The Baltimore Ravens usually sit out the beginning of free agency, often choosing to sign players who are outright cut and those second-tier options that find themselves still on the market closer to the NFL Draft. But with a Super Bowl window clearly in front of them, general manager Eric DeCosta was pretty aggressive this offseason.
Baltimore has agreed to trades, both adding a player and sending one away. The Ravens have re-signed several of their own players while adding a pending free agent in the legal tampering period. In total, Baltimore has at least seven moves already on the docket and could continue to make some more in the coming days.
Let’s take a look at each move individually and give them all a grade to see exactly how well the Ravens have started free agency.
Franchise tagging Matthew Judon
Baltimore didn’t really have a choice here. Most of the pass rushers that were set to hit free agency were given the franchise tag and allowing Judon to hit the open market would have practically guaranteed the Ravens wouldn’t have been able to keep him.
While tagging puts a huge dent in Baltimore’s salary cap, they have some options now. The Ravens can hold off for a little while and wait for the market to set the bar on contracts for pass rushers. Or Baltimore can decide to deal him to a desperate team that’s willing to give up quite a lot for him. If push comes to shove, the Ravens can simply keep him on the franchise tag for 2020 and keep their top outside linebacker for the season.
Grade: A+