The Baltimore Ravens tried to fix their wide receiver depth problem when they traded a fifth round pick to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for Diontae Johnson and a sixth round pick before the 2024 trade deadline.
Just one month later, the Ravens were essentially throwing up their hands in frustration as they suspended Johnson for conduct detrimental to the team after he refused to enter the game during a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 13.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine thinks the the Ravens should go after veteran Washington Commanders wide receiver Noah Brown in free agency— an inexpensive, reliable role player the Ravens won’t have to worry about impacting team chemistry.
“… The need for another receiver to step up alongside Rashod Bateman and Zay Flowers isn’t going away,” Ballentine wrote. “(The Ravens) don’t really need a superstar. Tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely take some of the playmaking burden away from the receivers. Someone like Noah Brown could be a good answer. He is an underrated receiver who has helped the Commanders offense get off the ground this season. He’s another deep threat who could fit the Ravens’ vertical passing game.”
Brown has been the Commanders’ surprise WR2 option in 2024 and is third on the team in receiving with 35 receptions for 453 yards and 1 touchdown — arguably the most memorable touchdown in franchise history.
Brown On Receiving End of ‘Miracle in Maryland’
Few players in NFL history get to have a moment like the one that occurred between Brown and Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels on October 27, 2024, at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland.
That was the day Daniels found Brown on a 52-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass as time expired for an 18-15 win over the Chicago Bears. The moment landed Brown’s gloves, the football and an endzone pylon signed by both Daniels and Brown in a display case at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The play — now better known as the “Miracle in Maryland” or “Hail Noah” — is sure to tie the 2 players together for the rest of their lives.
From ESPN: “The Hail Mary gave Washington its first last-second touchdown pass victory since at least the NFL-AFL merger in 1970. The Commanders trailed the Bears, 15-12, when they took over at their own 24-yard line with 19 seconds left following a Chicago touchdown.”
Brown’s NFL Career Came Alive in Last 3 Seasons
Brown won a College Football Playoff National Championship in 2015 and set the Ohio State single-game record with 4 touchdowns against Oklahoma in 2016 before leaving school 1 year early for the NFL draft.
Brown was selected in the seventh round (No. 239 overall) by the Dallas Cowboys in 2017 and was almost strictly used for run blocking and special teams until he became a starter in 2022 and had 43 receptions for 555 yards and 3 touchdowns in 13 games.
Brown is on pace to have his third consecutive season with at least 500 receiving yards with his third different team in 2024 after he had 33 receptions for 567 yards and 2 touchdowns for the Houston Texans in 2023. The Commanders didn’t sign Brown until August 28 — just one day after he was released by the Texans.
