Dec 18, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (19) catches a pass as Tennessee Titans defensive back Valentino Blake (47) defends during the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver agreed to a two-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens on Monday.
In what turned out to be one of the biggest surprises of the offseason, the Kansas City made the interesting decision to release Jeremy Maclin, which is ironic since they don't exactly have the strongest receiving corps to being with. Still, everything seemed to workout for the veteran wideout after agreeing to a two-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens on Monday, as they hope the addition of Maclin can improve an offense that was average at best during the 2016 season.
Between the retirement of Steve Smith to the release of Dennis Pitta following a hip injury, Joe Flacco knew Baltimore's passing game could be in for a rude awakening this year, especially since the team failed to address the wide receiver need in this year's NFL Draft. But now that Maclin is on board with plenty of experience from the years spent with the Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, hopefully his presence can help fill part of the void the offense has been looking for.
For a team that always seems to have a reputation for their defense ranking near the top of the league, the offense could end up being the deciding factor over how far the Ravens can go in 2017. So with Maclin officially on board, let's take a look at three key questions surrounding the recent signing of the veteran wideout.
Jan 1, 2017; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) throws a pass against the Cincinnati Bengals in the second half at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals won 27-10. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
3. Will Maclin end the elite debate for Flacco?
When it comes to some of the biggest debates in the NFL over the last couple of years, whether Joe Flacco deserves to be placed in the category of an elite quarterback ranks near the top of the list. Sure, Flacco is one of the league's highest paid players, and has seen his fair share of impressive moments over the years, but from a numbers standpoint, it's easy to make the argument against the Ravens quarterback.
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For starters, last year marked the first time in Flacco's career that he managed to throw for more than 4,000 yards in a single season, which is nothing to brag about when comparing himself to some of the other elite quarterbacks in the league. And if that wasn't surprising enough, it should also be noted that last year marked the fifth time in nine seasons that Flacco finished the year with 20 touchdowns or less.
Obviously, it's easy to give Flacco some benefit of the doubt when looking at some of the weapons he's been forced to work with on offense, but that doesn't stop other elite quarterbacks from finding ways to succeed when looking at what they have to work with. Assuming all goes well with Jeremy Maclin once Week 1 officially gets underway, it's going to be tough to come up with excuses for Flacco if he continues to put up the necessary numbers to get the best out of the Ravens' offense.
Jan 15, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (19) warms up for the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Divisional playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
2. Can Maclin return to his old productive form?
From a financial standpoint, it was easy to understand the decision by the Kansas City Chiefs o move on from Jeremy Maclin two years into his deal when looking at how much his production was down during the 2016 season. Other than Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill, Alex Smith didn't really have the best of weapons to work in the passing game, which is why the decision out of nowhere to release Maclin came as a surprise at first.
Any wideout making the type of money Maclin was from the Chiefs while only finishing with 44 catches for 536 yards with two touchdowns in 12 games would fall under the category of disappointment, no matter who it may be. But now that Maclin is officially a member of the Baltimore Ravens, here's to hoping the wideout can figure out a way to return to the dynamic level that was on display in the two previous seasons prior to 2016.
The Ravens wouldn't have brought Maclin on board if they didn't believe he could return to the playing level from 2014-15 in which he caught 172 passes for 2,406 yards with 18 touchdowns. And if Maclin does figure out a way to return to being this effective of a wideout, this move could end up being quite the unexpected signing of the offseason for Baltimore since it didn't even seem like a possibility a few weeks ago.
Dec 25, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (84) reacts after a first down against the Baltimore Ravens during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 31-27. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
1. Does Maclin increase odds to win AFC North?
Up until Week 16 last season, the Baltimore Ravens were in contention with the Pittsburgh Steelers to win the AFC North before losing to their division rivals on Christmas Eve. What made the loss even more difficult to accept is the Ravens seemed to be well on their way to winning the game since they were hanging on to a lead in the final minute before Antonio Brown went on to score the game-winning touchdown with nine seconds remaining.
Missing out on a chance at the postseason when having one of the league's top defenses was a tough pill to swallow for Baltimore, and who knows what sort of position the team would have been in with an improved offense around Joe Flacco. NFL teams can say whatever they want about defense winning championships, but the truth is it only can do so much without the proper support from the offense.
The defense can be as aggressive as they want throughout the 2017 season, but unless Flacco finds a way to help this offense improve, the end results could be similar to last year. At least with an experienced wideout like Jeremy Maclin, the Ravens will hopefully be in much better position on offense than a year ago to compete with the Steelers, and could even see other players such as Breshad Perriman benefit more from having the veteran on board.
