Should Ravens Go After Reggie Wayne?

The Ravens figure to be in the market for a free agent wide receiver, and ESPN’s Jamison Hensley has just the person.

“The Baltimore Ravens need to pursue the Colts' Reggie Wayne,” Hensley writes. “He's the most accomplished wide receiver in this free-agent class but there will be less competition for him than the younger and more explosive pass-catchers.”

Plus, as Hensley notes, Wayne is 33, and is probably looking to join a team that can give him an immediate shot at the Super Bowl. One other factor: Wayne and Ed Reed were roommates at the University of Miami.

Some observers think Wayne will go wherever Peyton Manning ends up. And why wouldn’t he? Thanks in large part to Manning, Wayne went to the Pro Bowl five straight years from 2006-10. He had seven straight seasons with more than 1,000 receiving yards, a streak that ended this year when he finished with 960 yards for the horrendous, Manning-less Colts.

Wayne is also durable; he hasn’t missed a start in nine seasons. Wayne, the Colts’ first-round pick in the 2001 draft, has averaged 1,064 receiving yards over 11 NFL seasons and has caught 73 touchdown passes.

Former Colts executive Bill Polian, speaking at the NFL Combine, said that Wayne might have lost a step, but he has “a brilliant football mind,” according to the Boston Herald.

“He’s a guy with incredible hands, and he understands the game tremendously well,” Polian said.

There isn't much doubt the Ravens need some help at receiver. Other than Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith, no Ravens wide receiver caught more than four passes all season.

Should the Ravens make a play for Wayne, though, they can expect some competition.

The Herald reported that the Patriots are “definitely on the radar” of Wayne. Regardless of where Manning ends up, “the Pats could be at or near the top of Wayne’s list,” the Herald said.


(csnwashington.com)