ExtremeRavens Posted January 22 Posted January 22 Ravens All-Pro fullback Pat Ricard believes that All-Pro quarterback and likely NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson will one day capture football’s ultimate prize. “It’s inevitable,” he said as he dumped piles of clothing into a large, black garbage bag inside Baltimore’s locker room Monday afternoon. “He’s going to win a Super Bowl, and I want to be a part of it.” It just won’t be this year after the Ravens’ season came to a crashing and dispiriting halt in a 27-25 divisional-round loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night in which Jackson threw an interception and lost a fumble and tight end Mark Andrews was stripped and dropped a would-be game-tying 2-point conversion with just over 1 1/2 minutes remaining. And now that the offseason is suddenly here, the organization begins the lengthy journey all over again. General manager Eric DeCosta and coach John Harbaugh will meet with the media Wednesday in Owings Mills, where plenty of questions will be asked about this year and the offseason ahead. Baltimore has made the playoffs every year but once since it drafted Jackson in 2018 (and the one year it didn’t he suffered a season-ending injury). But the Ravens have not reached a Super Bowl and have only one AFC championship game appearance in that span. With 17 unrestricted free agents, among other roster decisions and salary cap concerns, along with an expected 11 picks in this year’s draft, the work to return to the game’s biggest stage for the first time since 2013 is already under way. Here’s a look at that and more as the Ravens head into the offseason. READER POLL: How would you grade the Ravens’ season? Free agents Baltimore’s four most notable unrestricted free agents are veteran left tackle Ronnie Stanley, Ricard, versatile offensive lineman Patrick Mekari and cornerback Brandon Stephens. Of that group, what the Ravens do with Stanley will be most intriguing. As Jackson’s blindside protector and after a rejuvenated season, it would make a lot of sense to try to bring the former All-Pro back. But Stanley will also turn 31 in March, has a long injury history and will likely command a salary around $20 million a year or more on the open market. Will a desperate team with a young quarterback that believes it’s one or two key players away from being a contender make him an offer he can’t refuse after his deal was reworked and he took a pay cut this past season? The Ravens are projected to have $17.1 million in salary cap space, though that number will shrink to about $6.5 million in effective space after signing at least 51 players and their projected rookie class, per Over The Cap. That number will grow with inevitable contract restructures and other moves, but it remains to be seen if the two sides can come to an agreeable arrangement after Stanley allowed just two sacks and 35 pressures on 575 pass blocking snaps. Here are the rest of Baltimore’s unrestricted free agents: Quarterback: Josh Johnson Wide receiver: Nelson Agholor, Tylan Wallace, Deonte Harty, Steven Sims Offensive line: Ben Cleveland, Josh Jones Defensive line: Brent Urban Linebacker: Malik Harrison, Chris Board, Kristian Welch Cornerback: Trayvon Mullen, Tre’Davious White Baltimore also has a handful of restricted, exclusive rights and street free agents: safety Ar’Darius Washington and cornerback Christian Matthew (RFA); running back Owen Wright (ERFA) and tight end Qadir Ismail (SFA). Ravens offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley, right, is an unrestricted free agent this offseason. (Kim Hairston/Staff) Coaching and staff changes Last offseason, the Ravens’ coaching staff and front office were plundered. Defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald became the Seattle Seahawks coach, defensive line coach Anthony Weaver and defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson took defensive coordinator jobs with the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans and director of player personnel Joe Hortiz was plucked to be the Los Angeles Chargers’ general manager. There will undoubtedly be changes this year, too, but nowhere near as many. The most significant loss, of course, would be offensive coordinator Todd Monken. He has already interviewed with the Chicago Bears (who have since hired Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson) and Jacksonville Jaguars and the Las Vegas Raiders reportedly plan to talk to him as well. Monken, 58, is more than 10 years older than what was the average age of a head coach at the start of the 2024 season. His only experience as a head coach was also a brief stint at Southern Mississippi from 2013 to 2015. But in his second year in Baltimore he was the architect of the league’s top offense this past season with the Ravens the first team in NFL history to pass for at least 4,000 yards and rush for at least 3,000 in the same season. Given his success at Georgia, he could be a popular choice in nearby Jacksonville, where he could perhaps be viewed as the cure to quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s ills. While neither the Jaguars nor Raiders are ideal or even well-run organizations, his chances of becoming a coach in the NFL are fleeting with each year that passes so no one would blame Monken for jumping at any opportunity. Salary cap As mentioned, Baltimore will have about $17.1 million in cap space and a little more than one-third of that in effective space. That ranks just 22nd in the league, with the New England Patriots easily leading the way with more than $112 million in effective space. Put another way, the Ravens can’t afford to be big players in the free agent market. But they almost never are, nor will they be anytime soon with Jackson’s contract chewing up $43.65 million in salary cap in 2025, though his deal could be restructured to free up at least some room. He’s also not the only big ticket player with All-Pro nickel cornerback Marlon Humphrey ($25.37 million), All-Pro inside linebacker Roquan Smith ($23.71 million) and tight end Mark Andrews ($16.9 million) all counting significantly against the cap. With Andrews entering the final year of his deal and no more guaranteed money left on it nor on Humphrey’s, it will be worth watching how they handle those two veteran stars. Biggest needs Pass rusher: While Kyle Van Noy (12 1/2 sacks) and Odafe Oweh (10) became the first Ravens duo to rack up double-digit sacks since Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil in 2014, Baltimore ranked just 29th in pass rush win rate, per ESPN Analytics. The Bills, by comparison, were sixth. Baltimore is still strong up front with linemen Nnamdi Madubuike (6 1/2 sacks) and the young and ascending Travis Jones (1), but Van Noy will turn 34 in March and fellow outside linebacker David Ojabo hasn’t shown in his first three years that he can stay healthy and/or be a meaningful contributor. The Ravens drafted outside linebacker Adisa Isaac in the third round last year, but his potential is unknown after a hamstring injury dating to before he was chosen by the Ravens derailed his rookie season. Ravens outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy had a career year, but the Ravens could still use more capable pass rushers for the 2025 season. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) Offensive line: With Stanley and Mekari both free agents, the Ravens could be looking to replace two starters up front after having to fill three openings last offseason. If Baltimore doesn’t bring back Stanley, it could shift Roger Rosengarten, who had a nice rookie season starting at right tackle, to the left side and then draft someone to step in on the right side. If they re-sign Mekari, they could use him at right tackle and go with Andrew Voorhees, who started the year at left guard before being replace by Mekari, or another player to fill Mekari’s vacated spot. Whatever the Ravens choose to do, they’ll undoubtedly use the draft and free agency to bolster a group that struggled early but settled in nicely once they found their starting five. Cornerback and safety: After blossoming into a dependable cornerback in 2023, Stephens took a step backwards this past season to the point where teams were targeting him. He obliged and allowed 906 yards and four touchdowns to go with a 106.1 passer rating against. Woof. The good news for Baltimore is that Nate Wiggins showed during his rookie year that he can be an every-down cornerback on the outside, and there’s still Humphrey. There’s also T.J. Tampa, whom they drafted in the fourth round last year. Still, DeCosta is fond of loading up on cornerbacks and it’s a position he will look to add to in the draft as well as free agency. Baltimore will also need to add at safety. Even if the Ravens are presumably able to keep Washington, they have an opening with the soon-to-be jettisoned Marcus Williams. Perhaps Beau Brade or Sanoussi Kane, both rookies this past year, will be contributors next season, but given Washington’s injury history and questions about everyone except Kyle Hamilton they’ll want to strengthen this group as well. Key dates Jan. 30: East-West Shrine Bowl (Arlington, Texas) Feb. 1: Senior Bowl (Mobile, Alabama) Feb. 24-March 3: NFL Scouting Combine (Indianapolis) March 4: Deadline for clubs to designate franchise or transition players March 10-12: Clubs are permitted to contact and enter into contract negotiations with agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents March 12: The start of the new league year at 4 p.m. All 2024 player contracts expire and clubs can begin officially signing free agents and making trades. March 30-April 2: Annual league meeting (Palm Beach, Florida) April 7: Start of offseason workouts for teams with new coaches April 16: Deadline for clubs to time, test, visit, interview, or conduct a physical examination with a draft-eligible player at its club facility April 18: Last day for teams to match offer sheets for restricted free agents April 21: Start of offseason workouts for teams with incumbent coaches April 23: Deadline for prior club to exercise right of first refusal to restricted free agents who signed offer sheets April 23: Deadline for clubs to time, test, visit, interview (including video and phone calls), or conduct a physical examination with a draft-eligible player at any location April 24-26: NFL draft (Green Bay, Wisconsin) Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article Quote
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