Steve Smith’s departure from the Panthers doesn’t become official until 4 p.m. ET, which means other teams aren’t supposed to be talking to him yet but that reportedly didn’t stop one team from making sure Smith knows that they’d like to be his next employer.
David Newton of ESPN.com reports that the Ravens have already put in a call to Smith. It’s not surprising as the Ravens were being discussed as a landing spot well before the Panthers made it official that they were moving on without the veteran wideout.
It looks like a solid fit. Smith wouldn’t be the top dog that he was in Carolina, but he would fill a real need alongside Torrey Smith and Dennis Pitta as a tough receiver that Joe Flacco could look to on third down. If things worked out perfectly for Baltimore, he’d do much of what Anquan Boldin did during his run with the Ravens and give the team another capable option after struggling to find much that worked well last season.
The Ravens’ inquiry will likely be met with interest from Smith. Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer reports Smith included the Ravens on a list of potential trade partners that also included the Cowboys, Patriots, Buccaneers and Chargers.