Ravens remaining needs after 1st wave of free agency

With the first wave of free agency over and the 2021 NFL draft a month away, let’s take another look at the Baltimore Ravens needs.

The first wave of free agency is over with the biggest names having signed contracts or agreeing to terms. For the Baltimore Ravens, they’ve filled two of their biggest needs while retaining quite a few of their own free agents. As we look forward to the second wave of free agency and the 2021 NFL draft, it’s important to see what Baltimore still needs to address the rest of the way.

The Ravens bolstered their offense with the additions of right guard Kevin Zeitler and wide receiver Sammy Watkins. Unfortunately, the defense has taken a bit of a hit, losing EDGE defenders Yannick Ngakoue and Matthew Judon. Still, Baltimore has brought back several familiar faces such as outside linebackers Tyus Bowser and Pernell McPhee to keep some continuity at the position.

It’s worth noting the Ravens were big spenders before free agency even began, inking cornerback Marlon Humphrey and left tackle Ronnie Stanley to mega extensions last season. While the reduced salary cap has clearly had an impact on Baltimore’s offseason plans, the front office has been able to address at least a few needs and bring back some important players.

But with the 2021 NFL draft quickly approaching, let’s take another look at the Ravens’ needs.

The Ravens’ problems on the offensive line are overhyped

While the Baltimore Ravens do need to find some help on the offensive line this offseason, it isn’t nearly as bad as some make it out to be.

The Baltimore Ravens should be looking to bolster their offense this offseason. While there are a few needs, one of the top priorities is finding some answers on what was a makeshift offensive line last season. But for all the harping on about the importance of the offensive line, I think Baltimore’s issues are a little overanalyzed and certainly overhyped.

First and foremost, throw out last year. Whenever you lose an All-Pro left tackle to injury and a Hall of Fame-caliber right guard to retirement, there are going to be issues. So, if we aren’t basing our assessment on last season, we need to look a little closer at what Baltimore has in order to figure out what they need. Below is a breakdown of the starting offensive line as it stands right this minute:

OL	Player
LT	Ronnie Stanley
LG	Bradley Bozeman
C	??
RG	??
RT	Orlando Brown Jr.

When you look at the locked-in starters, Baltimore has three of five spots filled with some really good talent. While Brown could be traded this offseason as he searches for a starting job at left tackle, he and Stanley are Pro Bowl players at their positions and a massive luxury for the Ravens. Very few teams can claim to have even two above-average starters at tackle, much less two Pro Bowl bookends. We can’t forget about Bozeman at left guard, who isn’t at Brown and Stanley’s level but has been solid in his own right, giving up just two sacks last season.

While the center and right guard jobs are still wide open and have been much discussed already this offseason, I don’t think Baltimore needs to panic and rush to a conclusion at both spots.

The Ravens shuffled quite a few players into the lineup at right guard last season, starting with rookie Tyre Phillips. While I believe Phillips can and will improve, he was plain terrible there in 2020 and he’s nowhere near ready to start yet. However, Ben Powers — the guy I predicted would win the job from the outset — performed quite admirably there when given a chance. Powers wasn’t outstanding and no one is going to mistake him for Yanda anytime soon but when combined with the depth Baltimore has at guard, the Ravens should feel good about heading into training camp with the starting job open for competition.

Unfortunately, center isn’t in nearly the same shape, thanks in part to the lack of depth. Currently, Baltimore has just UDFA Trystan Colon-Castillo on the roster at center as Matt Skura is expected to leave in free agency. Patrick Mekari and Bradley Bozeman are guards who can play at center but Bozeman is currently the starter at left guard and Mekari sent his fair share of snaps to the moon last season too.

As we saw last season and even in 2019, center is clearly the Ravens’ biggest problem. In fact, I believe the majority of the issues that have been attributed to the interior offensive line as a whole are really a byproduct of the struggles at center. Beyond the poor snaps, things like missed blocks and slow pulls put far more pressure on both the left and right guards to overcompensate. That leads to missed blocks of their own, getting shoved into the backfield, being late to their blocking assignment, and penalties as they either try to fire off too quickly or need to hold.

Luckily for the Ravens, center is the cheapest position on the offensive line to go buy in free agency. According to Over The Cap, Ryan Kelly — the league’s highest-paid center — ranks 25th among all offensive linemen. In fact, there are just nine centers among the 50 highest-paid offensive linemen in the NFL right now. Baltimore is also fortunate that several solid centers are about to hit free agency with former Green Bay Packers center Corey Linsley leading the group.

If my assessment is correct, signing a top center like Linsley in free agency would immediately patch up the Ravens’ biggest weakness on the offensive line while making both left and right guard look better as well. And as an added bonus, it won’t cost a fortune to do, even if they overpay and don’t backload the deal, which isn’t something the Ravens have done often.

If history is any indication, Baltimore isn’t going to panic and let a single bad year dictate their path in free agency or the NFL draft. In a potentially down market thanks to the projected lowering of the salary cap for the first time in a decade, the Ravens should be able to patch up their offensive line and make a splash elsewhere, as long as they’re smart about it.

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7 top offseason needs for the Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens enter the 2021 offseason in need of help at a few critical positions. We identify and look at each of the needs here.

The Baltimore Ravens are so close yet so far away from getting to another championship. As Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta takes the team into the offseason, one of the first things he has to do is look over the roster and see where his biggest needs are at.

Though Baltimore made it all the way to the divisional round of the playoffs, the Ravens enter this offseason with more than a few needs. Some are due to their pending free agents and others are rehashes of needs they’ve had for years but haven’t adequately addressed.

Before we here at Ravens Wire or even Baltimore can do anything this offseason, it all starts right here. Let’s take a look at the Ravens’ most pressing needs this offseason.

Ranking the Ravens’ top roster needs after the 2020 NFL Draft

The Baltimore Ravens answered a lot of their top questions in the 2020 NFL Draft but still have some needs before the regular season starts.

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The Baltimore Ravens have wrapped up the 2020 NFL Draft, taking 10 players over the seven rounds. While they filled several of their needs, Baltimore clearly wasn’t afraid to go off script and pick up players they liked at positions with depth in place already.

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta moved both back and forth in the 2020 NFL Draft to marry both value and need. With undrafted free agents being signed and the second wave of free agency starting on Monday when players no longer count against the compensatory pick formula, Baltimore will look to further bolster their roster ahead of the regular season.

But where do the Ravens need to focus most of their energy? Let’s take a closer look at each of Baltimore’s remaining needs.

Outside linebacker

The Ravens didn’t add a single pass rusher in the 2020 NFL Draft. Though that might mean Baltimore believes in their young guys Tyus Bowser and Jaylon Ferguson, it more likely means no one was a good enough value in the draft to take. Considering it was a pretty weak class at the position overall, it’s probably more of the latter than the former.

There are some players already on the free-agent market that could bolster the Ravens’ depth chart at outside linebacker. With some more potentially getting added following the 2020 NFL Draft, Baltimore should be able to address this need quickly while still letting Bowser and Ferguson get a shot.

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What does Jake Ryan’s addition mean for the Ravens’ 2020 NFL draft plans

With Jake Ryan coming to the Baltimore Ravens on a one-year deal, does it change what the Ravens are going to do in the 2020 NFL Draft?

The Baltimore Ravens bolstered their thinnest position group with the addition of inside linebacker Jake Ryan, who agreed to terms on a one-year contract pending a physical. With the 2020 NFL Draft coming up in less than a week, the biggest question with any new signing is how it will impact the Ravens’ draft plans. For Ryan, that’s a little bit of a complicated situation.

When healthy, Ryan is a starting-quality linebacker. In fact, he did that in 27 games over three seasons for the Green Bay Packers. But injuries have kept him from the field for all but one snap over the last two seasons, with the Packers and Jacksonville Jaguars respectively. While there’s certainly hope Ryan has recovered from the knee injury that put him on injured reserve in 2018 and the hamstring injury that ended his 2019 season, betting on that seems like a shaky proposition.

However, Baltimore just needed more experienced depth. Prior to Ryan’s signing, the Ravens had just three inside linebackers under contract and only L.J. Fort has started even just one NFL game. Only Fort and Chris Board have gotten any defensive snaps. With two linebacker spots to fill on base defense, that very limited depth and production simply wasn’t going to cut it for a Baltimore defense that has a long and proud history of linebacker play.

While Ryan’s addition certainly helps that depth, it likely isn’t a huge impact on the Ravens’ draft plans. They’re still likely going to use at least one of their nine picks at the position in the 2020 NFL Draft. However, they might not necessarily be forced into taking one of the linebackers — Patrick Queen and Kenneth Murray — who have frequently been mocked to them in the first round.

As director of college scouting Joe Hortiz noted in the pre-draft press conference, there are a bunch of linebackers that can be found later in the draft to fill specific roles. If Baltimore wants to split the position group into linebackers who can cover and ones who are stout against the run, they might be able to wait until Day 2 or 3 of the draft to find their other piece of the puzzle to combine with Ryan, Board and Fort.

As with everything the Ravens tend to do in the offseason, Ryan’s addition is about giving them more flexibility. They can let their draft board come to them without having to feel like they need to reach to fill a need with an early pick. It’s a strategy that has worked out quite well for Baltimore over the years, so it’s hard to disagree with it.

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Ravens not forced to grab LB early in 2020 NFL Draft

The Baltimore Ravens enter the 2020 NFL Draft with LB being one of their top needs but they can find great value in later rounds too

The way defense is played in the NFL is ever-changing. As offenses begin to spread themselves out and throw the football more often, defenses are countering that by putting more defensive backs on the field. The end result is that linebackers that can play all three downs aren’t nearly as important as they were 10 years ago.

The Baltimore Ravens enter the 2020 NFL Draft with inside linebacker being one of their most pressing needs. With only L.J. Fort penciled in as a starter right now and Baltimore effectively having no depth behind him on their roster, the Ravens will need to add at least one more linebacker to their defense. However, by not necessarily needing a three-down linebacker, Baltimore is afforded a little flexibility with how they attack the draft this year.

“I think when we look at the board, there’s obviously guys who can do all three things – play the run, cover and blitz,” director of college scouting Joe Hortiz said at the Ravens’ pre-draft press conference. “But I think when we look at the guys throughout the draft, there are players that can help us in specific roles. There are guys in the mid-rounds that can come in and cover, maybe play the run.”

If the Ravens want to find that all-around player, they’ll likely have opportunities to do so in the first round. LSU’s Patrick Queen, Oklahoma’s Kenneth Murray and even Wisconsin’s Zack Baun have all been frequently mocked to Baltimore with their 28th overall pick. While each player offers a slightly different flavor, all three can do everything well enough to warrant being taken that early.

But on the flip side, the Ravens could look for role players in later rounds if they wish. Guys like Oregon’s Troy Dye and Ohio State’s Malik Harrison fit two different styles of play — one better at coming down in run defense with the other better in coverage. Or they can look for a developmental prospect that does both reasonably well in Mississippi State’s Willie Gay Jr. while finding additional help in free agency to round out the group.

The Ravens have loved going into the draft with as much flexibility as possible. By not having to necessarily chase any needs, Baltimore has been able to find star players like cornerback Marlon Humphrey and outside linebacker Matthew Judon by simply letting their draft board come to them. In the 2020 NFL Draft, things aren’t any different and with nine picks — including seven in the first 134 picks — the Ravens should be able to find immediate contributors at a number of positions of need.

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With Josh Bynes, Patrick Onwuasor signing elsewhere emphasis is put on the 2020 NFL Draft for Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens have a huge hole in the middle of their defense at inside linebacker and now both of their free agents are gone.

One of the Baltimore Ravens’ biggest needs remaining is at inside linebacker. While they’ve shored up their defensive line, which should help outside linebacker Matthew Judon get better matchups, Baltimore doesn’t even have enough inside linebackers on the roster to go into the regular season.

The Ravens had shown some interest in both of their free-agent inside linebackers — Josh Bynes and Patrick Onwuasor — during free agency. With how Baltimore was re-signing their own players this offseason, it seemed as though a reunion was forthcoming with at least one of them. However, Onwuasor is signing a one-year deal with the New York Jets while Bynes is signing with the Cincinnati Bengals, taking both familiar options off the table. Now with only lesser or older options still remaining in free agency, the Ravens might be forced to remedy the problem in the early rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Mock drafts have frequently given Baltimore Oklahoma’s Kenneth Murray or LSU’s Patrick Queen in the first round, filling a need with a quality player. But there are no guarantees when it comes to the draft — either in a player falling or in any prospect being good.

If there’s a run on wide receivers, pass rushers and quarterbacks, the Ravens might see either Queen or Murray fall into their laps. But just as easily, both could be off the board which would force Baltimore to either hope they can get one of the second-tier linebackers in a later round or reach for one of them there. While the second wave of free agency following the draft could still net them a starter-quality player at inside linebacker, it’s something the Ravens rarely leave to chance.

This hypothetical is exactly why the Ravens like to address as many of their needs as possible ahead of the draft. Instead of drafting the players they like most, Baltimore is now eyeing up the possibility of having to adjust their entire draft to find a starter at a key position.

Ravens roster needs after the 1st wave of free agency

Most of the top free agents have been signed but the Baltimore Ravens still have loads of needs they need to address this offseason.

Though the Baltimore Ravens were aggressive early in free agency and made a bunch of moves, they didn’t actually fill many of their roster needs thus far.

The Ravens pulled off a trade for Calais Campbell, traded away both Hayden Hurst and Chris Wormley, and signed Michael Brockers. While their defensive line is as stout as any period over the last five years, it’s far from everything Baltimore needed to do. Right now, the Ravens’ roster has plenty of holes that will need to be addressed.

But first is figuring out exactly where they need players and just how important each need is. I’ve gone through Baltimore’s roster to find out all of their remaining needs for this offseason. Whether the answers come through free agency or the 2020 NFL Draft will have to be seen but these are the seven biggest needs, in order, for the Ravens after the first wave of free agency.

Outside linebacker

Current roster: Matthew Judon, Tyus Bowser, Jaylon Ferguson, Aaron Adeoye, Mike Onuoha

While the Ravens had one of the best defenses in the league last season, there is little doubt they would have been better with more help at outside linebacker.

Baltimore used its franchise tag on Judon, which is a huge help to at least get back to how they were last season. But there is no guarantee he’s on this roster come Week 1. Judon could be traded or hold out just as easily as he could be signed to a long-term extension at this point. And even if the Ravens can lock Judon up to a contract extension, they desperately need to help him out and need productive depth behind him.

Bowser and Ferguson are currently on track to compete for the starting spot opposite Judon with no clear favorite right now. Both Bowser and Ferguson saw improvement over the final seven games of the season, getting most of their production there. However, even that uptick shouldn’t be enough to get Baltimore pumped about them in a three-down starting role. Behind them are two developmental prospects that spent time on the practice squad, so I wouldn’t go expecting much there.

In reality, Judon is their only known weapon at outside linebacker with everyone else a giant question mark at best. To get the most out of this defense, the Ravens need to find another player who can make a serious impact immediately. Beyond that, Baltimore could use another rotational player or two to help round out the group and give them some options during the season. Finding another veteran would also make sense for a group that has just eight years of actual NFL experience and 45 starts combined.

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Mapping out the Ravens’ perfect 2020 offseason

The Ravens have a little cap space to burn but a bunch of pending free agents and holes to fill. How can they kill it this offseason?

The Baltimore Ravens enter the 2020 NFL offseason with a bitter taste in their mouths. They’ll try to turn the disappointment of their playoff loss into action this offseason in an effort to get better and make a serious run at Super Bowl LV.

In order to do that, Baltimore will need to have a great offseason. That means getting values in free agency and picking the right players in the 2020 NFL Draft to bolster the roster and hopefully patch up their biggest holes. Though both free agency and the draft offer never-ending scenarios that will affect what the Ravens can do, we’ll take a look at what the perfect offseason would look like for Baltimore.

The Ravens are expected to have roughly $27.75 million in available cap space to start, according to Over The Cap. So let’s take a look at how they can free up a little more.

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Cutting players:

Baltimore has a number of players who could be on the chopping block as salary cap casualties this offseason. But I feel like two players are pretty much guaranteed to be cut.

Safety Tony Jefferson was replaced well by Chuck Clark and cornerback Brandon Carr is just too expensive given his role as a depth player and floater in the secondary. Cutting both players would add roughly $13 million to the Ravens’ salary cap, according to OTC, giving them $40.75 million to play with.

We’ll also assume guard Marshal Yanda returns for the 2020 season, which won’t free up any additional money but won’t create a new hole for Baltimore to fill. Though if Yanda does retire, that would add another $7 million to the Ravens’ available salary cap, according to OTC.

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4 top offseason needs for the Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens will have to quickly turn their attention from their sorrows to the 2020 NFL offseason and what needs they have to fill

Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta has likely already been looking towards the offseason and what he’ll need to do to get the team better prepared for next year. He’s looked over the roster and Baltimore’s pending free agents to create a list of places to attack this offseason.

To help fans know where to look as well, I’ve compiled this list of positions the Ravens will need to address this offseason. While the list is in no particular order, expect Baltimore to find free agents or use some picks in the NFL draft to patch up these holes in the coming months.

Pass rush:

Hats off to defensive coordinator Don Martindale who created something out of nothing. The Ravens lost their top-two pass rushers last offseason, was never able to replace them, and it showed.

Baltimore ranked 20th in sacks-per-pass-attempt, getting the quarterback down just 6.8% of the time. While they blitzed an overwhelming amount this season, the Ravens’ defense was largely only able to generate inconsistent pressure.

Now Baltimore faces another offseason where their top pass rusher is headed for free agency. Much like Za’Darius Smith did last year, outside linebacker Matthew Judon is expected to be one of the top free agents on the market this offseason and could see huge contract offers come his way.

Even if the Ravens are able to re-sign Judon, they really can’t go into next season without adding more help opposite him. While Tyus Bowser stepped up at points and there’s hope Jaylon Ferguson turns the corner in his second season, the pair combined for two fewer sacks than Judon.

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