Hear me out here for a minute.
I’m not going to offer you a scenario where the Ravens make a sexy free-agent splash that can get the NFL word buzzing and the Flock singing from the rooftops. I mean, if I was going for sexy, I probably wouldn’t buy my clothes at the same place I wash my car.
No, what I’m presenting today is a way for the Ravens to solidify some things on their offensive line before April’s draft — hopefully affording them the opportunity to open up their early-round decisions to a few more positions of interest, while opening the door to a mid-to-late round selection or two that is high on potential, while building for tomorrow as they can still compete today.
But it’s not sexy. What I’m proposing is most definitely not sexy.
The first part of this plan is to pounce on free agent tackle Morgan Moses. The 31-year-old veteran has played in 16 games for seven consecutive seasons, most recently at right tackle for the New York Jets. Moses is not a player you ink in during the preseason as a Pro Bowl-type guy, but he’s a good player. PFF rated him 40th out of 83 eligible tackles in the league last season, which doesn’t sound great until you consider that there are 64 starting tackles in the league every week (byes notwithstanding), and that places him in very solid standing as a starting right tackle.
There is a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the return to health of All Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley, and while Moses does not project to be a solid answer for Stanley’s spot if the big guy cannot get back to form, he does seemingly firm up one position. For a team that’s entering this offseason with basically only Kevin Zeitler as a lock to start in one of the five spots, filling up another important position with a proven answer — at what should be a fairly reasonable cost — is a good thing.
Want another answer solved? Before I answer, remember… this is not sexy.
How about Titans center Ben Jones moving over to take Bradley Bozeman’s position — since it appears Bozeman is taking his game to another paycheck city as soon as free agency opens? I believe Jones will cost a little less than Bozeman on the open market, and a whole lot less than prodigal son Ryan Jensen. He also graded out well last season, and he was only credited with one sack amongst his 1,160 snaps, per PFF. Like Moses, he has proven extremely durable, playing in 128 out of a possible 129 games over the past eight seasons, according to Pro Football Reference.
So, yes. I’m a little shell-shocked still from last season’s injury tsunami. But I’m valuing durability a whole lot this offseason if I’m the Ravens thinker-uppers.
Not everything gets solved with this plan concerning the position group, but the Ravens could look at center through right tackle with a clear mind. If Stanley is able to play up to his old self, or even a close resemblance, the only position of real need up front would be left guard, and there are a host of guys to compete for that slot, even before the draft takes place. And the Ravens would still have Patrick Mekari to play swing tackle and compete for that left-guard spot.
Not shabby, right? Not sexy — but not shabby.
Here’s another little benefit to this plan: One of my favorite players in this entire draft is Mississippi state tackle Charles Cross, and there’s always a snowball’s chance in Hades that he falls to 14. He would appear to be a better fit at left tackle than right at this point, but he wouldn’t need to start right away at right tackle if the Ravens signed Moses, and he could be relatively-inexpensive insurance at left tackle if Stanley cannot make it back. If Stanley does come all the way back… well, who doesn’t like options?
These moves don’t necessarily give the Ravens the best line in the NFL, but I think It would give them a good one, without clear weaknesses that can be exploited by savvy coaches and multi-talented players. Like I said, it ain’t sexy.
But it’s pretty smart, right?
