Tag: michael brockers

5 DTs the Ravens could sign now after pulling Michael Brockers offer

The Baltimore Ravens aren’t going to sign DT Michael Brockers which leaves them with a big hole to fill. These five names could be an answer

With the Baltimore Ravens pulling their offer from free-agent defensive tackle Michael Brockers, it puts the team in an odd spot. All the top free agents have already signed, including their own in Michael Pierce, leaving the Ravens with a huge hole in the center of their defensive line. Baltimore will now have to take a look at a picked over free-agent market to hopefully find a replacement.

The Ravens still have some options and don’t necessarily have to rush to make any moves. They could look to the 2020 NFL Draft or even the second wave of free agency following the draft when aging players get cut. But with no guarantees in either situation, Baltimore could look at these five defensive tackles as options right now.

Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

Shelby Harris

Harris doesn’t have the same size as Brockers, falling three inches and 15 pounds lighter. But Harris can play all over the defensive line and was productive last year for the Denver Broncos.

Over the last three years, Harris has started 22 of the 48 games he’s played in, notching an interception, forced fumble, 14 sacks, 22 quarterback hits and 122 combined tackles. According to Pro Football Focus, he earned a 76.8 overall grade last season, which ranked 17th among defensive linemen.

Harris has been a little hot and cold throughout his career. The question for the Ravens is if they feel he can remain more consistent with Baltimore and handle a sizeable workload as more of a space-eating defensive tackle.

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Report: Ravens not signing DT Michael Brockers due to concerns over ankle

Due to concerns found during a physical from an independent doctor, the Baltimore Ravens are no longer signing DT Michael Brockers

The Baltimore Ravens had agreed to terms with free-agent defensive tackle Michael Brockers at the very start of free agency. However, with the coronavirus pandemic making getting physicals tougher and ultimately slowing down the process of signing free agents, this is no ordinary offseason.

During Brockers’ pre-signing physical, an independent doctor found concerns with his ankle. The concerns saw Baltimore show interest in free-agent defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh before he signed a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. According to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, the Ravens won’t be signing Brockers. Zrebiec noted Baltimore had been trying to work with Brockers’ agent to get a new deal done but were not able to make it happen.

Brockers will now go back into the free-agent market, wiping away the Ravens’ only signing this offseason. It also opens up a huge hole on their defensive line after letting Michael Pierce sign with the Minnesota Vikings and trading defensive end Chris Wormley to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Ravens on track to earn 1 compensatory pick in 2021 NFL Draft

The Baltimore Ravens have usually been great at gaming the compensatory pick formula but are currently on track to earn just one in 2021

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The Baltimore Ravens are one of the best teams at gaming the compensatory pick formula. Though the NFL had been handing out comp picks for two years before the Ravens came into existence, Baltimore has managed to lead in that department. Their 52 comp picks outpace the 43 selections the two teams tied for second (Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots) have earned. With the Ravens entering this offseason with 21 pending free agents, there was some hope Baltimore would once again top the league when the 2021 comp picks were handed out.

After more than a week of free agency, the Ravens actually haven’t earned as much as originally expected. According to Over The Cap, Baltimore is currently on track to earn a sixth-round pick back after calculating their additions and losses.

Part of the problem is actually a positive for the Ravens this offseason. Baltimore has done a great job of re-signing their own free agents, bringing back potential comp pick earners like cornerback Jimmy Smith, safety Chuck Clark and defensive end Jihad Ward. Re-signing their own players from a 14-2 team is a smart move but it limits what the Ravens can earn in comp picks.

Baltimore has also been aggressive this offseason, adding Calais Campbell and agreeing to terms with Michael Brockers. Yet, thanks to Campbell coming via a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars, it’s really only Brockers that is set to count against them currently. According to OTC, his addition will wipe out the loss of Michael Pierce, who signed a three-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings worth $27 million. That leaves — surprisingly enough — wide receiver Seth Roberts’ one-year deal as the only player set to earn the Ravens a comp pick.

Baltimore doesn’t have any free agents remaining that are expected to get big enough deals to earn any more comp picks. With a few major needs still remaining which could be remedied in free agency, the Ravens could easily be looking at a rare year where they don’t get any extra selections.

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Report: Ravens had interest in DT Ndamukong Suh due to Michael Brockers’ physical

The Ravens were showing interest in free-agent defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh in spite of having agreed to terms with Michael Brockers

Though the Baltimore Ravens have completely revamped their defensive line thanks to a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars for defensive end Calais Campbell and agreeing to terms with free-agent defensive tackle Michael Brockers, the Ravens weren’t completely out of the market for another top defensive tackle. According to The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec, Baltimore had an interest in free-agent defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh prior to him re-signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

With Campbell and Brockers added to the Ravens’ lineup of Brandon Williams, Jihad Ward and Justin Ellis, the idea Baltimore would also be interested in Suh is a bit of a head-scratcher. However, Zrebiec reported that there are some concerns about Brockers’ ankle after he went through a physical by an independent doctor.

While any concerns Baltimore might have could turn out to be insignificant, this isn’t the first time the Ravens have backed out of a deal thanks to an issue found during a pre-signing physical. During the 2018 offseason, Baltimore had agreed to terms with free-agent wide receiver Ryan Grant before a failed physical allowed the team to back out and sign recently released Michael Crabtree.

Per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Brocker’s agent says everything is fine and he’s confident the deal will be announced later this week. However, with the coronavirus pandemic forcing teams to go through independent doctors to get physicals done, it’s slowing down the process.

Why the Ravens went with Michael Brockers over Michael Pierce this offseason

The Baltimore Ravens let their own defensive tackle leave in free agency in order to sign an older one for nearly the same amount of money.

The Minnesota Vikings are set to sign former Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Michael Pierce. Pierce’s departure shouldn’t come as a shock considering the Ravens have agreed to a deal with former Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Michael Brockers and re-signed Justin Ellis already this offseason. Yet, it signaled what we already suspected — that Baltimore was going to let Pierce leave in free agency.

Where things get a little interesting is how similar the deals for Brockers and Pierce are. While the full details of Pierce’s deal aren’t out yet, his three-year deal is set to clock in at $27 million. Meanwhile, the Ravens are handing out a three-year deal to Brockers for $30 million. Baltimore have an easy out in 2022 on their deal with Brockers but the numbers are eerily similar.

We expected Pierce would earn a sizeable deal in our free agency preview and predicted it would be more than Baltimore was willing to pay for him. But considering Pierce was among the league’s best run-stuffing defensive tackles, seeing Brockers actually get paid a little more overall has plenty of fans scratching their heads. Though the Ravens probably aren’t going to announce to the world why they decided to go in a different direction, we have a few clues to go by.

Pierce showing up to training camp heavy in a contract year earned him no brownie points last season. He was sent off the field by coach John Harbaugh for conditioning issues and that bad taste undoubtedly stuck with Baltimore throughout the entire season. Making the decision to grab Brockers was likely bolstered by getting an up-close look at him when the Los Angeles Rams came to town for joint practices in 2018.

Though he flashed at times, Pierce wasn’t really known for his pass-rushing ability. And with the addition of Calais Campbell, the Ravens are being pretty clear they want to offer more of an interior pass rush in 2020. When comparing the stat sheets for Brockers and Pierce, things begin to make a lot more sense here.

Brockers has gotten nearly triple the number of quarterback hits over Pierce since the start of the 2018 season. Pierce only had a combined eight pressures over those two years while Brockers had 17 last year alone and nine in 2018. That all boils down into sacks where Brockers had four and Pierce managed just a half-sack over that timeframe.

Simply put, Brockers was a better all-around player and seems to fit what the Ravens want to do next season. And there’s a good case to be made that Baltimore is actually getting a steal by signing Brockers over Pierce.

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How will the Rams replace Michael Brockers at DE?

Michael Brockers’ departure leaves a hole at defensive end.

Michael Brockers was the longest-tenured position player on the Rams’ roster. He was also the first one to leave the team this offseason when the legal tampering period opened.

On Monday, he agreed to a three-year deal worth $30 million with the Baltimore Ravens, joining their stout defensive line after eight years with the Rams. he’s not a stat-stuffer or someone fans will rave about, but Brockers was an important piece up front.

Replacing him won’t be easy, either.

His backup, Morgan Fox, is currently a restricted free agent, and while he could potentially return to the Rams and start, he hasn’t yet received an RFA tender. Sebastian Joseph-Day could potentially move from nose tackle to defensive end, opening the door for Greg Gaines to man the middle, but that’s probably not the best option.

There aren’t a ton of good options in free agency, but Derek Wolfe and Shelby Harris are still out there. The same goes for Mike Daniels and Brandon Mebane. But it’s now gotten to the point where the Rams probably won’t be replacing Brockers with a free agent who will step in and start right away.

Instead, Brockers’ spot will probably be taken by either Fox, Joseph-Day or a rookie. There are a number of good options in the draft, fortunately, even in the second and third rounds.

Justin Madabuike out of Texas A&M is a stud and should certainly be on the Rams’ radar. Raekwon Davis is a polarizing prospect, but fits the mold of what the Rams are looking for at defensive end. Rashard Lawrence, James Lynch, Ross Blacklock and Marlon Davidson are also names to watch.

It’ll be hard for any of those guys to come in and replicate Brockers’ play, especially against the run. Brockers was an elite run defender who admittedly didn’t offer much as a pass rusher, but his length and size at defensive end was valuable to the Rams.

Defensive end may not be a crucial position in a 3-4 scheme, given the importance of the outside linebackers and Aaron Donald’s role, but the Rams will need to find a quality replacement this offseason.

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Grading the Ravens’ early free-agency moves

The Baltimore Ravens have been active before free agency even starts. But how have they done so far? We grade each trade and signing.

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.

Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

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+

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What Justin Ellis’ signing mean for Ravens’ defensive line

The Baltimore Ravens have beefed up their defensive line even further by re-signing Justin Ellis but where does he fit on the defensive line

The Baltimore Ravens added even more weight to their defensive line, bringing back Justin Ellis on a one-year contract. The move comes as a part of Baltimore’s clear attempt to build up their defensive line this offseason to help shut down the type of rushing attacks they struggled so much against last season. But considering Ellis was a midseason addition that only played in 60 snaps over four games, where does he fit on the Ravens’ defensive line and what does it mean for the team through the rest of free agency?

In truth, Ellis isn’t the same type of splash addition Baltimore is set to pull off with Michael Brockers and Calais Campbell. Ellis should be viewed as rotational depth in the center of the Ravens’ defensive line. Depending on what his final contract numbers end up being, he might simply be some competition for Daylon Mack — Baltimore’s fifth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft — in training camp, and a player the Ravens are willing and able to cut at the 53-man roster deadline without much in the way of financial repercussions.

However, the flurry of moves on the defensive line does point Baltimore away from Michael Pierce, one of their top pending free agents. The writing was already on the wall once the Ravens signed Brockers but adding Ellis back to the lineup on top of that pretty much cements it. That shouldn’t be much of a shock considering what Pierce is expected to earn in free agency but there was some hope Baltimore was going to bring him back.

The Ravens entered last season with just five defensive linemen on their roster, a move they quickly found to be a mistake. It caused them to bring on Ellis, Domata Peko, and Jihad Ward to patch up their holes and provide more depth. Even then, poor showings against Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb and Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry showed they still had a long way to go. Clearly, Baltimore doesn’t want the same problem to pop up this season, especially after going 14-2 last season and choking an opportunity at a Super Bowl away.

Ellis’ signing isn’t likely going to be a move that many will point to later in the season as a defining moment. But it’s these smaller signings and depth players that can turn a good team into a great one that can go the distance.

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Ravens re-sign DT Justin Ellis

The Baltimore Ravens bring back one of their midseason additions from last year in DT Justin Ellis as they build their defensive line

The Baltimore Ravens continue to beef up their defensive line in the early stages of the offseason. On the second and final day of the legal tampering period before free agency officially begins, the Ravens are re-signing defensive tackle Justin Ellis on a one-year deal, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The move comes after Baltimore has agreed to a trade for Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Calais Campbell and terms on a three-year contract for pending free agent Michael Brockers.

The Ravens originally signed Ellis late last season, prior to their Week 11 game, as some additional experienced depth. However, Ellis was a healthy scratch for most of the season, playing in just four games for Baltimore (60 defensive snaps) and accounting for just six tackles. Ellis had spent the previous five years with the Oakland Raiders where he had 119 tackles and a half-sack as a rotational piece.

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Aaron Donald wonders what the Rams are doing in free agency

Aaron Donald doesn’t seem happy that the Rams let Michael Brockers walk.

The Los Angeles Rams were inactive on the first day of the legal tampering period Monday, passing on many of the top free agents who agreed to terms with teams. That was to be expected, considering the lack of cap space they have this year.

They were impacted by one move, however, with Michael Brockers agreeing to a three-year deal with the Ravens. His contract is reportedly worth $30 million, a solid salary for a 29-year-old veteran.

Aaron Donald is puzzled by the Rams’ approach thus far, sharing this photo on Instagram – presumably in response to the team letting Brockers walk. He tagged the Rams and wrote, “What we doin” with a facepalm emoji and crying faces.

Click the tweet to see the full photo.

As many are pointing out on Twitter, it’s hard for Donald to complain about the Rams being inactive after he signed a massive contract extension that eats up a good portion of the cap. His deal doesn’t completely restrict the team, but it does limit the front office’s options in free agency – as do the contracts for Jared Goff, Todd Gurley and Brandin Cooks.

Brockers was the only player to sign elsewhere for the Rams on Monday, with Cory Littleton, Dante Fowler and Andrew Whitworth still on the market. So perhaps they’re working to re-sign those three and knew Brockers was on his way out.

Donald was hurt by Brockers leaving, also posting this on Instagram to say farewell to one of his best friends on the team.

It’s worth pointing out Todd Gurley’s comment on Donald’s post, writing “It’s been real my brothers #originalsquad.” Gurley’s name was brought up in trade rumors, so could he know a move is coming?

Or is he just recognizing that three players from the St. Louis days are no longer together?