The Baltimore Ravens are not necessarily scrambling to send Denver a trade offer for Brandon Marshall, but they are at least exploring the possibility of pursuing a deal, according to a report from the Baltimore Sun.
The Ravens are often the subject of rumors involving potentially available wide receivers, and it's not hard to see why. Their leading pass-catcher in 2008, Derrick Mason, is still struggling after offseason shoulder surgery -- and he was the only player on the team to catch more than 41 balls last year (80 for 1,037 yards). Their third most-productive WR, Demetrius Williams, missed nine games, and three of Baltimore's top seven receivers were running backs.
Heck, the team's eighth-leading "receiver" was quarterback Joe Flacco, who caught one ball for 43 yards.
So the need is there. But, based on comments made by Baltimore coach John Harburgh on Tuesday, Marshall might not be a great fit.
Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.
Jonathan Ogden retired last summer, leaving the Ravens with a young but deep group of offensive linemen to protect rookie quarterback Joe Flacco. Not surprisingly, Ogden's replacement, Jared Gaither (a former supplementary draft pick) was inconsistent, but occasionally flashed glimpses of big-play potential.
Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.
It was improbable. The Baltimore Ravens made another playoff run in 2008 based on a defense that used the art of suffocation (oh, and Ed Reed) and an offense that improved dramatically over the previous years. John Harbaugh was impressive as coach, putting a rookie quarterback out to toss the ball around and sticking with him through thick (17-29, 248 yards, 2 TDs in Week 9) and thin (11-28, 115 yards, 2 INTs in Week 15).
Now the team has to figure out what to do about a superstar in Ray Lewis, and how they should handle other important positional players (hello Mr. Stover) in order to return to (and move past) the AFC Championship game without their defensive coordinator.
This may not be indicative of a larger house-cleaning trend, but the Ravens have released three-time Pro Bowler Chris McAlister. The oft-injured cornerback's departure frees up $8 million in salary-cap space, which could be used to find his replacement. Or if Ray Lewis has any say in the matter, to pay him.
Not long ago, McAlister was considered one of the NFL's most physical corners, often matched up against opponents' best receivers. He has 26 picks and 89 passes defended in his 10-year career, although he last played a full 16-game schedule in 2006.
Since the Baltimore Ravens have been relevant, Ray Lewis has been the face of the squad. He pumps the team up, builds team morale and is what every team would want in a defensive leader.
As the AFC Championship Game wears on, you may want to remember this moment.
With 5:09 to play in the second quarter, Ben Roethlisberger hit Nate Washington on third down. The play got the Steelers a first down, but there was some question whether Washington caught the ball. He appeared to bobble it as he went to the ground.
Unfortunately for Harbaugh and the Ravens, the call stood after a challenge.
As the Steelers prepare to do the impossible against the Ravens -- beat them three times in the same season -- Baltimore is dealing with its own issues. Chief among them: getting healthy in time for Sunday's AFC Championship game.
Although Pro Bowl linebacker Terrell Suggs has guaranteed he won't be sidelined for Sunday's AFC title game because of an injury that team officials termed a strained right shoulder, Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh didn't sound nearly as optimistic about Suggs' status. ...
"I'm not going to sit here and say it's positive, or we're happy about it," Harbaugh said. "We'll just see how it goes. It's going to be close. He's going to work real hard to try to get back. That's all we know."
Suggs would be a huge loss for the Ravens, although defensive coordinator Rex Ryan has an unbelievable ability to just stick anybody out there without the defense losing any effectiveness.