The Baltimore Ravens have at last tracked down a new wide receiver in free agency. On Friday, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network revealed that the Ravens are relied upon to sign previous Kansas City Chiefs wideout Sammy Watkins to a one-year deal worth $6 million.
As indicated by Rapoport, $5 million is completely ensured. Watkins, who turns 28 in June, will get the opportunity to serve as Lamar Jackson’s new No. 1, and mentor the younger wide receivers on roster.
Watkins was being recruited by the Ravens and the Indianapolis Colts, as per reports, however has picked to sign with the former. Watkins goes from one MVP quarterback to the next, as he leaves Patrick Mahomes for Jackson. He is falling off of a down year with the Chiefs, as he got a career-low 37 passes for 421 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games played. In 2019, which finished with a Super Bowl triumph, Watkins got 52 passes for 673 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games played.
Watkins was initially drafted by the Buffalo Bills with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft out of Clemson. His best professional season came in 2015, when he got 60 passes for a career-high 1,047 yards and nine touchdowns in only 13 games played.
This is a major signing for the Ravens, as the team experiences experienced issues charming top free agent wideouts this offseason. They failed to steal JuJu Smith-Schuster away from the Pittsburgh Steelers or T.Y. Hilton from the Colts, and afterward weren’t set up to break the bank for Kenny Golladay.
Marquise Brown was the Ravens’ leading receiver in 2020 with 58 catches for 769 yards and eight touchdowns, yet he – alongside the rest of the wide receiving corps – battled powerfully with drops. Tight end Mark Andrews is one of the best in the game, yet adding a legitimate wide receiver could help Jackson take his play to another level.