Arizona has a need along the defensive line – the good news is that there are quite a few good free agents that seem to be good fits.
With free agency around the corner, let’s go take a look at a huge position of need for Arizona – the defensive line. And there are quite a few good fits in what appears to be a somewhat deep group of free agents:
Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Michael Pierce doesn’t have sexy stats, but he’d be a big boost to Miami’s interior defense.
The Miami Dolphins list of team needs is rather extensive. Two positions generally not regarded as a need for the Dolphins? Wide receiver and defensive tackle. After all, Miami boasts a number of recently extended wide receivers and two young stalwarts in Davon Godchaux and Christian Wilkins along the defensive front.
The perception of a lack of need here is understanding — but it also isn’t entirely accurate. The Dolphins will have a potential need at slot wide receiver if they end up cutting wide receiver Albert Wilson. And at defensive tackle, both Godchaux and Wilkins are effective B-gap defenders — but the lack of a true nose tackle on the roster is something the Dolphins would be wise to address.
Enter Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Michael Pierce.
Pierce doesn’t bring sexy stats to the table, but he does bring A+ run defending skills at the heart of the defense. At 6-foot tall and a listed 340 pounds, Pierce is an anchor that interior offensive linemen simply cannot move. And he’d be an excellent, if unspectacular, addition to Miami’s defensive front.
When the Dolphins need to go into pass rush mode, Pierce is probably the first player off the field. But his presence encourages double teams in the middle because of his power, which makes life easier on both Wilkins and Godchaux. And as a true space eater in the middle of the field, Pierce would make life easier on LBs Raekwon McMillan and Jerome Baker as well.
What would Pierce cost on the open market? He’s probably going to command upwards of $8M per season, given he’s a niche defender but one of the best in the game at what he does. That price tag, plus Baltimore feeling as though he’s already out the door, makes him a sensible target for the Dolphins.
DT Michael Pierce is heading for unrestricted free agency. How did he perform in 2019, and will he be back in Baltimore in 2020?
Successful teams often see a host of their key parts depart following NFL seasons. Coordinators become head coaches, position coaches become coordinators and players with expiring contracts become big-money players.
The Baltimore Ravens went 14-2 in the regular season but managed to retain their entire coaching staff this offseason. They do have players who are looking for a big payday, however. Though Baltimore is expected to have a decent amount of cap space this offseason, they’ll have a tough time re-signing all 21 pending free agents while also working to restock the roster with fresh, new talent.
One of the biggest names is the defensive tackle, Michael Pierce. So what better person to choose next on our free-agent preview than a guy Baltimore have to thank for their stout run defense over the last few seasons.
Michael Pierce was a vital piece of the Ravens’ defensive front, helping the team allow the fifth-fewest rushing yards in the NFL in 2019.
Baltimore doesn’t typically ask their defensive linemen to get after the quarterback. That means Pierce’s stats aren’t very impressive, with only half of a sack and two tackles-for-loss to go with 35 combined tackles in 2019.
But Pierce and Brandon Williams’s role in Wink Martindale’s unit is to occupy blockers and allow the linebackers to make the plays. This, allied to his only playing on 49% of the Ravens’ defensive snaps, goes a long way towards explaining away any apparent lack of production.
Martindale himself has nicknamed Pierce and Williams the “FSU Brothers”, due to their mucking up opposing running games. And no, FSU isn’t a school . . .
The Baltimore Ravens have 21 players set to hit free agency in the 2020 NFL offseason, including OLB Matthew Judon and CB Jimmy Smith
The Baltimore Ravens’ 2019 season is far from over, with hopefully a deep playoff run still on the cards. However, the business of football goes on and it’s important to look ahead at what the Ravens roster could like look in 2020.
Going into this offseason, Baltimore has 21 players set to hit free agency, including 16 unrestricted free agents. While fans will key in on potential free agents the Ravens can sign, they’ll have their work cut out for them in retaining some of their own impact players.
Let’s take a look at the full list of pending free agents for Baltimore.
Ravens 2020 unrestricted free agents:
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Player
Position
Jimmy Smith
CB
Michael Pierce
DT
Patrick Onwuasor
ILB
Seth Roberts
WR
Domata Peko
DT
Anthony Levine
S
Pernell McPhee
OLB
Josh Bynes
ILB
Brynden Trawick
S
Justin Ellis
DE
De’Anthony Thomas
WR
Jordan Richards
S
Chris Moore
WR
Jihad Ward
DE
Hroniss Grasu
C
Matthew Judon
OLB
UFAs are the ones you’ll hear the most about when free agency hits. They’re able to negotiate solely with their teams until free agency starts, where they then enter the open market and can then sign with any team.
Judon has enjoyed a career season with 9.5 sacks, 43 solo tackles and 14 tackles for loss. You would think the Ravens would love to keep him around based on these numbers but they did let Za’Darius Smith walk last season, remember. The classic Ravens tactic has been to let their free agents go out and find out what the market is and then give the team a chance to match or pass. This could be on the cards here again this offseason with Judon.
The other players on this list are mostly rotational players and given the stage of their careers, they may struggle to find better deals on the open market. However, there are players at positions that the Ravens could certainly look to get younger (and cheaper) at.
With the Cardinals out of the playoffs, who are some free agents in 2020 to keep an eye on?
The Arizona Cardinals, now officially out of the playoffs, are likely starting to plan for next year. They have already begun looking at their own soon-to-be free agents, inking tight end Maxx Williams to an extension and engaging in talks with D.J. Humphries.
While the season isn’t over yet, there are several players the Cardinals may be keeping their eyes on that may be good free agent pickups and ones that fans should keep an eye on too.
Packers OT Bryan Bulaga
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Bulaga is far more likely to return to the Packers than anything else, but their cap situation next year isn’t great, so there’s a possibility that they could move on from Bulaga like they have with other offensive line veterans recently, like T.J. Lang in recent years.
If that is the case, Arizona would be wise to make use of the veteran to upgrade their right tackle position.
These 4 Baltimore Ravens players will be instrumental to a win or loss against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13, making them guys to watch
The Baltimore Ravens get arguably their toughest test of the 2019 season when they play a clone of themselves in the San Francisco 49ers. With a physical run-first offense and stout defense, both Baltimore and San Francisco will look to beat each other up en route to a Week 13 win.
With the weather conditions playing a factor this week as the wintery mix continues to fall on M&T Bank Stadium, these four Ravens players will have the biggest impact on the final score.
TE Mark Andrews:
Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images
Baltimore tight ends lead the league with four touchdown receptions in the red zone since Week 9, according to Inside Edge. Three of them have gone to Andrews, making him the easy pick here.
Though the field conditions are conducive to a rushing attack, the Ravens would be wise to incorporate a little play-action when they get into the red zone to throw San Francisco off balance and hopefully create some wide-open targets. If they do, Andrews is likely going to be the guy standing uncovered in the end zone.
The Baltimore Ravens will be without Michael Pierce once again this week as they take on the Los Angeles Rams
The Baltimore Ravens are heading into their Week 12 contest against the Los Angeles Rams without defensive tackle Michael Pierce once again. Listed as “doubtful” for this week after missing the last two practices, it seemed unlikely Pierce would be able to suit up for this game. However, with Pierce running around on the field during warmups, it offers some hope he’ll be ready to go for Week 13 against the San Francisco 49ers.
The rest of the inactives for Baltimore are to be expected and names we’ve often seen on this list each week. But we’ll see wide receiver Chris Moore return to the active list after missing the last few weeks with a thumb injury, potentially retaking some responsibilities as a return specialist.
Below is the full list of Baltimore and Los Angeles’ Week 12 inactives.
Baltimore Ravens inactives:
DT Michael Pierce
CB Anthony Averett
S Bennett Jackson
DT Zach Sieler
G Ben Powers
WR Jaleel Scott
QB Trace McSorley
Los Angeles Rams inactives:
WR Nsimba Webster
DB Darious Williams
CB Dont’e Deayon
S Jake Gervase
LB Natrez Patrick
OL Jamil Demby
T Rob Havenstein
The Baltimore Ravens seem like they’ll be without defensive tackle Michael Pierce for Week 12 against the Los Angeles Rams.
The Baltimore Ravens get yet another tough test again this week as they’ll travel to Los Angeles to take on the Rams in Week 12. Playing on Monday Night Football, this could be the chance for Baltimore to finally prove to the few remaining critics just how good they actually are. But the Ravens could be a little shorthanded this week.
Defensive tackle Michael Pierce is listed as doubtful and even that seems optimistic. Pierce missed Friday and Saturday’s practices after being listed as limited on Thursday. Coach John Harbaugh said Pierce is unlikely to play this week as he still recovers from an ankle injury suffered against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10, according to Aaron Kasinitz of Penn Live.
While wide receiver Chris Moore, guard Ben Powers and tackle Ronnie Stanley are all listed as questionable, all three were full participants on Saturday meaning they’ll likely be able to play Monday night.
Take a look below for the full game statuses for both the Ravens and Rams in Week 12.
Baltimore Ravens game status:
DT Michael Pierce (ankle) – Doubtful
WR Chris Moore (thumb) – Questionable
G Ben Powers (thumb) – Questionable
T Ronnie Stanley (ankle) – Questionable
Los Angeles Rams game status:
T Rob Havenstein (knee) – Out
DB Darious Williams (ankle) – Out
LB Natrez Patrick (illness) – Questionable
The Baltimore Ravens are without defensive tackle Michael Pierce, who suffered an ankle injury last week, against the Houston Texans
The Baltimore Ravens will be without the services of starting defensive tackle Michael Pierce in Week 11 against the Houston Texans.
With the Texans featuring one of the best rushing attacks in the league, Pierce’s absence due to an ankle injury will put more pressure on the Ravens’ defense to remain stout upfront. However, there’s some hope defensive tackles Domata Peko and Justin Ellis will help after both were signed earlier this week.
The need for both Peko and Ellis could be why rookie cornerback Iman Marshall is also listed as inactive. Marshall was activated from injured reserve earlier in the week, having missed the entire season thus far. But with Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Carr, Marcus Peters and Jimmy Smith still in the secondary, there’s a bigger need to offset Pierce’s absence on the defensive line.
Take a look at the list of inactives for both Baltimore and Houston this week.
Baltimore Ravens inactives:
QB Trace McSorley
WR Chris Moore
WR Jaleel Scott
CB Iman Marshall
G Ben Powers
DT Zach Sieler
DT Michael Pierce
Houston Texans inactives:
WR Steven Mitchell Jr.
WR Will Fuller V
CB Bradley Roby
CB Vernon Hargreaves III
ILB Tyrell Adams
T Chris Clarks
DE Joel Heath
The Baltimore Ravens are pretty healthy for Week 11 against the Houston Texans but are still seeing defensive tackle Michael Pierce out.
The Baltimore Ravens enter Week 11 fairly healthy. After getting their Week 9 bye, Baltimore has managed to see the return of some previously injured players as they look to make a strong second-half run.
While the Ravens had three players miss practice entirely on Thursday, most of the injuries don’t seem to be terribly concerning. Rookie wide receiver Marquise Brown has been a frequent addition to the injury report each week but has played in all but two games this season. Defensive tackle Brandon Williams was held out for non-injury reasons. That leaves just defensive tackle Michael Pierce, who was considered day-to-day this week with an ankle injury.
Take a look at the full injury report below.
Baltimore Ravens injuries:
WR Marquise Brown (ankle) – DNP
DT Michael Pierce (ankle) – DNP
DT Brandon Williams (NIR) – DNP
WR Chris Moore (thumb) – LP
CB Brandon Carr (NIR) – FP
RB Mark Ingram (NIR) – FP
CB Jimmy Smith (NIR) – FP
Earl Thomas (NIR/knee) – FP
Houston Texans injuries:
LB Dylan Cole (Knee) – LP
WR Will Fuller V (Hamstring) – LP
S Tashaun Gipson Sr. (Back/wrist) – LP
G/T Tytus Howard (Knee) – LP
CB Bradley Roby (Hamstring) – LP
T Laremy Tunsil (Shoulder) – LP
