The Ravens aren't planning to let right tackle Rick Wagner hit the open market without a strong attempt to keep him in Baltimore.
Head Coach John Harbaugh told reporters at the combine Wednesday that the Ravens are currently in negotiations with Wagner before the new league year opens March 9.
"We're trying to get Ricky back, absolutely," Harbaugh said.
Wagner, 27, has been the team's starting right tackle for the last three seasons. He's been a quality player during that time and graded out as the league's ninth-best right tackle last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
The former fifth-round pick out of Wisconsin is likely to draw interest on the free-agent market, and NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal speculated that Wagner could get an offer upward of $10 million annually. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported two weeks ago that Wagner turned down Baltimore's initial proposal, but didn't provide any details on what the Ravens offered.
Harbaugh did say that the franchise tag, which would be $15.4 million if applied to Wagner, is not an option.
"We're very competitive with what we're offering them," Harbaugh said. "Those guys do what they need to do in terms of their due diligence and checking out what their market value is going to be."
The Ravens don't have a clear replacement if Wagner were to leave. Some potential internal candidates to step into the right tackle spot are Alex Lewis, James Hurst, De'Ondre Wesley or Stephane Nembot.
Improving the offensive line is a big priority this offseason, and trying to keep Wagner is part of those efforts.
"We're negotiating with [our free agents] and want them back, and Ricky is definitely a guy we want back," Harbaugh said.
