Ravens WR Nelson Agholor Finds 'Right' Home, Clarity in Criticism

Free agency arrival Nelson Agholor is the Baltimore Ravens' newest hero after Sunday's victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Nelson Agholor hatched as a Philadelphia Eagle. But he appears to believe he can soar as a Baltimore Raven.

Agholor has worked through a roller coaster career since entering the league as the 20th overall pick of the 2015 draft out of USC. Though his tenure in green produced a Vince Lombardi Trophy hoist after the 2017 season, longevity failed to materialize. Agholor's ultimate Philadelphia legacy is more of a meme than it is a catcher, as the infamously unforgiving Eagles fanbase proved less than understanding when it came to his issues with holding onto the ball.

Donning a new avian personal in Baltimore at age 30 has allowed Agholor to find clarity in the amateurs' criticism.

“I mean, listen, criticism isn’t unique to me,” Agholor told Childs Walker of the Baltimore Sun. “I don’t take that to heart at the end of the day. (In) the same way you get patted on the back today, somebody could call you out for your shortcomings tomorrow. Such is life.”

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Two weeks into his Ravens career, a union that "just felt right" according to the catch, one won't find many around Charm City annoyed with what Agholor has had to offer. He's the latest offensive hero for Baltimore, earning the de facto game-winning touchdown in a 27-24 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. While his arrival was perhaps muted as he's making his purple debut alongside Odell Beckham Jr. and Zay Flowers, Agholor was the leading receiver in the key divisional win. 

Agholor came to Baltimore after relatively brief stays in Las Vegas (2020) and New England (2021-22). He sounded pleased to be playing a meaningful role on a Ravens group working through a potentially fateful season. 

“I mean, nine years, it hasn’t been perfect,” Agholor said of his career. “But it’s been a great journey. My experience has allowed me to have understanding in some areas that others may not have.”

At 30, Agholor is the most experienced catcher on the Ravens' active roster (if Beckham's 2022 absence is accounted for), perhaps a daring contrast to the young movement headlined by Flowers and Rashod Bateman, 2021's premier purple draft choice. The most important names involved in the Baltimore offense seemed please to have him around.

"Lamar (Jackson) put that thing right where it had to be, and Nelly made a great catch," head coach John Harbaugh said of Agholor's tally, per Steve Zavala of AtoZ Sports. "It's not the end of that. It's a big part of what we need to do, and they get up and get in your face and press you, we have to make them pay for it, and Lamar and Nelson did that."

Jackson was subtle in his own praise, but that was intended: the Ravens' franchise quarterback

“I like to keep him under the radar,” Jackson said in a report from Ravens Country's Adam Schultz. “He had a pretty good game, I don’t want any hype going his way; keep it under the radar and keep doing what he’s doing. He has (been superb), we've been connecting here on the field pretty much the whole offseason, and it showed this past Sunday.”

Agholor and the Ravens will look to keep their perfect start alive on Sunday when they take on the Indianapolis Colts at 1 p.m. ET.