Most teams that have won multiple Super Bowls have had some pretty great receivers in their history. The Green Bay Packers had a litany of greats. The Denver Broncos had Rod Smith. The Dallas Cowboys had Michael Irvin. The Pittsburgh Steelers have had Hines Ward, Antonio Brown, and John Stallworth. The Baltimore Ravens had….. Todd Heap and Derrick Mason. Heap was a tight end who averaged 47 catches a year. Mason was better on his first team, the Tennessee Titans, than he was in Baltimore. The argument could even be made, which I did here, that Torrey Smith is the second-best wide receiver. Which is why when his career is said and done, Michael Crabtree will be the second best receiver in Baltimore Ravens history.
Michael Crabtree Will Be the Second-Best Receiver in Baltimore Ravens History
The Case for Crabtree
Crabtree has been putting together a pretty good career. Nearly 600 catches, and just shy of 7,000 yards, he has a shot to get to 1,000/10,000. It’s an echelon only 14 players have gotten to, although a few are knocking on the door. Getting to 1,000 catches will be tough. If he plays five years in Baltimore, he will make it there, only needing to average 80 a year. As the new number one target in Baltimore, he should see plenty of targets come his way. Currently, Crabtree is signed to a three-year deal, through his age 33 season. If he doesn’t re-sign or stick around, he may come up short of Smith.
If Crabtree sticks around and decides to end his career as a Raven, it will be the best stop of his career. With the San Francisco 49ers, he had 347 catches for 4,327 yards throughout six seasons. Finishing his career in Baltimore should get him to around six seasons there as well. Crabtree has only played less than 14 games once in his career. Although, he did play 11 his rookie year after being inactive for the first five. Extrapolating Crabtree’s average over the next six years makes a compelling case. He would finish with 980 career catches, and 11,660 yards. 4,752 of those yards and 398 of those catches would come as a Raven.
The Last Word – Who He Needs to Pass in Baltimore
Derrick Mason is likely to keep the mantle of greatest Ravens receiver for a while. The team would need to get a young guy to stick around for a while, or draft a receiver who could catch. *Cough* Breshad Perriman *Cough*. Crabtree’s success and the Ravens success are likely to go hand in hand. If the Ravens find themselves back in the playoff hunt every year going forward, Crabtree will be a contributing factor. If they go the other way and draft in the top 10, Crabtree will likely be gone in three years. The Ravens look to be on the upswing, which is why Michael Crabtree will be the second-best receiver in Baltimore Ravens history.
