Ravens sign Michael Crabtree to a three-year deal valued at $21 million, with $11 million guaranteed, and I don’t like the fit at all. We’re talking about a quarterback lacking confidence and accuracy trying to throw to a wide receiver who can’t separate anymore.
Crabtree has always been a velocity-challenged receiver. That’s why he lasted until the 10th pick of the 2009 draft, when his college production had many thinking he was more of a top-5 guy. He’s not a vertical receiver, and that’s even more of an issue now, with his 31st birthday coming up in September. If you were to take the 70ish starting receivers in the league and race them over 40 yards, Crabtree would be one of the last few finishers.
The Raiders know Crabtree better than anyone, and they opted to release him, shifting to Jordy Nelson instead.
What we have, at this point in his career, is a plodding receiver who can try to box out defenders and catch underneath balls. But way too many of his catches have to come in contested situations, and he’s definitely not hitting on any big plays.
And Crabtree’s now handcuffed to Joe Flacco, who’s really fallen off a cliff in recent years. As a receiver gets less open, timing and ball placement become more important, and that’s not Flacco’s game. Easy to see these guys struggling to ever get on the same page.
Both of these players are right at the end of the road, making for one of the league’s least promising combos.
Jim Harbaugh once bragged that Crabtree had the best hands in the entire league, but that’s definitely not the case nowadays. Of the 50 wide receivers who’ve had a chance to catch at least 100 passes over the last two years, Crabtree has the worst drop rate of that group.
| WIDE RECEIVER DROP RATES (2016-17) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Rec | Drop | Pct |
| Pierre Garcon | 119 | 1 | .8% |
| Randall Cobb | 126 | 2 | 1.6% |
| Doug Baldwin | 169 | 3 | 1.7% |
| Larry Fitzgerald | 216 | 4 | 1.8% |
| Robert Woods | 107 | 2 | 1.8% |
| Jordy Nelson | 150 | 3 | 2.0% |
| Stefon Diggs | 148 | 3 | 2.0% |
| Michael Thomas | 196 | 4 | 2.0% |
| Emmanuel Sanders | 126 | 3 | 2.3% |
| Antonio Brown | 207 | 5 | 2.4% |
| Jarvis Landry | 206 | 5 | 2.4% |
| DeVante Parker | 113 | 3 | 2.6% |
| Cole Beasley | 111 | 3 | 2.6% |
| Alshon Jeffery | 109 | 3 | 2.7% |
| Keenan Allen | 108 | 3 | 2.7% |
| DeSean Jackson | 106 | 3 | 2.8% |
| Tyreek Hill | 136 | 4 | 2.9% |
| Golden Tate | 183 | 6 | 3.2% |
| Adam Humphries | 116 | 4 | 3.3% |
| Brandon LaFell | 116 | 4 | 3.3% |
| Jamison Crowder | 133 | 5 | 3.6% |
| Kenny Stills | 100 | 4 | 3.8% |
| Mike Wallace | 124 | 5 | 3.9% |
| Adam Thielen | 160 | 7 | 4.2% |
| Kelvin Benjamin | 111 | 5 | 4.3% |
| DeAndre Hopkins | 174 | 8 | 4.4% |
| Brandin Cooks | 143 | 7 | 4.7% |
| Rishard Matthews | 118 | 6 | 4.8% |
| Julian Edelman | 98 | 5 | 4.9% |
| Mike Evans | 167 | 9 | 5.1% |
| T.Y. Hilton | 148 | 8 | 5.1% |
| Mohamed Sanu | 126 | 7 | 5.3% |
| Jermaine Kearse | 106 | 6 | 5.4% |
| A.J. Green | 141 | 8 | 5.4% |
| Robby Anderson | 105 | 6 | 5.4% |
| Julio Jones | 171 | 10 | 5.5% |
| Dez Bryant | 119 | 7 | 5.6% |
| Amari Cooper | 131 | 8 | 5.8% |
| Terrelle Pryor | 97 | 6 | 5.8% |
| Sterling Shepard | 124 | 8 | 6.1% |
| Ted Ginn | 107 | 7 | 6.1% |
| Davante Adams | 149 | 10 | 6.3% |
| Marvin Jones | 116 | 8 | 6.5% |
| Tyrell Williams | 112 | 8 | 6.7% |
| Nelson Agholor | 98 | 7 | 6.7% |
| Odell Beckham | 126 | 10 | 7.4% |
| Demaryius Thomas | 173 | 14 | 7.5% |
| Jordan Matthews | 98 | 8 | 7.5% |
| Marqise Lee | 119 | 11 | 8.5% |
| Michael Crabtree | 147 | 14 | 8.7% |
—Ian Allan