The Ravens are one of the gold-standard franchises in the NFL, and a major reason for their consistency year in and year out is a top-notch front office.
The Athletic polled 40 league insiders, including 35 high-ranking executives and five coaches, to compile the NFL Front Office Rankings. Respondents, who were granted anonymity for their votes and conversations discussing them in exchange for their honesty, were asked to submit their top five front offices, in rank order, based on each franchise’s football operations side. (Respondents were not allowed to vote for their own team.)
The scoring system: First-place votes were worth 10 points, second-place seven, third-place five, fourth-place three and fifth-place one. (One respondent split his fifth-place vote among two teams.)
After the dust settled, Baltimore landed at No. 1 on the list.
Total points: 259 (15 first-place votes, appeared on 36 ballots)
Owner: Steve Bisciotti
General manager: Eric DeCosta
Head coach: John HarbaughIt’s been more than five years since Ozzie Newsome stepped down as Baltimore’s GM. His disciples have kept the Ravens in contention nearly every year since.
DeCosta handled quarterback Lamar Jackson’s complicated contract situation, working past a trade request to execute a five-year, $260 million extension in 2023. Jackson then won his second MVP award last season.
From a talent acquisition standpoint, DeCosta has steered the Ravens toward the trade for linebacker Roquan Smith, has a strong track record in the first (safety Kyle Hamilton, wide receiver Zay Flowers) and middle rounds (defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, tight end Isaiah Likely), landed a priority free agent in running back Derrick Henry and created an environment where a veteran like linebacker Kyle Van Noy can thrive. Of course, those are just a handful of examples.
Baltimore landed ahead of Kansas City (2), San Francisco (3), Philadelphia (4), and Detroit (5).