can they get open? Can they separate at the top of routes? Can they make contested catches? How do they play without the ball, as well? What type of teammate are they? How do they play without the ball? “You’re only going to get the ball in a great game eight or nine times. In a normal game, [it’s] four or five times so can they impact the game in other ways?” The Ravens surely wouldn’t be the only bidders for Brown’s services. Patriots coach Mike Vrabel spoke glowingly of his former player earlier this week, and New England, like Baltimore, would benefit from addressing a hole at receiver after its loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX. Brown might only have a few stellar years remaining as he approaches his age-29 season. But Brown is still among the league’s elite tier even after he labeled his offense a “s—show” this past fall and finished with 78 catches, 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns. The term “diva” often is attached to disgruntled receivers like Brown — he arrived in Philadelphia as close friends with quarterback Jalen Hurts, serving as a godparent to Brown’s eldest daughter, but that relationship has apparently fractured. Has it reached the point of no return for Brown in Philadelphia? Also, what standout wide receiver doesn’t ruffle the feathers every now and then? The good ones possess that sense of fire inside and the best address it with elite on-field performance. Brown’s proven to do both at a consistent level. He’s posted four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons with 339 catches, 5,034 receiving yards and 32 touchdowns in an Eagles uniform. For perspective, 10 Baltimore wide receivers have combined for 7,227 receiving yards and 47 touchdowns during that span, meaning Brown has amassed nearly 70% of Baltimore’s total production in both receiving yards and receiving touchdowns by himself. Whew. Brown’s fire to demand the ball and ability to make game-changing plays is exactly the type of playmaker the Ravens’ passing offense needs to reach a championship level. Flowers, who turns 26 in September, already is explosive with his shiftiness in the open field, but he doesn’t win many jump balls and he’s struggled to high-point targeted throws in critical spots, like the back corner of the end zone. Flowers ended a 14-week touchdown drought in a 24-0 win over the Bengals, but he also dropped what should’ve been his second touchdown during that game while struggling to leap and track a ball in the right corner of the end zone. Flowers also has an apparent turnover problem. He logged three lost fumbles, though he contributed to another in the team’s loss to the Rams. Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens had an NFL-worst four fumbles. “You can’t fumble the ball,” former coach John Harbaugh said after Flowers committed a key turnover in a Week 16 loss to the Patriots at M&T Bank Stadium. “You have to protect the football. If you don’t get it done, then you become known as a fumbler.” Don’t get it twisted. Flowers is a dynamic talent. His big-play ability shined and was most evident during the team’s season-ending defeat at Pittsburgh when Jackson connected with Flowers on a pair of downfield dynamite completions. Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers is the team's most reliable target, but his fellow wide receivers have struggled to put up big numbers in recent seasons. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) Still, Flowers (5-foot-9, 183 pounds) would surely benefit from a dominant running mate, and Brown (6-foot-1, 226 pounds) fits the bill. At the very least, DeCosta must explore all options with Brown reportedly on the market. “It depends on what you’re looking for or what you have available at that time,” DeCosta said of his process in evaluating wide receivers. “You’ve got your big guys, you’ve got your small guys, you got your fast guys, and you’ve got possession-catch guys. They have to be able to catch, first and foremost. I think route running is very important as well. Being able to drop your weight, get open and separate versus man [coverage], versus zone [coverage]. I think you’ve got to be intelligent, you’ve got to be competitive, and you’ve got to be tough. I think blocking is definitely a component if you play for a team like the Ravens, that prizes running the football. “And you’ve got to have a flair for making the big play at the right time, being a competitive player who can make a play. I think that’s a really important part of the position as well.” Browns checks just about every one of those boxes and he’d be a welcome addition to the remainder of Jackson’s prime window. Is he worth the price? Have a news tip? Contact Josh Tolentino at jtolentino@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200, x.com/JCTSportsand instagram.com/JCTSports. Josh appears as a host on The Sun’s “Early Birds” podcast. View the full article Quote
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