Ravens coach John Harbaugh isn’t going to beg WRs to play for Baltimore

The Baltimore Ravens once again enter the offseason with wide receiver being their most pressing need. As seems to be a common theme every offseason, the Ravens have an underwhelming wide receiver corps and need to take the offense to the next level by finding a top weapon for their franchise quarterback. However, is Baltimore really that tempting of a spot for a top wide receiver?

While quarterback Lamar Jackson led the league in touchdown passes last year and ranked 13th in that metric this season, the Ravens finished dead last in passing attempts over the last two years. Like it or not, wide receivers are judged and compensated based on how many balls they catch and how many yards they put up. Pending free agents would be right to question just how many targets they’d get with the Ravens.

But if any free agents need some convincing, they probably shouldn’t call coach John Harbaugh, who isn’t about to beg people to join his team.

“I’m not going to beg anybody to be here,” Harbaugh said at his end-of-season press conference last week. “I’m not a college coach and I don’t have to recruit anybody. You want to win? You want to be a part of a great organization, and you want to be a part of a team, and you want to love coming to work every single day, and you’re a football player and you love football? You want to play in the AFC North – come here. If you don’t. . . If you’re all about stats, and numbers, and your stat line, and how many balls you catch, necessarily, and that’s all you care for – then there’s a lot of other teams you can go play for, and we’ll be looking forward to lining up against you.”

There’s long been a narrative that top wide receivers don’t want to play in Baltimore and it stretches back well before Jackson was under center. The Ravens have always been a run-first team, leading fans and analysts alike to wonder aloud if Baltimore would need to overpay for a wide receiver because of the limited opportunities.

But on Monday, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta put that narrative to bed in no uncertain terms.

“I’ve never had a player yet say to me, ‘I don’t want to come play for the Baltimore Ravens because you don’t throw the ball.’ It hasn’t happened yet – maybe it will,” DeCosta said at his end-of-season press conference on Monday. “Most of the time what I get is, ‘I hear you guys are an amazing franchise. I know players who have played for you guys and loved the experience. You’re a great team for veteran players. I want to play with Lamar Jackson. I love your defense. Baltimore is a town that I want to be in. I’ve played against you guys. I love your fanbase. Your stadium is amazing.’ That’s what I hear.”

There are several intriguing wide receiver options set to hit free agency this offseason. We took a look at a few playing in the conference championship games last weekend but guys like Allen Robinson, Sammy Watkins, Marvin Jones, Chris Godwin, and Corey Davis are pending free agents that would look good in Baltimore’s purple uniform.

Unfortunately, with the salary cap expected to be reduced this offseason, the Ravens aren’t exactly flush with cash to bring one of those guys in. And if they really are looking for more money because of the perceived lack of opportunity, Baltimore might not be able to afford any of them even if they were to beg.

While everything said in these season-ending press conferences should be taken with a whole bag of salt instead of just a pinch, the clear message from Harbaugh and DeCosta is that they’re sticking true to the team’s identity and working within the constraints of the salary cap. I know this isn’t the answer fans want to hear but it looks like the Ravens will once again end this offseason without adding a No. 1 wide receiver. It’s time to trust in the process that has earned Baltimore two Super Bowl victories and frequent appearances in the postseason.