The Ravens started making cost-cutting moves yesterday, as they attempt to maximize their cap space in the lead-up to free agency next week. Another could soon be on the way, this time with wide receiver Miles Boykin. CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reports that the team is “seeking to deal” him (Twitter link). 

[RELATED: Ravens Release Tavon Young]

Boykin was a third round pick of the Ravens in 2019, the first year of Eric DeCosta‘s tenure as general manager. He was one of two wideouts (the other being Marquise Brown) the team drafted that year, in an attempt to rebuild the position. The Notre Dame product was met with plenty of optimism, as many felt relatively underwhelming numbers in college wouldn’t overshadow his combination of size and speed.

Things have yet pan out for Boykin in Baltimore, however. His most productive season came in 2020, where he posted 19 catches for 266 yards and four touchdowns. Relegated to playing almost exclusively on special teams (and dealing with a finger injury) last season, he registered just one catch. The team has continued to draft the position heavily, selecting two more wideouts in 2020, and another pair – including first rounder Rashod Bateman – in 2021. All-Pro tight end Mark Andrews represents, of course, further competition for targets in the Ravens’ offense.

Having struggled to develop chemistry with Lamar Jackson and increasingly buried on the depth chart, Boykin would likely be well-served by a change of scenery. Still only 25, he could provide upside to teams looking for a complimentary piece to their receiving corps. From the Ravens’ perspective, moving Boykin would make sense financially, as a trade would create just over $2.5MM in cap space. It’s not surprising, then, that La Canfora states a deal is “likely”.

The Ravens spent the offseason trying to upgrade at wide receiver, having made both JuJu Smith-Schuster and T.Y. Hilton their respective best offers in free agency. They ended up with Sammy Watkins and then drafted Rashod Bateman in the first round.

These moves, and Baltimore’s fourth-round selection of Tylan Wallace, crowd a once-thin receiver room. In addition to the Watkins-Bateman-Marquise Brown top trio and Wallace, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic notes 2020 third-rounder Devin Duvernay‘s roster spot is secure (subscription required). Miles Boykin, however, does not appear to be on as firm footing as training camp nears.

Baltimore drafted Boykin in the 2019 third round, bringing the Notre Dame product into the fold after selecting Brown in that year’s first round. While Lamar Jackson‘s rapport with his wide receivers has been inconsistent since he took the reins, the Ravens have not received too much from Boykin in his two-year run. The 6-foot-4 target has amassed just 32 receptions for 464 receiving yards in 32 games (24 starts).

The Ravens’ No. 2 wideout spot has resided below Brown, Mark Andrews and a multifaceted run game in this offense’s pecking order, but the franchise’s moves this offseason indicate it wants more from the position. It will lead to a Boykin role reduction, if he is to make the team.

Boykin and 2020 sixth-rounder James Proche may be battling for one spot, Zrebiec adds. Boykin saw more special teams time than the SMU product as well last season, with the former playing just 14% of Baltimore’s ST snaps compared to Boykin’s 32%. Unless the NFL’s run-heaviest team plans to keep seven wideouts, the two will vie for the final receiver spot on the 53-man roster.