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Coming off an impressive 9-7 season and a playoff appearance a year ago, the Baltimore Ravens have been busy in the offseason.  After trading for stud wideout Anquan Boldin, the Ravens added burner Donte Stallworth, giving them a diverse and talented set of wide receivers for young quarterback Joe Flacco.  But after contemplating retirement, Derrick Mason recently signed a two-year deal with the Ravens, rounding out a wide receiver squad that now could be one of the most formidable in the league.  If nothing else, the Ravens seem to have addressed their biggest concerns and should be able to build upon a solid 2009 campaign.

Even at the ripe age of 36, Mason continues to be a solid producer on the field.  Last season, Mason caught 73 balls and broke 1,000 yards for the eighth time in his career.  But facing another season of beating double-teams and being the only reliable receiving threat for the Ravens, Mason seriously considered retirement, just as he had following the 2008 season.  In a league that is getting younger and younger, it seemed Mason was set to ride off into the sunset as the Ravens’ all-time leading receiver.

Things changed, however, when the Ravens traded their third and fourth-round picks in the upcoming draft to the Cardinals for Boldin, one of the most dynamic receivers in the NFL.  With Boldin’s explosive talent, the Ravens’ passing game is instantly enhanced, giving Flacco a go-to guy that has big-play capability. With the potential of big-play action, rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(’/outgoing/article_exit_link’);” href=”http://www.stubhub.com/baltimore-ravens-tickets/”>Baltimore Ravens tickets have never had more appeal heading into a new season.

Though some may clamor that Mason’s re-signing will cut into Boldin’s fantasy stats – an outlook that is likely – Mason is now in a much easier position than he was last season.  While Boldin will command a majority of the coverage and double-teams, Mason will get an opportunity to face single-man coverage for most of the season – something he has hardly faced in his entire career.  It seems unlikely that he will be able to put together another 1,000-yard season with a majority of the balls heading to Boldin, but combining with Boldin takes considerable pressure off both him and Flacco.

The other addition to the receiving corps was Donte Stallworth, who has moved around to various teams over the years.  Though Stallworth has been met with significant criticisms, most notably his inconsistency and tendency to disappear in games, he still brings a tremendous amount of speed that will help to spread the field.  As a third option behind two habitual 1,000-yard receivers, Stallworth should be a nice fit and has a significant opportunity to change his career on an offense that could turn into an explosive one.

The trio of Boldin, Mason and Stallworth should combine nicely with running back Ray Rice, who had a breakout season in 2009 and appears to be one of the league’s most talented young backs.  With the promise of a strong receiving corps in 2010, Rice will no longer have to carry the entire offensive load and the Ravens are set to take a great stride as an offense in 2010.  In a division with Pittsburgh and division champ Cincinnati, the Ravens have had the best offseason in the AFC North and appear to be in great shape to challenge the most prominent teams in the AFC moving forward.