Ravens GM Eric DeCosta maintains a delicate balance with roster
Todd Karpovich, BaltimoreSports.com
After placing the franchise tag on defensive tackle Justin Madubuike, which will cost them $22.1 million, the Ravens are roughly $9 million over the salary cap and have until March 13th to be compliant when free agency officially opens.
DeCosta can get the team back under the salary cap by restructuring Jackson’s $250 million contract and releasing outside linebacker Tyus Bowser, which would save about $5.5 million. The team also could look at restructuring other deals or even releasing tackle Ronnie Stanley after June 1st, which would save them $15 million on this year’s cap.
Despite the challenges, DeCosta is confident he has enough talent on the roster and the flexibility to add talent through free agency and the NFL draft to remain competitive. He wants to build on the momentum the Ravens generated last season.
“We’ve got a great locker room [and] a great coaching staff. We’ve built the team the right way,” DeCosta said. “[I have] tremendous, tremendous pride for this team and just … As hard as it is, when I really step back and look at [the 2023] season, I would say it was a resounding success in many, many different ways. The locker room was crazy good [with] the personalities, the love that I think was felt every single day, the attitude that these guys brought. So, that gives me great hope that our future is very bright.”
Ravens free agency projections: Clowney stays, Huntley goes
Jamison Hensley, ESPN
Projected to stay
DE Jadeveon Clowney: The former No. 1 overall pick is in line for a raise from last year’s one year, $2.5 million deal after tying a career-high 9.5 sacks and playing in every game for the second time of his 10-year career. The Ravens, who need a proven pass-rusher to pair with Odafe Oweh, should have the edge over other teams because he was such a great fit in their defense and locker room. According to coach John Harbaugh, Clowney’s agent told him at the NFL combine that this was the first time that Clowney had ended a season happy.
CB Ronald Darby: The Ravens didn’t feel the loss of No. 1 cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who missed six games due to injuries, because of Darby. He was a more than capable starter who was sixth in the league in passer rating allowed and had the lowest average target separation (0.9 yards), according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Darby should be near the top of players that Baltimore wants to retain.
LB Malik Harrison: This would be an under-the-radar signing that would help the Ravens in many ways. Harrison can play both inside and outside linebacker as well as contribute on special teams.
The Best NFL Free-Agency Signing in Each AFC Team’s History
Matt Verderame, Sports Illustrated
Rod Woodson
After 10 years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Woodson spent one campaign with the San Francisco 49ers before signing in Baltimore. The Ravens got a stud for four years, with the future Hall of Famer notching 20 interceptions over that time. Woodson also led Baltimore to a championship in 2000, becoming an integral part of arguably the best defense in NFL history.
5 Underrated 2024 NFL Combine Winners
Justin Melo, The Draft Network
MARSHAWN KNEELAND, EDGE, WESTERN MICHIGAN
Agility drills are unfortunately becoming a lost art. More than 200 combine participants opted out of the three-cone and 20-yard shuttle drills, according to Mike Florio. One that didn’t? Western Michigan defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, who posted elite testing numbers in every category.
Kneeland topped the leaderboard in the three-cone (7.02) and shuttle (4.18) by a wide margin. Kneeland’s 35.5 inch vertical, 9-foot-11 broad, and 4.75 40 also qualified as elite results, leading to a Relative Athletic Score of 9.87. Kneeland may be drafted within the top 50 selections.
EVAN WILLIAMS, SAF, OREGON
Oregon’s Evan Williams is one of my favorite players in the class. He was a flat-out playmaker in Mobile. Williams continued his ascension in Indianapolis by posting some eye-popping testing numbers.
Williams’ insane 40.5-inch vertical fell half an inch short of Tyler Owens’ (41”) for the position lead. His 10-foot-6 broad also ranked fourth among all safeties. Williams transferred to Oregon from Fresno State this past season and proved he could handle the competition by recording 82 tackles and 4.5 sacks.
2024 NFL Scouting Combine winners and losers by the numbers: Defense
Max Chadwick, PFF
LOSER: CB ENNIS RAKESTRAW JR., MISSOURI
Rakestraw was a first-round prospect on PFF’s big board entering the combine, but now it seems unlikely that he’ll hear his name called in the top-32 picks.
He only weighed in at 183 pounds, which puts him in the 14th percentile for cornerbacks. Despite not carrying that much weight, his 4.51-second 40-yard dash was only in the 44th percentile while his 1.54-second 10-yard split was in the 53rd percentile. He also had a 10-foot broad jump, which is in the 35th percentile for corners. Rakestraw is an undersized corner with just average athleticism for the position, making it likely that he slips to Day 2.
LOSER: COOPER DEJEAN AND KOOL-AID MCKINSTRY
The other top candidates to be CB1 are Iowa’s Cooper DeJean and Alabama’s Kool-Aid McKinstry. They didn’t work out at the combine as they recover from various injuries. DeJean likely would’ve tested very well, as he entered 2023 as the No. 14 player on Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List”, which ranks college football players based on how athletic they are.
McKinstry needed a big combine as his long speed has been a question mark before. If he ran a respectable 40-yard dash, he has the requisite tape to reenter the CB1 debate. McKinstry’s been a PFF first-team All-American in each of the past two seasons. The only other players to accomplish that feat are Marvin Harrison Jr. and Joe Alt.
NFL teams will now have to wait for DeJean and McKinstry’s respective pro days to see how they perform in athletic testing.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login