Ravens Sign Joe Morgan over Hakeem Nicks After Steve Smith's Injury

With the Baltimore Ravens in desperate need of reinforcements at wide receiver, the team has signed Joe Morgan, passing on Hakeem Nicks in the process.

ESPN's Ed Werder was the first to report the signing. According to ESPN's Jamison Hensley, Baltimore worked out Chuck Jacobs in addition to Morgan and Smith, and Jacobs is expected to be signed to the practice squad.

Per Ryan Mink of the Ravens' website, the team lost leading receiver Steve Smith for the remainder of the season after he suffered a torn Achilles in Week 8 against the San Diego Chargers.

That left the Ravens short on wideouts, with Kamar Aiken, Marlon Brown and Chris Givens as the primary options. Rookie first-round pick Breshad Perriman is also on the roster, but he has yet to play this season due to a knee injury.

The Ravens were already in dire straits with a record of 2-6, but losing Smith made their uphill climb even steeper. Quarterback Joe Flacco needs as much help as he can get in the passing game at this point, and Baltimore ultimately decided that Morgan was the best available option.

The 27-year-old is a fifth-year veteran who has appeared in 21 career games with the New Orleans Saints, catching 14 passes for 471 yards and three touchdowns over the last three seasons.

Nicks is a far more prominent and accomplished wide receiver, as he twice topped 1,000 yards in a season with the New York Giants, but the former first-round pick has declined steadily in recent years and registered just 405 yards in 2014 with the Indianapolis Colts.

Morgan isn't likely to be a go-to guy in Baltimore, but he is a true speedster and deep threat, which could play well in the Ravens offense since Flacco loves to take shots down the field.

Look for Aiken to take hold of the No. 1 receiver work, with tight end Crockett Gilmore and running back Justin Forsett getting plenty of work as well, but don't be surprised if Morgan manages to pull off a couple of explosive plays during his tenure in Baltimore.

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