BALTIMORE — Seeking a boost at wide receiver, the Ravens will sign veteran DeSean Jackson to the practice squad, his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told reporters Tuesday.
Jackson, a three-time Pro Bowl selection whose production has fallen off in recent years, worked out for the Ravens on Tuesday. He said last week, during an appearance on the “I Am Athlete” podcast, that he was interested in playing for the Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles or Green Bay Packers this season.
Jackson skipped training camp this summer and went unsigned over the first month of the NFL season. But even with top wide receiver Rashod Bateman recovering from a minor foot injury, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta has looked for help at the position. The team’s wide receivers have combined for 42 catches and 587 receiving yards, the third fewest in the NFL this season.
Jackson, who turns 36 in December, had 20 catches on 34 targets for 454 yards last season over seven games with the Los Angeles Rams and nine games with the Las Vegas Raiders. He graded out as the NFL’s No. 73 overall wide receiver, according to Pro Football Focus, just ahead of Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, whom the Ravens traded this past offseason.
A big-play threat throughout his first 14 NFL seasons, Jackson should bring speed to an inconsistent downfield passing game. In his third game with the Rams last season, he had two of the fastest recorded speeds of Week 3 in a five-catch, 120-yard performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
According to Sports Info Solutions, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has completed just five of his 24 throws of at least 20 air yards this season. In Sunday’s loss to the New York Giants, the team’s second straight game without Bateman, Ravens wide receivers combined for five catches for 45 yards.
DeSean Jackson has struggled to stay healthy and productive in recent seasons. He missed all but three games in 2019, when he had 159 receiving yards, and all but five games in 2020, when he finished with 236 yards.
Over his career, DeSean Jackson, who made his NFL debut in 2008, a decade before Lamar Jackson was drafted, has 632 catches for 11,110 yards and 58 touchdowns. He topped 1,000 receiving yards in 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2016.
