Fans of the Green Bay Packers may want to get a head start learning the names of the Baltimore Ravens players who are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents this offseason.
Why?
The Packers have a few connections to the Ravens, starting with 2019 breakout star outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith. There’s a good chance Smith would willingly put in a good word for some of his former teammates.
Perhaps the reason Smith signed with the Packers in the first place, though, was the presence of Milt Hendrickson.
Hendrickson spent 14 years (2005-18) with the Ravens before joining the Packers as director of football operations in January of 2019. A long-time friend of Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst, Hendrickson gained his first NFL experience as a training-camp intern for Green Bay back in 2004.
Since Hendrickson joined the organization, the Packers have added Smith and outside linebacker Tim Williams, both formerly of the Ravens. Additionally, the Packers signed former Ravens cornerback Jackson Porter last August and brought in running back Alex Collins for a tryout in December.
Smith spent his first four seasons with Baltimore, while Williams was drafted in the third round in 2017 before being waived in October this past season, allowing the Packers to claim him. Porter was cut after camp, and Collins wasn’t signed after his tryout, but he played for the Ravens from 2017-18.
Hendrickson appears to have a significant voice in the Packers’ front office, which is why it wouldn’t be surprising if the team brought in former Ravens players for visits during free agency in March – and potentially signing one or more of them.
It just so happens that a few of the Ravens’ biggest unrestricted free agents are at positions of need for the Packers.
Inside linebacker Patrick Onwuasor, nose tackle Michael Pierce and outside linebacker Matt Judon all make sense as potential suitors for the Packers in free agency. None are projected to command top dollar contracts, either.
Pierce, a run-stuffing nose tackle, is projected to garner a two-year, $9.5 million contract by Spotrac. The 6-foot, 340-pound menace would add much-needed help to the Packers’ porous run defense that allowed 4.9 yards per carry in 2019 (playoffs included). Because Pierce is primarily a two-down player, Green Bay likely wouldn’t have to break the bank by signing him.
Then there’s Onwuasor, a core special teams player who earned more playing time as time went on. He managed to play only 473 defensive snaps in 2019 but finished with 61 tackles, five tackles for losses, one forced fumble and a pass breakup. Onwuasor is projected to command a contract worth roughly $5 million annually, according to Spotrac.
Finally, Judon is likely to be the most expensive of the bunch but is probably the player with the highest upside. He’s projected by Spotrac to sign a contract worth roughly $16 million annually after producing a career-best 9.5 sacks in 2019.
Another potential target is receiver Breshad Perriman, who was originally drafted in the first round by the Ravens. He finally broke out for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019 and could make sense as a high-upside vertical threat for the Packers in 2020.
Maybe the Packers won’t sign a marquee free agent this offseason due to potential salary cap constraints (projected $20-25 million), but keep an eye on former Ravens players as targets for Gutekunst and Hendrickson.