Coming off a disappointing first-round exit in last year’s playoffs, the Ravens find themselves at a difficult crossroads, facing an uncertain future with Lamar Jackson—amid unproductive contract talks—a candidate to leave in free agency. Losing Jackson, a former league MVP and one of the most gifted athletes the sport has ever produced, would be a death blow to a team that once had so much potential, squandering Lamar’s considerable talents on a weak supporting cast and coaches who didn’t do enough with what they had.
GM Eric DeCosta raised eyebrows when he spoke at the NFL Combine earlier this week, giving a candid assessment of the team’s recent struggles at wide receiver.
Those comments weren't well-received (no pun intended), landing poorly with Rashod Bateman, who responded in predictably scathing fashion, demanding accountability from an organization that loves to deflect blame, conveniently scapegoating players while never addressing the real problem.
Bateman would end up deleting that tweet, though it stayed up long enough to resonate with former teammate Mike Davis, who expressed a similar sentiment, agreeing the Ravens have largely done players a disservice, rarely putting them in positions to succeed.
That’s an awful lot of resentment bubbling to the surface, portraying the Ravens as a team in peril, bridging an impossible divide between disgruntled players and a stubborn coaching staff that won’t admit when it’s wrong.
It all sounds like a ticking time bomb, though, as we’ve seen in New England and other teams that run a notoriously tight ship, locker-room morale isn’t a requirement for winning. Still, the toxicity surrounding the Ravens right now can’t be lost on Jackson, whose chances of returning to Baltimore next season are looking grimmer each day.
For what it’s worth, the Ravens finished in the middle of the pack in the NFLPA’s team report cards released earlier this week (17th out of 32 teams), receiving high travel and locker-room grades (both A’s) but poor marks for their training room (C), strength coaches (F-) and treatment of families (C+).
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