It seems like only yesterday that Ravens fans were throwing a collective hissy fit after the team fell one game short of the franchise’s third Super Bowl appearance.
And now the organization, and the other 31 that bear the NFL shield, are fully-engaged in building next year’s rosters. In what used to be a “fine-tuning” time of the year to improve the product on the field, free agency, salary caps, comp picks and every other attempt to level the playing field has made the offseason a time to re-shape and re-build, as roster turnover impacts each and every team to some extent.
The Chiefs, fresh off their third Super Bowl title in five years, are going to lose important players to free agency, and will have to change course. Same for the dregs of the league. Each year is nearly a do-over, with some teams having a better head start than others.
And while the Combine has the draft on everybody’s mind right now, the free agency legal tampering window arrives on March 11 — the first big step for teams in constructing next year’s roster, outside of potentially signing their own players to franchise tags or extensions.
The good news for the Ravens, and other contenders who were tight against the projected 2024 cap, is there is a bit more wiggle room than initially anticipated for General Manager Eric DeCosta and his team to work with this offseason.
“It was nice to see that number,” DeCosta told reporters Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, per Jonas Shaffer’s article. “It helps us this year, but it also helps us in the coming years as we project what we think that salary cap is going to be moving out in years ’25 and ’26 as well. It does give you a bigger picture of the landscape of football and what that means, salary cap-wise, from a roster-building standpoint. I think we’re excited about the potential that we have to be a good team this year, and we think that we’ll have some flexibility to remain good in the coming years.”
As one of the NFL’s teams that still lean heavily on the run game, the Ravens get an instant head start in that phase every year simply by having two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson in the backfield grabbing defenders’ attention. But, still, it’s important to have running backs back there who can provide some challenges of their own. Two of the Ravens relied-upon backs of the past few years, JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards, are free agents this year.
DeCosta said the team has not shut the door on either returning.
“We’ve looked at the draft class,” said DeCosta, per NFL.com. “It’s probably not as deep as some other positions that we’ll see in this year’s draft class. There’s some talented [free agent] players that we will look at as well, but I think it’s probably safe to say that we’ll have more than two running backs on our roster at some point. We will definitely have a plan for that position.”
There are indeed some interesting names on the free-agent running backs list, such as Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and D’Andre Swift, amongst others. Will the Ravens sign Dobbins and Gus to fill out a running backs table that only includes Justice Hill and a recuperating Keaton Mitchell? Sign one of those and add a veteran or rookie? Sign neither and hit free agency and the draft?
“I love the way Justice played. He was incredible all year, took another step. He’s a great player, then, after that, we just have to see,” Coach John Harbaugh said, according to the NFL.com article. “We would love to get Gus back. J.K. is floating around out there. Those guys have been with us. We’ll just have to see how it goes.”
Tune in…
The largest question mark on the roster — figuratively and literally — is the offensive line. Both starting guards from a year ago are about to be free agents, barring a surprising signing, and the tackles have each faced some scrutiny. Only center Tyler Linderbaum appears to be a lock to open next year where he closed last year.
There will be changes.
Ravens face important rebuild on offensive line, but how ‘remains to be seen’
“We’ll always have a plan,” Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said from this week’s NFL scouting combine, per the Sun. “We’re aware of the injuries and the salary cap, and we’re aware of the talent that we have and the talent that’s available, and we’ll build the best offensive line that we can with the best players that we can.”
So, not a lot of meat on that bone to guess DeCosta’s plan, but it’s safe to say he and the scouting department and coaches have a keen eye on the talent at this week’s Combine. Offensive line, according to most of the draft pundits, is one of the strongest groups in this year’s rookie class.
“The draft can help a lot,” coach John Harbaugh said Tuesday. “The offensive line is where it starts. We talked about that in 2008. It’s been true forever. You win in the trenches first. So we think we’re offensive-line centric in our philosophy. And we’ve got some question marks in our offensive line, so there’s going to be some rebuilding that’s going to have to be done in there, and we’re getting to it already.
“It’s going to be really probably the most important thing we do on offense.”
DeCosta, always a believer in the team’s ability to draft and develop, appears bullish about this year’s offensive line prospects.
“Fortunately, this is a deep draft class, as well, so we’ll have a lot of different options in different rounds, players that we like at the offensive line position — at tackle and also guard. … I think there is a lot of depth along the way, specifically at the tackle position and the guard position, so that’s exciting,” he said.
Also of note:
Five Ravens Takeaways from Daniel Jeremiah’s Conference Call
Countdown to Free Agency ’24 – Important NFL Offseason Dates
Mock Draft Roundup: OL is Overwhelming Focus
It has been a year since Andrew Vorhees suffered an ACL injury at the 2023 Combine.
Let's jog our memories on what Vorhees brings to the table and how he fits in a Todd Monken offense!#RavensFlock https://t.co/xbXlmUyb7F
— Cole Jackson (@ColeJacksonFB) February 27, 2024
"Big picture wise, to find ways to get better."
Coach Harbaugh talks his Combine week: pic.twitter.com/UpVazWAahs
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) February 28, 2024
We saw that speed 🔥 pic.twitter.com/iqCQI7738a
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) February 28, 2024
