Competition Should Be Welcome For Ravens Punt And Kick Return Roles

The Ravens have been churning through specialists in recent years, overhauling their kicker and their punter while searching for someone to lock down their kick and punt return duties.

The draft has been the preferred route to address these issues, drafting kicker Tyler Loop a year ago, along with return specialist LaJohntay Wester, a wide receiver by trade, and they selected punter Ryan Eckley this spring. The Ravens have arguably the premier kicking coach in the history of the league in Randy Brown, a holdover from John Harbaugh’s staff who this front office wouldn’t let leave the building. They should be covered there from an evaluation and development standpoint.

The return situation merits further monitoring.

For all the special teams acumen that Harbaugh had, the Ravens were miserable at getting this addressed and Wester could face some competition this year. It would be a little naïve to just hand the job to him, and if anything I’d be shocked if he got more than the handful of kick return chances that went his way a year ago.

Maybe he turns out to be the man on punt returns Special teams coordinator Anthony Levine is quite familiar with him and seems comfortable with him. And he gave him a nod of approval as OTAs culminated this week.

“LaJohntay did a great job of catching the ball, fielding the ball and being efficient,’ Levine said. “He didn't have a lot of plays to go out there. There were a lot of fair catches [and] a lot of balls on the ground, or it was kicked short. I think [he will have more opportunities] this year with the way that we are doing things and how we are going to line him up.

“Because he's very dynamic with the ball in his hands, the way he's able to get vertical and cut. So, with him, I just need him to just keep doing what he's doing, keep being consistent in catching the ball and keep fielding the ball well. Once he gets the ball in his hands, he will do what he does – play off the blockers, get vertical and go score touchdowns."

Kickoff Competition?

Wester fielded just 10 kickoffs a year ago, with reserve running back Rasheen Ali leading the way with 30 returns. It remains to be seen how well Ali fits with this new scheme, and whether the Ravens pursue any other options at that position. But there isn’t a go-to guy here.

Keaton Mitchell, who was let go despite being a dynamic force, had 22 kickoff returns last season, second on the team, while Justice Hill has seen his usage decline as he approaches age 30 (7 returns) and departed receiver Tylan Wallace returned it five times., after once seeming to be their answer to this returnn void.

And I can’t help but wonder if fifth-round pick Adam Randall, a receiver turned running back from Clemson, gets a chance here. He saw more of those duties his final season in college, he has a unique build and skillset, and his former college coach, Dabo Swinney, believes he can be a special teams difference maker in the NFL.

Oh yeah, and Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti made the selection of Randall. So I think he’s on the team. And Dabo and Bisciotti are boys.

"I think Adam Randall is one of the more unique players in this draft," Swinney told reporters after the draft. "I told a couple of GMs before the draft that I think he's a steal. He's like getting three players with one pick because I think he's just scraping the surface of what he can do as a pro football player."

"He's only played one year at running back, and he's just going to get better and better. He's got this great background as a receiver. He's a returner. He's got special teams value."

Randall burst onto the return scene with a monster return coming in cold during the ACC title game in 2024. He continued doing it some while learning a new position last year. And special teams is going to be his entre to a bigger role in the NFL. Bet he gets a decent look.

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