I can see the social media gifs now – the one with the stick figure poking a Ravens logo with a stick saying, “C’mon, do something.”
This is the time of year when patience to see team upgrades runs thin among fans. On the inside, the Ravens are a team that has long been content watching other teams try to outspend each other while it executes a calculated plan.
Here’s why I think this offseason could be yet another exercise in patience:
Despite the higher-than-expected salary cap, the Ravens still don’t have much space. The latest projection from Russell Street Report’s Brian McFarland is a little more than $11 million, with Nelson Agholor’s deal not yet factored in. More cap-clearing moves are coming.
The Ravens are going to have to clear cap space to accommodate a $22.1 million franchise tag for Justin Madubuike if they don’t get a deal done by Tuesday. Whether that’s cuts, restructures or something else remains to be seen, but it’s going to be a busy week.
My gut tells me the Ravens will get a long-term deal done with Madubuike at some point this offseason. He checks the boxes: young, improved every year, right attitude, unique talent, durable. It’s clear Madubuike isn’t playing elsewhere in 2024, and I expect well beyond.
Outside of the offensive line rebuild, Baltimore’s primary objective will be to retain a bunch of its own free agents. Maybe a couple get done before the market opens, but it seems more likely that most of Baltimore’s free agents will get to see what’s out there before potentially returning.
If the Ravens do part ways with left tackle Ronnie Stanley, they would presumably do it post-June 1, when they would get $15 million in cap savings. That could free them up to be “aggressive” on the secondary free agent market, where they’ve scored good deals before.
Baltimore could also wait to see if it lands a plug-and-play left tackle in the draft. That’s what happened with Eugene Monroe in 2016. The Ravens drafted Stanley, then parted ways with Monroe, who had the highest base salary on the team and had been plagued by injuries, in June.
Jadeveon Clowney is a prime example of the patient approach working. People clamored all last summer to add more pass rush and Baltimore got Clowney in August. He had a phenomenal season and finished happy for the first time in his career. Is a late offseason return in the cards?
The running back market is not going to pop off when free agency opens. With so many talented vets available, I expect teams will take a wait-and-see approach to how much the rest of the league is willing to pay. The longer the wait, the more prices may fall.
J.K. Dobbins may want a fresh start elsewhere, so it’s hard to say whether the pending free agent will be a Raven in 2024. What I do know is Dobbins is somebody not to bet against. Injuries short-circuited the early part of his career, but few players are more driven.
Even if the Ravens do bring back more of their own free agents, they’re going to lose several significant ones. That means Eric DeCosta is going to focus on playing the compensatory pick game to maximize how many extra picks the Ravens could get in the 2025 Draft.