For as long as they have existed, the Ravens have wanted their wide receivers to make big plays.
But when they have come -- very inconsistently -- they have been mostly authored by players acquired from other organizations. Veteran free-agent pickups such as Qadry Ismail, Derrick Mason, Marcus Robinson, Anquan Boldin and Steve Smith Sr. have been the ones for whom the Ravens stretched their salary-cap dollars.
And to stretch the field, Baltimore has had to go that route due to a stunning lack of success drafting at that position. But in a league where the line between winning and losing is rather thin, finding help in the free-agent market is the only sound strategy.
