The front office for the Baltimore Ravens expected to lose center Ryan Jensen to free agency this offseason.
The market for offensive linemen was thin and Jensen, a restricted free agent, played well enough to warrant a bigger deal with another team. The Ravens were not going to be able to get into a bidding war for his services because of limitations with the salary cap and more pressing needs in other areas of the team.
Indeed, Jensen signed a $42 million deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, making him the highest paid center in the NFL. Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome would not have been able to offer a contract remotely close to that value. In addition, Jensen’s deal with Tampa Bay could eventually provide the Ravens with compensatory picks in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Instead of pursuing Jensen, the Ravens opted to resign James Hurst to a four-year deal. Hurst has value because of his versatility to play tackle or guard and he will challenge for the starting spot this season. He is also durable and has not missed a game over the past four seasons.
The four-year deal, valued at $17 million, was welcomed news to coach John Harbaugh.
“James is a reliable, tough and versatile player who has played a lot of football for us,” Harbaugh said. “He has started at both tackle and guard, and all he has been is productive and someone who has made us better.”
Despite the loss of Jensen and the release of Austin Howard, the Ravens appear to be in solid shape with the offensive line. That unit battled through significant injuries throughout last season, but was still among the best in the NFL.
In addition, the Ravens have a long history of developing effective offensive lineman.That success has been a double-edged sword because several key players, such as Kelechi Osemele and Rick Wagner, developed into top tier lineman in Baltimore and then secured bigger contracts in other cities.
Nonetheless, the Ravens could have one of the league’s best offensive lines in 2018, especially if Marshal Yanda, Alex Lewis and Nico Siragusa are back in the lineup after suffering season-ending injuries last year. The Ravens will also likely add depth in the later rounds of the NFL Draft.
For now, Matt Skura is the favorite to take over the starting role for Jensen. Skura, an undrafted player from Duke, started 12 games at right guard last season, but played center in college. He might have to bulk up in the offseason, but he appears to have the skills to hold down the job.
The Ravens will also likely closely follow players cut from other team to find depth and value. Newsome said the team freed up enough salary cap space to fill needs, but tight end and wide appear to be the main priorities.
“We have created the ability to potentially get two to three more – which we feel like would be quality players – to come to this football team,” Newsome said. “The thing that you have to also realize is that as teams are signing players now, other players are getting pushed out into the market. We’ve made a living on what we would consider ‘cap casualties.’
“We’ve made a living on that – on guys getting pushed out. So we will also be working that market. But yes, we’ve created enough room to be able to acquire more players to come here to Baltimore.”
