What does free agency hold for the Ravens in 2016? The RSR staff predict what Baltimore will do in the offseason before the NFL Draft in late April.
Ryan Jones
The Ravens have remained adamant that they can be active in free agency this year despite their difficult cap situation. My guess is they will take the same route they normally do. They’ll lay in the weeds the first couple days without doing much and then sign a couple players when the dust has settled.
One player I’m keeping an eye on is Marques Colston. He fits the Ravens’ free agent mold as he was cut by the Saints and wouldn’t count against their compensatory picks in 2017. The Ravens also wouldn’t need to break the bank to get him. A modest two year deal with little guaranteed money might do the trick. His production was at an all time low in 2015, but he still managed 45 catches for 520 yards and four touchdowns. His down year was also largely attributed to the Saints getting younger wide receivers more involved. Adding him and a second or third round pick to wide receiver group would be a nice addition.
I expect the early focus of the draft to be on defense and improving the secondary and pass rush. Bringing in Colston would be a nice addition to an offense desperately needing to add some proven weapons.
Kyle Rate
Patience, as always, will be the name of the game in free agency for Baltimore. The departures will likely give us more to discuss in the coming weeks than the acquisitions. The defense especially will experience quite a bit of turnover. Courtney Upshaw and Shareece Wright could easily find higher paying contracts elsewhere, and if I’m Kendrick Lewis, Kyle Arrington, Arthur Brown, Chris Canty, or Matt Elam, I definitely do not feel particularly assured of my place on the roster.
And then, of course, there’s Kelechi Osemele, who will likely test the free agency waters. Where K.O. settles will largely drive this offseason for the Ravens. If they re-sign him, Baltimore will cut Eugene Monroe, but still push up tight against the cap, and if they cannot re-sign him, they will look to add an important piece to the left side of the line.
A name I hope we hear more about is Travis Benjamin from Cleveland. He really had a coming out party last year despite the circus that is the Browns quarterback situation, and yet there still isn’t a ton of buzz around him–probably due to his size. I think he could be a reasonably priced weapon for Joe Flacco.
There’s also cornerback, which will also be addressed in the draft, but with Lardarius Webb‘s move to safety, there’s a frightening black hole behind Jimmy Smith at that position. A third/blocking tight end and a cheap pass rusher (as if there is such a thing) should also be targets. Again, do not expect big name signings, but Ozzie will make subtle alterations after the first few weeks of free agency that will definitely affect how the roster looks come September.
Tyler Lombardi
As we head into free agency, the Ravens need a cornerback…and a young receiving option…and a third tight end…and a viable safety to pair with Will Hill…and a young edge rusher to rotate with Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil.
There are plenty of ways the Ravens could go. A couple of the more interesting names at wide receiver are Travis Benjamin and Rishard Matthews. The conversation around the league seems to have them as two of the better value free agency signings. But everyone seems to think that both of them will come at a good value, which might make the bidding ware for them more intense. I don’t expect either will actually be signed. I predict that the Ravens don’t make any significant signings at the receiver position.
The Ravens need to get younger at edge rusher. Because of that, I expect that need to be filled in the draft, not via free agency. Where they could pick up a player is at cornerback. Maybe this is just wishful thinking, but I expect them to find value at the position. One of the most underrated cornerbacks in the league is Sean Smith from Kansas City. I expect the Ravens to be in the running for him and ultimately sign him.
Kyle Casey
Wishful thinking would lead me to believe the Ravens go bold and try to sign some key free agents on the market, but even if the price is right, the front office simply hoards compensatory picks too often to think they’ll abandon such mindset.
I expect Kelechi Osemele to get overpaid by a team with cap space, and I expect the Ravens to extend a reasonable offer to Courtney Upshaw, although he may find more money elsewhere. The Ravens will clean house by dumping off dead weight such as Kyle Arrington, Chris Canty and Kendrick Lewis. If Osemele signs with another team, I expect Eugene Monroe to be a Raven in 2016.
As for adding free agents, recently cut players such as Jared Cook, Marques Colston and Mario Williams would all fill needs, likely be cost effective and would save the Ravens their precious compensatory picks, so expect all three to be heavily pursued by Baltimore.
It is unlikely the front office cuts ties with Matt Elam and Arthur Brown prior to training camp. I expect both to get one last chance to prove themselves in August.
Brian Bower
Ozzie Newsome has gone on record saying he’d rather win games in September than win in March so I expect a similar approach from him once the free agency frenzy kicks off later this month.
With a tight salary cap, I don’t expect the Ravens to make that big of a splash unless there is someone they highly covet. The right player, right price mantra will be in full swing.
I do expect the front office to part ways with at least one big name player this offseason, perhaps Justin Forsett or Eugene Monroe.
Tony Lombardi
2016 should be a time for change given the team’s struggles over the last 3 seasons. Treasured credos such as “right player, right price” and “best player available” need to be tweaked given the league dynamics in the modern era. Players who beef up a team’s passing game and those who thwart an opponent’s aerial attack have higher priorities than ever before and the Ravens need to adjust accordingly while at the same time being careful not to overvalue the positions. It represents a challenging balancing act.
As these redefined credos relate to free agency, don’t expect the Ravens to morph into the late 90’s version of Daniel Snyder and the Redskins but I do expect them to make a bigger splash than in 2015 when they meekly jumped into the shallow end of the free agency kiddie pool. (Kendrick Lewis…C’MON MAN!) I’m not expecting a can opener off the high dive but I do look for them to do at least a running cannonball from the side of the pool.
With that said, I think they make a strong play for an edge rusher and recently transitioned player Olivier Vernon would be a perfect fit. Plan B could be recently released Mario Williams who while a bit long in the tooth could provide productive reps in a rotational system and such an acquisition would not jeopardize the Ravens coveted compensatory pick equation.
Eric Weddle could be a target. He provides efficiency, some ball hawk abilities and leadership to a secondary that lacks it.
Flashy wide receivers just aren’t available but a moderate FA acquisition like WR Marvin Jones makes sense. He’s familiar with the AFCN and he has some upside. Plus he would complement a Senior and Breshad Perriman while providing a big red zone target for Joe Flacco.
