Baltimore Ravens

Ravens' Harbaugh: New WR Chris Givens will play Sunday

Published Oct. 9, 2015 12:03 a.m. ET

foxsports

Unlike veteran defensive end Jason Babin, new Ravens receiver Chris Givens is going to be thrown right into the fire this Sunday against Cleveland.

Givens was acquired last Saturday for a conditional draft pick in the wake of injuries to Steve Smith Sr. and Michael Campanaro. Coupled with the continued absence of first-round pick the Ravens are perilously thin at receiver. They'll enter Sunday's game against the Browns with Kamar Aiken, Marlon Brown and sixth-round pick Darren Waller as quarterback Joe Flacco's top three options.

Givens apparently has picked up the offense quickly enough to be play on Sunday whereas outside linebacker sat out two games after signing as a free agent before dressing.

“He’s going to be out there on Sunday,” Harbaugh said of Givens per the team's official website. “How much he plays depends on how well he does. I’m really hopeful that he plays a lot. It will be up to him and how well he can learn what we’re doing.”

Givens had just one catch for seven yards in limited action with the Rams. His numbers have gone downhill after catching 42 passes for 698 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie in 2012. Despite the solid first-year production in his first two seasons, the Rams spent high draft choices on receivers Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey the following year, and Givens had fallen down the depth chart as a result.

“It was very frustrating,” Givens said. “I knew I was a guy that could complement the team and play well. I don’t know if it wasn’t the right fit, they liked other guys or whatever the case may be, because after that first year my opportunities just went down.”

Givens has been help with the playbook from fellow Wake Forest teammate Michael Campanaro, who told Givens that the Ravens were taking a look at him. He's thrilled to have a fresh start in Baltimore.

“[The trade] was a big relief,” he said. “It just felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. Now I can just play football and not worry about anything and just focus on my craft and being the best I can be.”