Ravens Expected to Contend for Veteran WR

The Baltimore Ravens have spent much of the Lamar Jackson era toiling away at building out his options at wide receiver.

His ability to play like an MVP candidate between his historic quarterback wheels and the impressive strides he's taken as a passer have elevated those around him to repeatedly spin winning records, and things may be coming together with arguably the most impressive batch of receivers he's had to throw to in Baltimore.

What the Ravens lack in a superstar pass-catcher, they've made up for in depth. Newcomer DeAndre Hopkins may not be the All-Pro receiver he once was, but he'll be an above average supplementary piece behind ascending prospects in Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman, who in turn have Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely to lean on as heads-up options at tight end.

With the Ravens' season standing just days away, one more bench piece looks like he's been made suddenly available. Kalif Raymond's time with the Detroit Lions is believed to be running out, and he'd get more run in a potential trade to Baltimore while remaining in a winning situation.

Raymond's in a tough spot at his current stop. He's not good enough to contend with the clear starters in Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jamison Williams, and the 31-year-old's lack of upside compared to Detroit's batch of up-and-comers makes him less of a desirable long-term asset, as former teammate Tim Patrick found out last week. Raymond may be soon moving on to his fifth team, and the Ravens may not say no to another win-now receiver if the trade price were right.

He'd be on a similar timetable wherever he landed next, removing any chance of a potential suitor valuing him like they would a receiver with 10 fewer years of miles on their odometer. Flowers continues to ooze production from behind scrimmage and as a chemistry piece alongside Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, while Bateman's come along as an end zone magnet.

Baltimore Ravens Wide Receiver Zay Flowers, Quarterback Lamar Jackson and Running Back Derrick Henry — Aug 16, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (4) jokes with quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) before the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Baltimore Ravens at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Even Hopkins would get priority over a potential newly-inserted journeyman as the third starting wide receiver with his superior pedigree, but the Ravens' receiver depth chart gets a lot less experienced as soon as the backups come into play. Regular reserve Tylan Wallace is the first name up, and unproven prospects like Devontez Walker and LaJohntay Wester lag closely behind.

Raymond can also be an option the Ravens look to on their depleted special teams unit, which they've only started really rebuilding in the latter days of the offseason. He's yet to have been made publicly available, giving the Ravens time to determine which low-end rostered Raven or draft asset they'd be comfortable parting with in an exchange.

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