The Ravens didn’t make a major move at the NFL’s trade deadline, but they did come away with receiver/running back Ty Montgomery. The Packers were forced to cut bait on Montgomery after several teammates questioned his decision to return a kick he fumbled in Week 8’s loss to the Rams. It was apparently against the wishes of the coaching staff.

The cost of business was a 2020 seventh-round pick. That’s as close to free as you can actually get.

So what are the Ravens adding that wasn’t already in the room with Montgomery? Well, he is a dynamic kick returner, but that won’t matter much to the Ravens. He hasn’t done a lot of it with the Packers because his role has been more in flux, but in 2016 he handled a majority of the kickoff returns and provided about one point above an average returner. Chris Moore and Bobby Rainey were excellent at this in 2017, and though Moore hasn’t busted one in 2018, Montgomery is probably not as fast as him at this point.

(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)

Montgomery isn’t the runner that a healthy Kenneth Dixon — wherever such a unicorn exists — would be, but he does provide a lot more as a receiver in the passing game.

Montgomery has created positive DYAR in every season that he’s played as a receiver, and his 11.4% receiving DVOA in 2018 ranks 11th among all running backs. I would argue that this undersells Montgomery’s pure talent because he’s playing in Mike McCarthy’s regressive schemes that rarely ask defenses to deal with the element of surprise.

The vast majority of Montgomery’s targets have come as an underneath player, but I want to highlight a 43-yard catch he made against Buffalo in Week 4 that I think shows he can do more than that.

Montgomery aligned as a running back, but immediately ran a wheel route — he started outside, then ran upfield. Matt Milano (58) gets caught in a pick, and the other defender to that side, Tre’Davious White (27), stayed in shallow zone coverage, leaving Montgomery wide open downfield. Hard to tell who was at fault.

This is the kind of route that Montgomery was successful at when he played at Stanford — where he mostly played wide receiver. I think the Ravens could incorporate a player this flexible into a number of interesting formations and schemes that either run the wheel or use the threat of it to create easy opportunities.

I’m a huge Aaron Jones fan, and Jamaal Williams has also been successful enough that the Packers didn’t have much need for Montgomery. But that’s not a reflection on Montgomery’s talent. The Packers simply have not committed to the running game all that much. Montgomery’s raw statistics are pretty impressive.

Prior to this season, Montgomery was a positive DVOA runner over a sample size of 140 carries in two season. He’d fumbled just once, and his success rates were quite high despite the small sample size.

For the Ravens, this is essentially an extended trial/get to know Montgomery session. He’s a free agent after the season. He offers a little more versatility as a receiver than Buck Allen, though Allen is a more complete back. I don’t know if he’s going to get a long look, but I think there’s enough of a track record of success that the small price of entry was worth the look.

Rivers McCown
Rivers McCown

Ravens Analyst

Rivers McCown is a writer and editor who has written for ESPN.com, Bleacher Report, USA Today, and Deadspin, among other places. He’s edited for Football Outsiders, Rookie Scouting Portfolio, and Pre-Snap Reads Quarterback Catalogue.

X