Can LaJohntay Wester be an X-Factor for the Baltimore Ravens?

NFL training camp has begun in Owings Mills, Maryland as the Baltimore Ravens once again prepare to buckle up for another ride towards glory: a Super Bowl championship.

With a group that consists of two-time MVP winner Lamar Jackson and terrorizing rushing threat Derrick Henry the Ravens are positioned nicely to capture a Super Bowl title this coming February for the first time in 13 years…right?

There’s no doubt that this roster is talented. ESPN recently ranked it the most talented in the league. However, the Ravens have been here before.

This is not the first time the Ravens have rostered one of the league’s few elite groups, and seen it translate into individual success as well as division titles and number one seeds rewarding their regular season efforts. However, a 3-6 postseason record since Jackson’s arrival still remains the 10,000 pound brick over their heads.

Preseason and even regular season hype can only take them so far. They know that. So as they prepare to try and win a Super Bowl, they need to make sure every area is in a position for postseason prowess.

And there is one shaky area on this roster that Baltimore is hoping can be harnessed by the graces of a sixth round rookie. Let’s learn more about wide receiver and returner LaJohntay Wester.

Who is LaJohntay Wester?

A five year collegiate athlete at Florida Atlantic and Colorado, Wester did not garner the headlines over Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders. However, he executed on his role perfectly to surround the Buffaloes’ playmakers. He began at FAU where he played his first four seasons at wide receiver and improved drastically in each season.

A successful tenure with Florida Atlantic

After catching just 17 passes as a freshman, Wester broke out his second year with 65 receptions for 702 yards and four touchdowns. He built upon that again in his junior campaign with similar yardage but four more touchdowns before a monster senior season.

In that year, Wester was the primary target, and led the American conference in receptions (108), yards (1,168) and compiled nine total touchdowns. He played himself into the Big 12 to play under Deion Sanders at Colorado, where he again thrived.

Great final year with Colorado

At FAU, Wester was the top option and the go-to generator of offense. Playing next to Travis Hunter, that role changed. However, he embraced his part in the offense, and harnessed the opportunity.

Wester played in 13 contests while catching 74 passes for 931 yards and 10 touchdowns. Those numbers were all second-best on the team behind Hunter. He put together two 100+ yard games and two multi-TD contests. However, his season highlight came in the Buffaloes’ contest against Baylor in Week 4.

With the Buffs down a touchdown and one Hail Mary try left, Sanders found Wester, who dove in the end zone to tie the game. Colorado would later win in overtime.

“To other people, it was a clutch play,” Wester said. “And they probably would never imagine a guy like me, a small guy, to be able to make a big-time play like that. But to me, it’s nothing new. I’m very confident in my game.”

He also stepped up big in the Buffaloes bowl win over BYU, where he had four catchers for 75 yards.

NFL Draft Resume

After five productive seasons, Wester’s NFL case had been made. A productive secondary option with great speed, agility and versatility. Wester finished his collegiate career with 326 catches, the sixth most in FBS history.

Who is LaJohntay Wester, as a returner?

While Wester’s receiving results speak volumes to his potential as a pass-catcher, that’s not why the Ravens are excited to have him. Instead, Baltimore’s ecstatic to utilize his ability as a returner.

His largest skill set is as a returner

“What stands out about him is really his return-ability,” said Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta after the selection. “If you watch him, we think he’s a twitchy, explosive punt returner. … [we’re] excited about him.”

While Wester has shown that he can be a useful tool in an offense, many scouts believe he adds most of his value as a returner. In his freshman season at FAU, he handled kick returns, where he went for 260 yards on just 12 attempts; one of the best marks in the conference. However, he mainly just fielded punts, a position he handled in all five collegiate seasons.

In his senior campaign at FAU, however, is when he put his abilities on display. In 14 punt returns, Wester ended up leading the conference in yards (278), yards per return (19.9) and returning touchdowns (1). He finished with a touchdown in each of his final two collegiate seasons as a returner.

Pro Comparison

This is why many scouts compared him to Braxton Berrios. A now six-year NFL veteran, Berrios was also a sixth-round pick who was a productive returner in college. He later became a secondary receiving threat, but was an elite kick returner one who garnered All Pro status in 2021. LaJohntay Wester has a similar skill set, and could play a similar role, standing just one inch shorter and only a few pounds lighter.

Another great comparison for him could be the former Raven himself, Devin Duvernay. Duvernay was viewed a slightly better receiver out of college, as the Ravens used a third round selection on him in the 2020 NFL draft. However, he quickly worked his way into a major role in the offense, and became a two-time Pro Bowler and 1x All Pro as a returner.

However, since his absence, Baltimore has struggled to find a consistent specialist. And that could be what holds them back from Lombardi No. 3.

A Devin Duvernay Replacement?

Duvernay departed to Jacksonville in the spring of 2024, leaving the Ravens with little home-grown options to fill the void as a return-man. They tried running backs Justice Hill and Keaton Mitchell on kicks, albeit without the same flare in the area as they show on rush attempts.

They claimed wide receiver Steve Sims off of waivers, though his success was limited in his short time in Baltimore. And even after Tylan Wallace worked miracles on a game-winning walk-off punt return in 2023 against the Rams, he’s since provided little value.

It was a position Baltimore entered the offseason searching for. “It would be nice,” DeCosta said of adding a returner before the draft. “I think we’ve done a good job sizing that up. …I think we have some guys that can do it, so we’ve got a floor, but we want a high ceiling. That’s what we want and we’re going to try to find that guy.”

Why is a Returner so Important?

Even if the position doesn’t seem to be important, an elite returner has paid dividends in both of the Ravens’ Super Bowl victories. In fact, in both of their Super Bowls (2-0), they scored a touchdown off of a kick return.

Pro Bowler Jermaine Lewis ran it back 84 yards for a score in Super Bowl XXXV. Meanwhile, Ravens playoff hero Jacoby Jones set the record for the longest return in Super Bowl history with his 108-yard touchdown in Super Bowl XLVII.

Those are the only two returns the Ravens have ever had in the postseason. However, to win in January and February, you need an elite returner. Kadarius Toney’s miraculous punt return in 2022-23 set up Kansas City for their third ever Super Bowl championship. Conversely, San Francisco’s muff on a punt-return in Super Bowl 58 lost them a chance at glory.

Mike Preston explored this theme in a recent column for the Baltimore Sun when observing how the construction of this Baltimore Ravens team differs from others in the past. He also agrees that finding a returner is at the utmost of importance.

“Another missing ingredient is the return game. In 2000, the Ravens had Jermaine Lewis, who averaged 16.1 yards per punt returns. Lewis also had an 84-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the second half of the Ravens’ 34-7 win against the Giants in the Super Bowl. In 2012, Jacoby Jones led the NFL with 1,167 kickoff return yards and scored two touchdowns.”

Consistency during the regular season will also be important

Overall, whether it ends up helping them in the postseason, the Ravens simply are looking for more returning consistency to set up its offense well. Baltimore finished 22nd in average yards per kick return a season ago. Among the teams below them, only four made the postseason.

With Baltimore rostering rookie kicker Tyler Loop in place of Justin Tucker, points will be harder to come by offensively. The return-game needs to help its offense out.

Will LaJohntay Wester Contribute to a Super Bowl?

Look, LaJohntay Wester could end up playing a small role on a team with some of the league’s biggest stars. Yet with versatility as both a pass-catcher and a returner, Baltimore might have a secret x-factor on its hands that they hope could unlock some more flare in an area that is searching, desperately, for a long-term answer.