Various thoughts on various things, all in 50 words or less:
Not hearing a ton of chatter about this but I'd be surprised if the Ravens don't try to add a tight end who is a more viable second receiving option after Mark Andrews. Tight ends not named Andrews only caught 11 passes in 2021, down from 61 in 2019.
Though generally skeptical about reunions, I wouldn't be opposed to the Ravens addressing the situation by signing Hayden Hurst, a pending free agent, provided his price is right. Hurst has the speed to take advantage of defenses focusing on Andrews, giving a second tight end a chance to produce.
No, I'm not forgetting Nick Boyle as I calculate the future at tight end. But given the serious knee injury he came back from in 2021, I sense the Ravens would be satisfied if he just regained his full prowess as a blocker, with any receiving contributions a bonus.
The last time a Ravens fullback hit free agency, Kyle Juszczyk bolted for the 49ers. But he is still there and not many teams other than Baltimore and San Francisco employ a fullback enough to pay one. We'll soon find out how that impacts Patrick Ricard, a pending free agent.
The injury bug that hit the Ravens last year was so strong it even impacted former players. Pass rusher Tim Williams was on his way to making the roster of the Canadian Football League's Saskatchewan Roughriders when he tore an Achilles. He missed the season and was released last week.
The Rams traded a bunch of high draft picks to try to win a Super Bowl and pulled it off, giving them the right to crow. But if you think the Ravens should follow suit, please know that a bunch of other teams have tried the win-now route without success.
I'm on record supporting the idea of the Ravens drafting an offensive lineman in the first round. But I don't care about his position. It appears they need a tackle more right now, but they might need a center just as much if they lose Bradley Bozeman in free agency.
They do have several in-house options at center if Bozeman departs, certainly a possibility. Trystan Colon has held up well in a couple of emergency situations. Patrick Mekari started at center in 2020. The Ravens' level of urgency could depend on their level of confidence in those options.
Drafting a tackle at No. 14 would add certainty to a positional depth chart rife with uncertainty right now. Will Ronnie Stanley be ready to go? Is Ja'Wuan James really a starter? Will the versatile Mekari be needed elsewhere? Lots of questions. A plug-and-play starter would calm some concerns.
