Man what an amazing year for the Baltimore Ravens! Whether it was cut short or not you have to respect what they were able to do offensively this year. They have plenty of pieces to make the Super Bowl, but are still missing a few key things to help this team avoid an upset again like this year. They already are on the right track with locking down Marcus Peters for the next three seasons.
I am picking a few of my favorite teams to watch throughout the season, and trying my hand at GM. Doing all 32 teams probably isn’t realistic, but picking the teams I know the best will ultimately end up with more in depth analysis anyway. Without further adieu, the 2020 Baltimore Ravens To-Do List.
Cap Space
The Ravens will be heading into the off season with the 21st most cap space available. That should put them at roughly $34.6 million to spend this year on re-signing a lot of key parts to this year’s team. Could we see someone like Brandon Williams, who is owed $14 million this season, become a cap casualty to fix other areas of the defense? His contract is taking the 3rd highest percentage of the cap while continuing to trail off from when he was extended.
Re-Signing/Retirement
First let’s start with the good! Cause there doesn’t really look like much good for Baltimore this free agency. Michael Pierce is coming off an on-par season with his past production and is only 27. If the Ravens could bring him back for $2.5-$2.75 million on another two year deal then they will probably be able to retain him. Patrick Onwuasor is going to be in the same boat. In his career with the Ravens he has produced very well, and taken on the challenge of replacing C.J. Mosley. While he isn’t a complete replacement, he won’t cost nearly as much as what Mosley was looking for. If the Ravens can sign Onwuasor for under $6 million a year they should probably look to extend him.
Alright, for you at home keeping count, thats already roughly $9 million of the $34.6 that Baltimore has to spend this year. And it doesn’t look to be getting too much easier after those deals. Jimmy Smith is going to be a free agent this year, and he is coming off an injury plagued season pushing 32 years of age. While he still managed to play well during his snaps this year, the price tag for Smith could be too much to handle. Matt Skura and Gus Edwards are also both going to receive a lot of big offers that the Ravens most likely cannot afford to match. It will be tough for Baltimore to replace such key figures of their offense.
Now onto the elephant in the Ravens front office, Matthew Judon. He is coming off a career high 9.5 sacks and has been very consistent for the Ravens throughout his career. He is a fan favorite in Baltimore and it would be hard for them to let him go, but if he commands top money like Dee Ford, Za’Darius Smith, and Oliver Vernon, it will be hard to keep him. He could very easily request $15M/yr and that would leave the Ravens with roughly $8 million left in cap space for all the players we listed above.
If Marshal Yanda does end up retiring, the Ravens could use that $7 million saved from his contract to push over to retaining Skura. I find it hard to believe Baltimore allows both of them, if either, to walk considering how important the run game is to this offense. With that being said, I find it hard to believe someone like Yanda would walk away after having such a successful season cut heartbreakingly short.
Team Needs
We last saw the Ravens being dragged across the field by Derrick Henry and Co. so I think it’s safe to say the Ravens need help with stopping the run. Yes Henry is a 250 Lb freight train but the Ravens also had a terrible Week 4 loss to Cleveland where they rushed for over 250 yards as well. I think beefing up this defense, in particular the front seven, is the first thing they need to fix this off season.
We also know the receivers for the Ravens could be one of the worst groups currently in the NFL. Marquise Brown had a good rookie year, and Mark Andrews emerged as one of the best receiving tight ends in the NFL, but that can’t carry a team to the Super Bowl. Andrews has his drops to worry about, and only are returning Willie Snead, Marquise Brown, and Miles Boykin. A veteran, sure handed wide receiver would be great for them.
Free Agents
The biggest names I have heard attached to the Baltimore Ravens this season have been Yannick Ngakoue, and Jadeveon Clowney. Both very talented, very expensive, edge rushers. If Judon goes on to request more than $16.5M/yr than it could work out just to get someone like Clowney for the same price.
Dante Fowler Jr. might be a tad cheaper than the big names like Clowney or Ngakoue, and every million counts right now. If you could get him for less than what Matthew Judon is asking for then it should take the sting away from having Judon walk.
Terrell Suggs returning to give the Ravens one last go would remind me so much of the 2011 Super Bowl with Ray Lewis and Joe Flacco. If they could somehow make a team friendly deal work both ways I think a lot of people would want to see that.
There will be some cheaper names on the market that could help the Ravens bolster up their defense. Aaron Lynch will be on the market and should only command roughly $2 million a year. Danny Shelton is a much younger option compared to Brandon Williams, and should less than half the price ($4.5-$5M). Danny Trevathan also will be available and ($5M) could all be low budget addition for Baltimore to bring in and us a linebacker by committee until they find someone that can truly replace Mosley.
2020 NFL Draft
The NFL Draft is somewhat of a long process, with hundreds of players available every year. I broke it down into a few sections to help talk about the entirety of the Ravens draft.
1st Round
The first round could go a few different ways for the Ravens since they sit so far down in the 1st round. If someone like Kenneth Murray Jr or Javon Kinlaw were to slide down come April I wouldn’t be surprised if we tried to move up to grab one. They could fill some of our biggest needs the quickest, and I believe both of an extremely high ceiling in the NFL.
If they were to sit at 28 they could look to fix the edge with someone like Curtis Weaver or even K’Lavon Chaisson depending on his combine. Drafting an edge rusher wouldn’t be the best choice in the 1st round but I do believe Weaver/Chaisson would be some of the best players available late in the first round. Tyler Johnson would also be a name I would consider for the Ravens, but the receiver class is very deep this year.
2nd Round
If they Ravens do draft an edge rusher then I would love to see them target someone like Michael Pittman Jr in the second round. He would compliment Marquise Brown very well, and his long frame can give Lamar another big catch radius to work with. Jordan Elliott from Mizzou is also an interesting name for Baltimore, but most likely would require moving into the mid to maybe even high second round. He graded as the best defensive tackle in the SEC, and was the only to record a 90.0 or higher in pass and rush defense by PFF.
Players like Nick Harris, or Jonah Jackson might be smart picks as well. Both players have potential to be plug ‘n play starters for some teams. The Ravens could potentially lose out on both their starters from center and guard, so adding depth to this offensive line should be on the minds of the front office. I would keep an eye on Trey Smith from Tennessee and Terrell Lewis from Alabama as well.
3rd Round/4th Round
The Ravens can take advantage of this deep receiver group with these 3rd and 4th round picks. With only four receivers being retained Baltimore really need to add talent to this group. You could almost say Devin Duvernay stole Collin Johnson’s thunder this year at Texas. He was impressive from all levels of the field, and recorded over 100 catches as a senior. Gabriel Davis is a 6’3 wide out with great vertical speed. He would be similar to their rookie this year, Miles Boykin. Another Davis the Ravens should look out for his Texas A&M receiver, Quartney Davis. He does everything well, and as already adjusted to making both feet get in bounds when making sideline catches. Omar Bayless is a 6’3 receiver who broke all kinds of records at Arkansas State. He grabbed 17 touchdowns this year, and is a great option in the red zone. One of the many receivers that could get lost in the mass of names this year.
If Trey Smith has fallen to the third round than the Ravens really need to take advantage of it. Smith could fall due to blood clot issues he suffer while in college, but he is a tremendous run blocker when healthy. Cesar Ruiz is an extremely talented offensive lineman from Michigan, who has starting experience at right guard and center.
If Gus Edwards does leave these two prospects would be great additions to the team in the later rounds. A.J Dillon is a 6’0, 250lb running back from Boston College and Sewo Olonilua is a 6’3, 240lb running back from TCU. With the way that Baltimore likes to run the ball, drafting a running back as bruising as these two seems like a logical fit. Olonilua is also projected to destroy the NFLCombine as it’s reported he will run in the 4.4s and can squat over 700lbs.
5th-7th Rounds
These late rounds can make or break a championship team, and if the Ravens can find a gem anywhere in between them he could make the difference in a Super Bowl. Just ask Malcolm Butler. I think players like Garret Wallow from TCU and Jabari Zuniga out of Florida could be those teams of players. They both have that trait of finding the ball and making plays. Wallow is a little undersized and Zuniga has battled injuries but I would love to take late round flyers on them.
Julian Blackmon is a converted cornerback to free safety but was a big part of Utah’s defense this season. His flexibility would be nice in a defense that loves defensive backs, and can sit behind Thomas while he gets bigger for the NFL(206lb). Just for fun I would love to see Lamar Jackson, cornerback out of Nebraska, drafted to the Ravens. He really does offer interesting size at 6’3, 215lbs, and Baltimore could use another young CB.
James Proche is a wide receiver from SMU who recorded over 300 career catches with the Mustangs. He can be used as a return man in special teams, and provide depth to the receiving position. Another late round Texas receiver could be Denzel Mims out of Baylor. He is a 6’3 super athletic receiver, who used to be a multi-sport star back in high school. Mims was one of the top receivers in the Big-12 last year and made a handful of outstanding catches during the season.