The biggest competition this offseason for the Baltimore Ravens comes at a position they’ve not had much luck at. After once again gutting the wide receiver corps after a disappointing season, the Ravens are hoping a whole new crop of talent is able to step up in 2019.
Helping lead the group is Willie Snead. One of just two holdovers from last year, along with Chris Moore, Snead is looking to improve on his solid 2018 campaign. In order to do that, Snead spent the offseason losing a little weight in an effort to get faster and separate more from defenders.
Snead ran a 4.56-second 40-yard dash at his pro day in 2014 and certainly looked quick for Baltimore last season. But if he can improve upon that speed, the Ravens might have one of the fastest offenses in the league. Combine Snead with Moore, first-round pick Marquise Brown, Seth Roberts, Michael Floyd, Miles Boykin, Jaleel Scott and Jordan Lasley, and that’s quite a bit of speed for one wide receiver room. The hope is that group will complement quarterback Lamar Jackson’s talents to create a quick-striking offense that forces opposing defenses to stay honest in coverage.
Snead has been rehabbing from surgery on his finger but has still been on the practice field during OTAs, according to BaltimoreRavens.com writer Ryan Mink.
“You can’t keep him off the field,” coach John Harbaugh said, per Mink. “If we didn’t put him in the red jersey, we’d have to lock him in the locker room to keep him out of here. He’s just that kind of guy.”
Snead finished first on the team with 62 receptions and was second with 651 receiving yards last season. As the season wore on, Snead became one of Jackson’s favorite targets, catching 11 of Jackson’s 52 completions in the final four games of the year. It’s expected Snead will play a more integral role this year as a leader of the young unit.
“I feel like my role on this team has grown a little bit more, not as a No. 1 receiver, but as a leader on the team,” Snead said, per Mink. “I definitely just wanted to be here with the guys and grow with the guys and learn the offense as they learned it, and just to still be around the guys, bring that energy, bring that life, and just continue to get better.”
With a leadership role and a new-look offense, Snead has a chance to improve upon last season. By dropping some weight, Snead is hoping to improve upon his already fantastic separation numbers from last year.
“This year, I was feeling pretty healthy, lower-body-wise, so I did a lot of running, just trying to lighten up,” Snead said. “I’m just trying to run faster this year, run by guys and definitely get some more separation in my game.”
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Snead had an average of 3.1 yards of separation last season. It topped players like Cincinnati Bengals WR A.J. Green, Atlanta Falcons WR Julio Jones and even New England Patriots WR Josh Gordon. Just a slight increase to 3.5 yards would put Snead tied for seventh from last year and likely well on his way to his first 1,000-yard season.
