Okay, next up the draft

[tsylvester]

Team needs? Well, we need to look at the free agents or should I say, those who will be free agents when the new league year begins in a month or three... and there is a boat load of them. Who the Ravens bring back will determine who they or what positions they need to address in the draft. The team will not have a ton of cap room, amazes me how some teams have so much cap room when league mandate days that they have to spend all of the cap.

So, who ya bringing back?

S Marcus Williams
LT Ronnie Stanley
Unrestricted Free Agents

OL Patrick Mekari
CB Tre’Davious White
WR Nelson Agholor
FB Patrick Ricard
LB Malik Harrison
OL Josh Jones
QB Josh Johnson
IDL Brent Urban
WR Steven Sims
WR Deonte Harty
LB Chris Board
OL Ben Cleveland
CB Brandon Stephens
LB Kristian Welch
CB Trayvon Mullen
WR Tylan Wallace

Restricted, Exclusive Rights, Street Free Agents

CB Christian Matthew (RFA)
S Ar’Darius Washington (RFA)
RB Owen Wright (ERFA)
TE Qadir Ismail (SFA)

 

[papasmurfbell]

All the exclusive rights guys.  Ricard for sure.  Mekari, board or Harrison, and urban if the price is right.  

[tsylvester]

Yeah, Harrison is very good around the line of scrimmage, but he is weak, a liability in coverage. Board is the opposite, but did get better around the line as the season wenf along.

 

[papasmurfbell]

Whichever one they keep draft a guy who fills his holes.

[tsylvester]

Yep, the question is, will Simpson rebound from his benching?

They really need a good cover backer for when they are in base and the opponent decides to throw.

[tsylvester]

Hmph, both Samuel and Cupp are available for trade, both are either now over 30 or just shy of it and carry big cap numbers, $17 & 25 mil respectively. Both on final years of contracts so extending them to lower the cap hit wouldn't be an issue.

In Cupp's place, the Rams would be willung to eat some salary.

They are each very good, but neither is known for staying healthy. Samuel has never played a full season, Cupp only a few.

With the way Wallace has handled his playing time, comung up with big plays when given the chance, while he is not on the level of either receivers, he would also be much cheaper.

[papasmurfbell]

I’m not interested in a trade.  Wallace is fin in a team friendly deal.

[tsylvester]

The Atlantic is reporting that the asking price for Kupp is just a 4th rounder. I find that both hard to believe and very tempting

[papasmurfbell]

I don’t want his contract.

[oldno82]

I say no to Kupp. We have more pressing needs even if LA agreed to eat most of his salary.

[tsylvester]

They have to lock up Stanley, i just can't see him getting big money from any other contender and I doubt that he would take a big deal just to play on a bad team.

Get the the line taken care of, extend Lamar, they really have no choice, no sense waiting until next year.

It was clear this year, the only thing that stopped the Ravens were turnovers. A failure to get more and give away less.

 

[papasmurfbell]

No no no.  You cannot give him money.  There is no way he can stay healthy again.  Rose can slide over to left.  Draft a rt.  

[tsylvester]

Insurance, what contender is in need of a left tackle? The Cheifs don't have the cap room to steal another tackle from us.

Stanley has already been paid a boat load so another huge contract from a team like the Panthers is likely not going to move him.

So you make a deal the Ravens always make, let him surf the market and match an offer that fits the Ravens.

I do agree, Rose can slide over and that likely was the plan last year when drafting him.

But another off season where he can rest, build his strength rather than recover from injury gives Stanley another solid year or two.

What if they can't land a solid right tackle in the draft? Insurance

[oldno82]

I've been leaning towards the theory too that Stanley won't draw a super rich contract from another team and that we ought to try and keep him with a respectful but rewarding contract. We won't be able to draft a starting LT down where we are drafting and keeping him and Rose in place helps the line maintain consistency. We will need a LG if Mekari leaves but guards can be found late in round one or even 2.

Actually, it will be quite difficult to draft a day one starter so far down in the first round, but 'if I were King' I'd go with a CB to replace Stephens who was the sole weak spot in an otherwise very good secondary. We've also got to get a dominant edge rusher and that will probably have to happen in free agency. I'm tired of taking flyers on guys like Ojabo and Oweh. We need a proven commodity assuming there is one out there. We'd have to pay a lot but a dominant edge rusher would be worth it.

Other than the LG and CB holes, I'd just go with BPA for our draft picks. Fill out the roster with young talent that might take a year to groom.

[tsylvester]

This draft is full of very good players at the positions of need for the Ravens, secondary, both lines, the team should be able to land several quality players there.

[oldno82]

Are any of them Day One starters, though? We haven't been too fortunate with that after the first round.

[papasmurfbell]

6 hours ago, tsylvester said:

Insurance, what contender is in need of a left tackle? The Cheifs don't have the cap room to steal another tackle from us.

Stanley has already been paid a boat load so another huge contract from a team like the Panthers is likely not going to move him.

So you make a deal the Ravens always make, let him surf the market and match an offer that fits the Ravens.

I do agree, Rose can slide over and that likely was the plan last year when drafting him.

But another off season where he can rest, build his strength rather than recover from injury gives Stanley another solid year or two.

What if they can't land a solid right tackle in the draft? Insurance

I have zero faith he can stay healthy again.  It is throwing good cap space away to give him anything.

41 minutes ago, oldno82 said:

Are any of them Day One starters, though? We haven't been too fortunate with that after the first round.

again I question how much input turdy has in the process.

[tsylvester]

1 hour ago, oldno82 said:

Are any of them Day One starters, though? We haven't been too fortunate with that after the first round.

They've been very good after the 1st, just not in the 2nd..... The main recent problem was back to back years taking an injured edge rusher who didn't do anything in college or only did against sub par teams, both from a fake school, cough, Penn State, cough cough.

 

Vorhess was a reasonable take with his injury, he was a legit 1st round talent. Now that he is fully healthy and gotten playing time, we shall find out if that gamble pays off.

I do think there are several starters or major contributors the Ravens have a chance to land in this draft at guard, safety/corner and perhaps at right tackle, though each of the top tackles have some real work needed.

 

There are a few edge rushers the team can target and land, fast ones who also have some real punch.

[tsylvester]

Looks like Ben Cleveland will be looking for a new team

[oldno82]

Read an interesting article about the Eagles and how their GM traded up to pick up star CB Cooper DeJean and a 9th overall pick for lineman. It will be interesting to see if other teams try to follow suit in this copycat league.

And, I have a question: Just how do 'voidable' contract years work, and what makes them cap friendly? I think I have an idea what they mean, but am hazy on them (as I am on many things at my age).

From today's Sun by Sam Cohn:

"Eagles general manager Howie Roseman hit on draft pick after draft pick. He was aggressive in trading up early in the 2024 second round and scooping up Iowa’s Cooper DeJean, considered one of the top cornerbacks. DeJean returned on investment with a game-defining pick-six in Super Bowl 59. Roseman traded up in 2023 too, picking defensive tackle Jalen Carter at No. 9. The Georgia star turned into a Pro Bowl selection and game-wrecker by Year 2.

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta has previously downplayed the idea of trading up in the draft, but Philadelphia showed what kind of difference it can make. Hitting in the draft is easier said than done, but it helped Philly build the best statistical defense in football. Baltimore — which has two homegrown first-team All-Pros on defense in safety Kyle Hamilton and cornerback Marlon Humphrey — required some retooling before reaching the playoffs on a high note.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway the Ravens — and any NFL team, for that matter — should glean from the Super Bowl was the utter domination in the trenches."

[tsylvester]

Meh, trading up is no different than trading back or standing pat. It's a crap shoot and also requires the right coaching and scheme fit. Draft a player who is used to playing in a 3/4 and put him in a 4/3, he may never work out.

Take the way the Ravens secondary works, players playing multiple positions on any given play. You can draft a solid corner, but if he can't figure out how to play in your scheme, is a much.

Dejean is one the Ravens wanted, another Hamilton like player, jack of all trades but the Iggles beat them to him. Sure he is good, let us not crown him, shoot the ball was thrown right to him, though he made a nice return and has been a very punt rerurner for them.

As for void years, they are fake years where no money is actually on a contract.

Player has 2 years remaining on his deal, instead of redoing his deal they just add 3 years onto it and take any remaining salary, convert it to a signing bonus and spread it out over the extra 3 years.

Even though he is technically only under contract for 2 years. After the 2 years he is a free agent, if he retires or signed to another team only then will the cap be hit with his current 2 year salary.

 

[oldno82]

Well...I think I understand better but still don't see why it is supposed to be ingenious. The cap hit will eventually come to bite you in the end, won''t it?

[papasmurfbell]

All money in the cap has to eventually be justified.

[papasmurfbell]

Think of it like a short term deferment.

[tsylvester]

5 hours ago, oldno82 said:

Well...I think I understand better but still don't see why it is supposed to be ingenious. The cap hit will eventually come to bite you in the end, won''t it?

Yes, it just makes it easier now, gives you more cap flexibility now.

It is akin to loading up a contract in future years with large sums of money that the player will never see.

Today, with the "guaranteed money" being a big part of the contracts, that way of doing business was replaced with fake years.