The most important thing for the Baltimore Ravens this offseason is working out a long-term deal with Lamar Jackson. The former MVP is set to become a free agent as the two sides were unable to agree to a contract extension before the 2022 season.
Finishing the last two seasons on the sidelines certainly won’t help Jackson’s bargaining power in negotiations, but his impact was certainly felt. The Ravens aren’t a championship contender without him in the lineup and if they don’t re-sign him, their window is closed for the foreseeable future without another viable quarterback option on the roster.
Baltimore also has done Jackson no favors when it comes to his supporting cast. They traded Marquise Brown to the Arizona Cardinals during the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft and Rashod Bateman has been unable to stay healthy his first two seasons in the league.
Upgrading the supporting cast around Jackson should be next on the Ravens’ to-do list this offseason. That is why it should come as no surprise that they met with TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnston at the NFL Combine.
Johnston is considered by many to be the top wide receiver prospect in this year’s draft class. While his participation in the combine was limited, the things he did take part in caused some jaws to drop.
There is only so far that athleticism alone will take a player as Johnston does have some things to clean up in his game. But, his level of athleticism isn’t something you can teach, so teams will be hoping that they can coach him up and take his game to the next level.
At the very least, he should be a very good productive No. 2 receiver in the NFL. In need of any kind of pass-catching help, the Ravens could present Johnston with a real opportunity to develop into a No. 1 as the opportunity is available in their offense.
If Bateman is able to stay on the field, he and Johnston could combine to make a dynamic duo for Jackson to develop with. The Ravens need to find more consistent contributors beyond tight end Mark Andrews.
A trade up could be required as Johnston is likely to be off the board once the Ravens are on the clock at No. 22. Should he be available at that spot, they will run the card up to the stage that has his name on it.
