Compensatory draft picks
The Ravens love playing free agency carefully in order to accumulate as many compensatory picks as possible. They’re willing to be a little more stingy with contracts in order to hopefully acquire an early-round pick without overpaying for players. We saw all of that last offseason as C.J. Mosley and Za’Darius Smith signed huge contracts alongside the losses of Terrell Suggs and John Brown.
The problem now is with Earl Thomas and Mark Ingram likely cancelling out Smith and Suggs’ comp picks, Baltimore was really counting on Mosley and Brown. And with both Brown and Mosley dealing with injuries, it likely has pushed their value down to the fourth round, according to Over The Cap.
That slight change could have serious ramifications for the Ravens in the 2020 NFL draft. A third-round pick is worth a lot more than a fourth, making trading up a harder and more costly endeavor. But no one 100% knows what the NFL’s algorithm is for comp picks, meaning we’ll have to wait until the league announces them.