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The combine is about to open for business Za’Darius Smith Jersey 2019 , and free agency is just a few weeks away. That faint noise you’re hearing is the whirring engine of the NFL media offseason machine slowly kicking into... free agency is just a few weeks away. That faint noise you’re hearing is the whirring engine of the NFL media offseason machine slowly kicking into gear.Of course, nothing moves slowly when it comes to this league, least of all the 31 teams who are gunning for pole position to make up ground on the previous years’ champion. They begin their conquest towards doing so in the stage of the year we’re currently in, which is when the framework for free agency plans are usually put together.The Ravens are obviously one of the teams chasing the ultimate goal of hoisting the Lombardi after New England (again) earned the right last season. Facing a rebuild of team identity that starts at General Manager, makes a pit stop at quarterback, and certainly doesn’t end there, they have their work cut out for them.Thankfully, new head honcho Eric DeCosta seems to be off to a promising start, though none of his moves are entirely unexpected. One of these transactions was the release of Michael Crabtree, which begins the seemingly annual rebuild at wide receiver for Baltimore.This was widely speculated to happen so the ending to this partnership shouldn’t come as a shock, but it again puts Baltimore in a familiar predicament. Wideout is once again one of the biggest needs for a franchise who’s had more success signing and developing almost every position in their 23 years of existence.DeCosta has a chance to finally rewrite that narrative and this is the first move towards doing so, but either way it’s not going to be an easy fix. The pickings are relatively slim on this year’s open market, and even when that is the case, the top options are usually still overpaid.So who could be some bargain value type players he could add to improve the receiver room at appropriate cost? Let’s take a look:Adam Humphries, Tampa Bay BuccaneersPhoto by Julio Aguilar/Getty ImagesA tough and dependable target, the versatile Humphries has been a favorite target of Jameis Winston’s for the past several seasons, even more so than the more gifted DeSean Jackson for what that’s worth. While he may lack the ideal strike zone for a streaky passer like Lamar Jackson, Humphries more than makes up for it with strong hands and creativity after the catch that would be perfect for a between the numbers, ball control type offense.His 32nd overall receiver ranking by Pro Football Focus may seem low, yet he actually grades out at 74 which is good for the “Above Average” designation. While that may not sound especially tantalizing White Marlon Humphrey Jersey , the value you’ll likely be able to sign him for screams low risk/high reward type player. NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal and Chris Wesseling agree, ranking Humphries as their #52 overall free agent. Here’s what they have to say on him:He may be a bit redundant with Willie Snead, but if a true rebuild of this room is again coming, they’ll need all the help they can get. Humphries would give it to them in many different ways.Tyrell Williams, Los Angeles ChargersPhoto by Clive Rose/Getty ImagesWilliams may be on the higher end of what a bargain signing may be, but the fact that he doesn’t have an established reputation and wasn’t spectacular last season works in the favor of a team trying to sign him on the relative cheap. While he isn’t considered high pedigree because he went undrafted in 2015 (same as Humphries), he has all the physical tools to be a dominant NFL receiver.At 6’4, he ran a 4.42 at the NFL combine, and that speed has translated to consistent success as a deep threat for Phillip Rivers. Since his breakout 2016 season (1,059 yards, 7 TDS), he’s never gone below four scores, with his lowest yardage total being 653 last season.That’s a level of consistency the Ravens would benefit from, especially if they were able to get Williams below what his market value really should be. Golden Tate is getting all the buzz as the top name available for the position, but the reality is that he and Williams’ stats the last few seasons are pretty similar, something interesting to consider heading into a period where the former is likely going to be paid a whole lot more. Jamison Crowder, Washington RedskinsPhoto by Patrick Smith/Getty ImagesThe above excerpt is from the same top free agents article which was referenced earlier with Humphries, and explains why Crowder is similar to Tyrell Williams. He may not have the freakish physical traits of his fellow 2015 draft class member, but he’s also a guy who had consistent production before an injury plagued season saw his stock drop prior to hitting free agency.He is in a more similar mold to Tate, where his willingness to go over the middle and catch a ton of balls is what really stands out. Creative route running would also help with a quarterback like Jackson who’s known for keeping the play alive, something Crowder may potentially excel at.Devin Funchess Marlon Humphrey Jersey 2019 , Carolina PanthersPhoto by Mike Ehrmann/Getty ImagesFunchess comes in a similar mold to Williams, where he’s probably the more ideal type player to bring in as Jackson continues to work on accuracy improvement. At 6’4, 225 he has the right frame for a quarterback with a bit more of a scattershot arm.This would explain why he meshed fairly well with Cam Newton, and could do the same at a good value for a player like Lamar. In his four seasons as a pro, he’s never had less than four touchdowns proving his reliability as a red zone threat, something a touchdown deprived Ravens offense could use, especially in an aerial fashion.He’s had issues with drops in his career (he’s tallied 23 in his four years per PFF), so he may seem a lateral move as a replacement for Crabtree, though that’s only if the Ravens fail to use him correctly. Bringing in Funchess along with other more diverse options such as a Humphries or Crowder type player (and a high draft pick) would allow him to excel as a big body target in one-on-one situations.Which of these four options would you prefer at the right price? COSTA MESA, Calif. (AP) — Philip Rivers can speak from experience on how fleeting postseason opportunities can be.Rivers led the Chargers into the playoffs the first four years he was the team’s starting quarterback, but Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens marks only his second appearance since the 2009 season and first in five seasons.“When you’re younger you think this is it. You get a shot every year. Then when you don’t go once in the last nine or 10 years, you realize how fleeting it is and how hard it is to get in,” Rivers said on Wednesday.“I’m excited about the opportunity. I think from the experiences I’ve had, both positive and negative, you take that with what you can, and you just go play.”Rivers is one of 13 players on the active roster with playoff experience and one of six remaining from the franchise’s previous appearance in the 2013 season, when it defeated Cincinnati in the wild-card round before losing to Denver the following week.Rivers enters the postseason coming off one of the best regular seasons of his 15-year career. His 105.5 passer rating equaled his career best from 2008 and ’13 and his 8.5 yards per attempt average is his best since 2010. His 68.3 percent completion rate also was the second best of his career.Rivers and the Chargers were one of the NFL’s hottest teams in mid-December with wins in 10 of 11 games, which included key road wins against Pittsburgh and Kansas City. Rivers through has struggled down the stretch. He has thrown an interception on the opening possession in three straight games.The 22-10 loss to Baltimore on Dec. 22 was one of Rivers worst games of the season. He threw an interception on his first attempt, was sacked four times and finished completing 23 of 37 passes for 181 yards and two interceptions. It was also only the third game in the past three seasons where he didn’t have a touchdown pass.Rivers said the recent picks were just a combination of bad throws and a lack of execution.The Chargers (12-4) expect to see plenty of pressure from the Ravens again. According to SportRadar, Baltimore rushed five or more defenders 41.5 percent of the time against Los Angeles. The Ravens come into the game with a 37.5 percent blitz rate, which is third-highest in the league.Baltimore finished the regular season as the league’s top-ranked defense Stitched Tavon Young Jersey , limiting opponents to 292.9 yards per game. It was fifth in pass defense and its 80.6 defensive passer rating stood second, only behind the Bears’ 72.9 mark.Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said he doesn’t expect to see any drastic changes from Baltimore this time, and that the key for his team is learning from the mistakes of two weeks ago and doing a better job handling one-on-one matchups.Los Angeles was held to 198 yards, which was its fourth-lowest total since Rivers became the starting quarterback in 2006. It was also the first time the Chargers were held under 200 yards since Nov. 2, 2014, at Miami when they had 178.“They just never let you get comfortable as an offense. It’s always something trying to keep you off balance,” Rivers said of Baltimore’s defense.“It’s going to be back and forth. There will be times where we pick everything up just right and do everything just right. There will be other times where we’re going to have to, again, manage all those things that they do so well.”The Chargers had three turnovers in the loss, which resulted in nine Baltimore points. Rivers knows he doesn’t want the game plan to be too conservative, but that they have to take advantage of matchups if the Ravens are aggressive.“You always want to protect the football, but you don’t think you want to play scared to make a play or make a mistake, because then you won’t make any plays. You’ve definitely got to cut it loose,” he said.Rivers is 4-5 in the playoffs, but three of those wins have come on the road. He also has a pair of wins when he has thrown less than 20 passes and had a completion rate above 70 percent.His last postseason win could serve as a blueprint for Sunday. In that wild-card game at Cincinnati, the Chargers ran it on 40 of 57 plays while Rivers was 12 of 16 for 128 yards and a touchdown with one sack.One thing that would help is a healthy running game. Melvin Gordon, who was ninth in the AFC with 885 rushing yards, was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice after tweaking his ankle in last Sunday’s win over Denver.“Anytime you can run the ball in January is good. If you can run the football there’s nothing else you can’t do. So we need to be more efficient in the running game to get opportunities, for sure,” Lynn said.