If I were starting an NFL franchise from scratch with the ability to poach any front office I wanted to get the thing off the ground, the folks on Winning Drive in Owings Mills, Maryland, would be high up on the list. The Ravens have lapped the rest of the NFL when it comes to finding the modern edge.
But sometimes when the smartest people stare at the same thing for too long, the edge begins to dull. Think of any innovation in any field throughout the course of time. It all looks silly in hindsight. Computers the size of ballrooms. Crankshaft engine cars. Paying a 31-year-old wide receiver who last played a complete, healthy season in 2019 and whose yards per target have diminished steadily since ’18 $15 million guaranteed (and, who, according to FiveThirtyEight’s receiver project, which combines metrics related to getting open, gaining yards after the catch and making difficult catches was, at best, the 71st receiver in the NFL during his last two fully healthy seasons, just behind Austin Hooper). You know, that kind of stuff.
Much like we’ve started doing in New England, it’s a hard question to ask of the Ravens, especially now that they have added Odell Beckham Jr. to the fold: What exactly is happening here?
