Executive of the Year: Eric DeCosta
While I really believe this award will end up going to San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch, DeCosta shouldn’t be forgotten about in this discussion. Much like Harbaugh, the Ravens success can easily be drawn back to what DeCosta did in the offseason and even during the regular season.
Baltimore brought in two key free agents in running back Mark Ingram and safety Earl Thomas — both of whom earned Pro Bowl nominations this season and were major contributors to the Ravens’ success on offense and defense. But it might be the mid-season additions that actually had the biggest impact on Baltimore’s success.
L.J. Fort, Josh Bynes, Jihad Ward, Domata Peko and Justin Ellis were all added in the middle of the season but played pivotal roles in transforming the Ravens’ defense from one of the worst units into a group that ended the season ranked third in points allowed and fourth in yards allowed. Keep in mind that all five of these players had been effectively sitting on their couches before Baltimore picked up the phone, meaning 31 other general managers didn’t think they were good enough to contribute, much less start.
We also can’t forget about the numerous trades DeCosta pulled off either. While cornerback Marcus Peters’ trade will draw all the headlines, the Ravens traded offensive linemen Alex Lewis and Jermaine Eluemunor, as well as kicker Kaare Vedvik and quarterback Joe Flacco, adding to Baltimore’s stockpile of picks in the NFL draft. That’s a massive number of deals that all paid off in the Ravens’ favor and has them set up for further success in the coming years.
DeCosta took over the job from Hall of Famer Ozzie Newsome and might have actually had the best season from a general manager standpoint over the last decade. Whenever someone can not only replace a Hall of Famer at their position but actually improve upon what they did, that’s deserving of an award in my book.