Hollywood Brown Strongly Considered Returning to Ravens Before Signing With Eagles
There was social media buzz last month about a potential reunion between wide receiver Hollywood Brown and the Ravens. Turns out there was something to it.
After agreeing to a one-year deal reportedly worth up to $6.5 million with the Philadelphia Eagles on Tuesday, Brown revealed that the Ravens were in the mix.
"I was really considering going back to Baltimore. You know, I got good relationships there," Brown said on "Speakeasy" on YouTube.
Brown and quarterback Lamar Jackson are South Florida natives and were close friends during their three seasons together in Baltimore.
Bolstering the wide receiver corps is among the Ravens' offseason priorities, as two-time Pro Bowler Zay Flowers was the only Baltimore wideout to have more than 330 receiving yards last season. DeAndre Hopkins and Tylan Wallace remain on the free agent market.
Brown, 28, was selected by the Ravens in the first round (No. 25 overall) in 2019. He had a breakout season in 2021, making 91 catches for 1,008 yards – still career-highs – and six touchdowns.
The Ravens granted Brown's request for a trade that offseason, sending him and a third-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals for a first-round pick (No. 23 overall).
Brown's two-year stint with the Cardinals was hampered by injuries. As a member of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024, Brown suffered a preseason injury and appeared in just two games. Last season with the Chiefs, Brown had 49 catches for 587 yards and five touchdowns.
Jeff Zrebiec Looks at the Most Surprising Ravens Development in Free Agency
The Ravens have done a solid job of addressing their biggest needs to this point in free agency, but The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec noted that there's still significant work to do on the interior defensive line.
"Beyond the whole Maxx Crosby fallout and Trey Hendrickson pivot, the most surprising Ravens development in free agency is that they haven't added to their interior defensive line," Zrebiec wrote. "There is still plenty of uncertainty with Nnamdi Madubuike, who missed most of last season with a neck injury. Broderick Washington remains a potential salary-cap cut, although the Ravens may want him to get fully healthy first.
"Depending on the status of Madubuike and Washington, Baltimore could still need two starters here, plus a depth piece. It would be hard to accomplish all that in the draft, so at some point, the Ravens will need to pursue a veteran."
Zrebiec identified former Raven Calais Campbell as a veteran free agent Baltimore could pursue.
"It's unclear if the 39-year-old Campbell is committed to returning for a 19th NFL season, and he's probably in no rush to make a decision," Zrebiec wrote. "If he decides to return, the Ravens would presumably be one of the likely landing spots.
"Campbell played with the Ravens from 2020 to 2022, and General Manager Eric DeCosta has tried to bring him back on a couple of different occasions. Campbell is a six-sack guy at this point in his career, but he still impacts opposing quarterbacks, can stop the run, helps in kick block, and is considered one of the game's best leaders and mentors."
Tight End David Njoku Reportedly Visited With Ravens
Needing to revamp their tight ends room after losing Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar in free agency, the Ravens reportedly brought in veteran David Njoku on Tuesday for a visit.
The 29-year-old Njoku, a 2017 first-round pick who has spent his entire career with the Cleveland Browns, had his best season in 2023 when he had 81 catches for 882 yards and six touchdowns and made the Pro Bowl. He missed 11 games over the past two seasons due to injury.
Njoku would give the Ravens another receiving threat at tight end, along with three-time Pro Bowler Mark Andrews. Baltimore signed blocking tight end Durham Smythe in free agency last week.
Pundits Name Hendrickson Signing One of the Best Offseason Moves
In looking at the best moves thus far in free agency, pundits agree that the Ravens taking a big swing and landing an elite pass rusher in Hendrickson was a home run.
NFL.com’s Jeffri Chadiha put the Hendrickson signing at No. 2 in his ranking of the 10 best offseason moves.
"Hendrickson won't cost the Ravens valuable draft assets, and his four-year, $112 million contract will be money well spent if he creates the same level of chaos that was his trademark with the Bengals," Chadiha wrote. "Hendrickson produced at least 14 sacks in three of the five seasons he played in Cincinnati. He only had four sacks last year, but that's largely because core muscle surgery limited him to seven games. That operation isn't expected to hinder Hendrickson this fall."
FanDuel TV's Kay Adams ranked Hendrickson as the second-best free-agency signing.
"Trey Hendrickson is a great signing, right?" Adams said on the "Up & Adams" show. "What a get for Baltimore. Baltimore is winning. Why is anybody else even trying this year?"
The Athletic’s Mike Jones declared the Ravens to be free-agent winners largely because of signing Hendrickson.
"If their doctors indeed saw issues on Crosby's MRI that concerned them (as did some other doctors, according to reports), then the Ravens did the right thing and operated within the framework of league rules," Jones wrote. "And, they still got the top-flight pass rusher they needed. Hendrickson may represent a slight drop-off from Crosby, however, acquiring him for similar money, and without having to give up the two first-round picks, represents a win and wise decision for Baltimore."
Looking at the Top Available Veteran Centers
With Tyler Linderbaum's departure in free agency creating a need for a starting center, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell looked at the top available veteran options to replace the three-time Pro Bowler.
"The best center on the market might be former Browns lineman Ethan Pocic, but if the Ravens want their former divisional rival, they would need to wait until after June 1 to sign him and save the compensatory pick," Barnwell wrote. "There are other options who were released by their existing teams and therefore wouldn't qualify for compensatory picks, meaning that the Ravens could sign them now.
"Lloyd Cushenberry III was a significant free agent signing for the Titans two years ago, but he tore an Achilles in Year 1 and was a cap casualty after his second season in Nashville. Graham Glasgow had success in Detroit, but he struggled as a free agent signing with the Broncos. The latter's utility as a center with significant experience at guard could be valuable for the Ravens in 2026."
The Ravens reportedly agreed to terms Tuesday with veteran center Danny Pinter on a one-year deal with a maximum value of $2.75 million. The Ravens also have Corey Bullock, who was Linderbaum's backup last year, and Jovaughn Gwyn, who the Ravens agreed to a deal with last week.
Pinter, who started 10 games over five seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, is the only one among the three who has any starting experience. Gwyn has played 11 total snaps in his three years in the league, serving as a backup last year with the Atlanta Falcons while working with new Ravens Offensive Line Coach/Run Game Coordinator Dwayne Ledford.
The Ravens also could look to the draft to find Linderbaum's long-term replacement.
