The Baltimore Ravens offense fell flat in the AFC Championship game, but could adding a familiar veteran to the mix solve that issue?
Wide receiver Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown is set to hit free agency, and a reunion with the team that drafted him could benefit both parties.
Brown spent the first three seasons of his career with the Ravens and emerged as a 1,000-yard receiver and the top option for Lamar Jackson before getting traded to the Arizona Cardinals back in 2022.
While in Baltimore, Brown flashed explosiveness that the Ravens lacked until this past season when the team drafted Zay Flowers, and he began to assert himself as a top option down the stretch.
Some fans may remember Brown for his drop issues before ultimately getting traded, but his tremendous chemistry with Jackson was also evident at times. Baltimore drafted Brown in 2019, the same year that Lamar won his first MVP, but at the time, it was a very different offense.
Since Hollywood’s last stint with the Ravens, Jackson has become one of the best passers in the NFL, and the new scheme would allow him more deep balls for explosive plays. Brown has failed to cross the 1,000-yard threshold since joining the Cardinals and shouldn’t command a massive contract in free agency, which makes him a viable option for the Ravens to bring back
If Baltimore was to embrace the South Florida connection that Lamar displayed with both Flowers and Brown at times during his two MVP seasons, the trio could be one the most electric to watch in the league.
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Make no mistake; Flowers is the Ravens’ No. 1 receiver, but Brown could help spread the defense’s attention on one side while Brown stretches the other side, and tight ends Isaiah Likely and Mark Andrews give linebackers fits in the middle of the field.
With all those receiving options and speed, the run game shouldn’t face many stacked boxes and should continue to thrive in 2024 with Jackson and potentially another free-agent running back addition, such as Derrick Henry, in the mix to punish defenders.
