According to the Baltimore Sun, new Ravens’ receiver Anquan Boldin was a no-show at the team’s voluntary passing camp on Tuesday. Also missing in action were linebackers Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs, defensive ends Cory Redding and Trevor Pryce, and running back Willis McGahee.

Seeing as how the camp was voluntary, it’s not a huge deal that Boldin wasn’t in attendance. Maybe he had a prior engagement and even so, I’m sure the coaches weren’t concerned. He also showed up earlier this month at the team’s mini-camp, so it’s not like he’s been a ghost since arriving in Baltimore.

That said, he’s a new player in a new offense and this was a passing camp. Wouldn’t he want to work with Joe Flacco as much as possible before the season starts? The Ravens gave him a four-year, $28 million deal when they traded for him in March and made him their No. 1 guy. That’s exactly what he wanted, so one would think that he would honor their commitment by showing up to a camp that would be beneficial to him heading into the season.

But I digress. I don’t want to make a big deal out of this because it’s not. It’s not a concern and maybe he’ll show up later in the week. I don’t want to put a negative spin on the situation and I realize that when training camp roles around, this won’t matter.

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Anquan Boldin hasn’t caught one pass yet as a Baltimore Raven, but I feel confident enough to say that it’s already a perfect partnership.

The Ravens acquired Boldin and a fifth round pick from the Arizona Cardinals on Friday in exchange for their third and fourth round selections in this year’s draft. Immediately after acquiring the 29-year-old receiver, Baltimore signed him to a four-year, $28 million deal.

The Ravens have been desperately seeking a true No. 1 receiver over the past couple years, while Boldin has wanted to be treated like one. It’s not that he didn’t like playing in Arizona – he just felt as though he should be paid similarly to Larry Fitzgerald, or at least have the opportunity to make No. 1-type money.

Boldin will immediately upgrade Baltimore’s receiving corps and assuming he doesn’t retire, Derrick Mason will make a fine No. 2. Acquiring a legitimate No. 1 receiver was the final piece of the puzzle for GM Ozzie Newsome and while it took a couple years, he finally found one in Boldin. Joe Flacco now has several solid weapons at his disposal in Boldin, Mason and rising star Ray Rice, and will also be protected by an above average offensive line.

While the Cardinals would have loved to keep Boldin paired with Fitzgerald in their dynamic offense, all parties involved in this trade walk away winners. The Ravens got their receiver, Boldin got his money and his No. 1 status, and the Cardinals got fair compensation for a player that didn’t want to be there long-term.

Boldin was a top 10 fantasy receiver in Arizona, and depending on who starts the season as the Ravens’ WR2, he should be a top 10 receiver in Baltimore. If Mason sticks around, it will likely depress the numbers of both players. Also, don’t expect Ray Rice to catch 78 passes again next season. Boldin is going to get a ton of targets and Mason figures to as well.

From Arizona’s point of view, it’s an opportunity for Steve Breaston or Early Doucet to step into the WR2 role and have a big season. Breaston has had the better career, but Doucet played well in the postseason, catching 14 passes for 145 yards and two TD against the Packers and Saints. However, either player’s success will depend directly on how Matt Leinart fares at QB. There’s a good chance that the Cardinals will now focus more on Beanie Wells and the running game. Larry Fitzgerald should continue to be a top 3 fantasy wideout.

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Two sources told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald that the Dolphins probably won’t pursue Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin this offseason.

Two people in contact with the Dolphins said last week they would be very surprised if Miami pursues a trade for Brandon Marshall — Denver says it might keep him, and Marshall wants to stay — but they could envision the Dolphins offering a draft pick (third round or later) for Arizona’s Anquan Boldin.

Cardinals GM Rod Graves confirmed today that he is receptive to trade offers for Boldin, although nothing is in the works as of now.

If Graves hopes to get anything for Boldin before his contract runs out at the end of the season, then he may have to take a third round pick or later. It’s rumored that the Cardinals want at least a second rounder in exchange for Boldin, but that seems high.

My best guess is that Boldin will be traded for a third round pick on one of the 45 draft nights/days that the NFL will hold this year. And I think the team that will offer that third round pick will be the Ravens.

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General manager Ozzie Newsome told the media on Wednesday that he’ll seek wide receiver help this offseason for the Ravens, although he obviously didn’t divulge any details about how he’ll acquire said help.

Will Newsome make a run at Anquan Boldin or Brandon Marshall? It’s a strong possibility, as is the idea of the Ravens signing/acquiring either Julius Peppers or Elvis Dumervil to help boost their pass rush. At this point, nothing should be ruled out.

If the Ravens do decide to trade for a receiver this offseason, the general consensus might be that they’ll go after Boldin because he comes with less baggage. But don’t forget that Newsome had a deal in place with the 49ers back in 2004 for Terrell Owens before an arbiter squashed that deal from happening. Marshall is younger than Boldin and can likely be had for a reasonable price because everyone knows that he’s on the outs in Denver. So if Newsome feels that Marshall is worth the risk, then it might only take a second or third rounder to acquire him.

Newsome knows that the Ravens have a solid young core on offense and the defense is still good enough to make a Super Bowl run. If he can acquire a receiver of Marshall or Boldin’s talent, then he’ll be taking another step in getting Baltimore to the next level.

Update: Beat writer Mike Preston disagrees with the sentiment that Baltimore will be a landing spot for Marshall, even going as far as to say that he would be surprised if the Ravens pursued him this offseason.

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