The Baltimore Ravens got their offseason started early by getting a free agent receiver with baggage. Donte’ Stallworth agreed to a contract with Baltimore after the Cleveland Browns terminated his contract. Stallworth sat out the entire 2009 season after being suspended by the NFL for his DUI and manslaughter guilty plea.
I thought this move might occur after news broke shortly before the Super Bowl that Stallworth would be a candidate to sign with the Ravens. Stallworth addresses a gaping hole in the Ravens offense. I expect him to be the No. 1 receiver in Baltimore’s offense. He will compliment whatever receiver is on the other side, but I think Baltimore’s preference is to re-sign Derrick Mason.
Mason would be the perfect No. 2 in the offense. His route running skills and ability to be the possession receiver would be great to move the ball up and down the field. In a three receiver set, I’d like to see Mark Clayton be the third receiver on the 2010 addition of the Ravens.
The signing of Stallworth has two impacts on the team. First, Quinn Sypniewski was released on Wednesday after he failed a physical. Sypniewski was trying to recover from two knee surgeries, but he couldn’t do it. Secondly, it could spell the end of Demetrius Williams’ tenure as a wide receiver on the Baltimore Ravens. Williams was mostly a disappointment since he came to Baltimore and was in the doghouse for most of the 2009 season.
I would now expect the Ravens to either draft defense in the first round of the 2010 draft or they will go tight end. If they go defense, I expect it to be a defensive tackle or a cornerback and if a tight end is taken, it could be Oklahoma’s Jermaine Gresham. Either way, it is now very likely a wide receiver will not be taken in the first round of the draft.
Baltimore may take a wide receiver in the later rounds of the draft to be groomed under Mason or Stallworth. I think it’s best for teams to draft receivers late because receiver is the toughest position, aside from quarterback, to learn on the professional level and not putting a lot of money right away gives the team time to let that player develop.
Overall, I like the Stallworth signing and think he will be on his best behavior and will be an excellent asset to the team.
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