Mink: This is the big question, but I think it comes with a simple answer. You just have to get better.
The Ravens were good enough, in my opinion, to go to this year's Super Bowl. On a good day, they could beat anyone. They didn't because they had a bad day with three turnovers in Buffalo. As we addressed in last week’s Mailbag, turnovers in the playoffs have been what has held Baltimore back.
Yet, the Ravens were still nearly good enough that, despite three turnovers, they were a dropped two-point conversion away from possibly going to overtime in their divisional playoff loss in Buffalo. The "best" team doesn't always win. But the better you get, the better your chances.
The Ravens' mission will be to improve, and I can't remember an offseason where I feel so encouraged by their ability to do so. Here are the main reasons why:
- Keeping Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken is huge, allowing Lamar Jackson to keep growing in what was last year's top-ranked offense.
- The Ravens will keep their nucleus together because they don't have many big-time free agents and they're in good salary cap position. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley and fullback Patrick Ricard are the most consequential free agents and Baltimore could keep both. If not, they could use that money to land improvements in free agency.
- Baltimore has a growing group of young players that should continue to mature and improve, such as cornerback Nate Wiggins, tackle Roger Rosengarten, guard Daniel Faalele, and more.
- Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr's unit will be even more refined with a season under his belt and the addition of Sr. Secondary Coach Chuck Pagano.
The competition around the AFC is stiff. The Chiefs are always going to be a hard out so long as Patrick Mahomes is under center. Same with the Bills and Josh Allen. No team has ever won the AFC North three straight years.
But the Ravens will also have a lot going for them. They're going to have the talent and the coaching to win it all. To me, it will mostly boil down to whether they can again stay healthy, whether veterans such as Kyle Van Noy, Marlon Humphrey, and Derrick Henry can duplicate their 2023 success, and whether the Ravens play cleaner football in the playoffs.
Brown: The offensive line will have General Manager Eric DeCosta's attention this offseason.
Stanley and Patrick Mekari are pending free agents, so the left side is a top priority. At the season-ending press conference, DeCosta said the Ravens will "look at potentially bringing back our guys, we'll look at the draft, we'll look at free agency; we'll overturn every rock to find as many good offensive linemen as we can."
In other words, it's a fluid situation. Stanley and Mekari are possibilities to return but not certainties. I think the Ravens want to re-sign Stanley after his return to Pro Bowl form, but his price in free agency may reach a number that Baltimore is unwilling to pay. If Stanley doesn't return, rookie right tackle Roger Rosengarten could switch to the left side or the Ravens could draft or sign a replacement. If Mekari is gone, he could be replaced by Andrew Vorhees, who opened the season as the starter before suffering an ankle injury.
The defensive line is not nearly as in flux with Brent Urban the only pending free agent. However, Michael Pierce is 32 and the Ravens are always seeking defensive line depth. The Ravens are expected to have 11 draft picks, and it wouldn't surprise me to see Baltimore use at least one on a defensive lineman.
Brown: The biggest flurry of activity isn't likely to begin until March.
Last year, the Ravens made their first major offseason move on March 5 when they placed the franchise tag on Nnamdi Madubuike. On March 8, they re-signed him to a four-year deal.
This year, Stanley, Mekari, Ricard, and Brandon Stephens, are the top free agents the Ravens may look to re-sign. However, their fates are unlikely to become clearer until March 12 when free agency begins.
Mink: I would hardly call Van Noy and Odafe Oweh, among others, "average NFL talent." Van Noy had the fourth-most sacks in the NFL and Oweh was one of just 17 players in the league to reach double-digit sacks.
I think the Ravens' need to at pass rusher is a little overstated because of how the season ended, with just one sack of Allen in the divisional playoff loss.
Let's also remember that the Ravens had the second-most sacks in the league last season.
