Ravens' Roster Boasts Stability Ahead of NFL Draft
At the NFL owners meetings, Head Coach John Harbaugh said, "we could play a game right now with our roster." The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec concurs, pointing to the team's free agency moves that eliminated any significant needs across the board.
"A Ravens roster that yielded 18 unrestricted free agents and two restricted ones, and was seemingly in flux when free agency began three weeks ago, suddenly looks stable," Zrebiec wrote. "That's not to say the Ravens still don't have areas of need, both with depth in certain spots and potential upgrades in others. However, there certainly isn't a major roster concern among the team's decision-makers."
The team will still make upgrades in the NFL Draft, but rather than being desperate for a left tackle or another position, Baltimore can enter the draft without revealing its interests. As a result, Zrebiec sees the Ravens using their tried-and-true "best player available" model.
"The Ravens will soon conduct their annual pre-draft news conference, and you can bet that the words 'best player available' will be uttered a time or two," Zrebiec wrote. "That's long been the team's drafting philosophy. Again this year, the Ravens could go in a lot of directions with the No. 27 pick."
It's not to say the Ravens don't have areas to add talent, as both Harbaugh and General Manager Eric DeCosta state they're always looking to improve the team. But with all options available, they're not showing their cards.
The proof of which is demonstrated by three of the latest NFL mock drafts all going in different directions with NFL.com’s Maurice Jones Drew mocking an edge rusher, The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman mocking a safety, and Pressbox’s Joe Serpico mocking a defensive lineman. (Check out all the latest mocks here.)
Zrebiec sees the Ravens being interested in adding depth to both the offensive and defensive line, and at safety and edge rusher. But roster construction for the team is now finding ways to upgrade, rather than seeking immediate answers to glaring holes.
Takeaways from NFL Owners Meetings
With the NFL owners meetings complete, The Baltimore Sun’s Brian Wacker listed his takeaways.
Here are three that stood out:
Mark Andrews is expected to remain a Raven.
"There's been some uncertainty over Andrews' future with the Ravens, given that the soon-to-be 30-year-old is entering the final year of his contract and fellow tight end and the ascendant Isaiah Likely is extension eligible. But then they didn't release Andrews, a move that would have created about $11 million in much-needed salary cap space. When he was still on the roster on March 17 — the date a $4 million roster bonus kicked in — it was another sign that he would likely be back for at least 2025.
"Could Baltimore still trade him? Of course. But if the offer was, say, primarily a fourth-round draft pick, that probably wouldn't make much sense because they'd likely get as much in a compensatory pick if Andrews signs elsewhere in free agency next offseason."
There are contract extension possibilities with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry.
"Harbaugh acknowledged that there have been internal discussions with DeCosta and others in the Ravens' building about a potential contract extension for Jackson, whose current $260 million deal runs through the 2027 season. Extending the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player would not only keep him in Baltimore longer but would lower his salary cap number, which is currently set to balloon to more than $74 million in 2026.
"Henry, who signed with Baltimore last offseason, is entering the final year of his deal, and after a monstrous season in which he finished second in the NFL in rushing yards (1,921) and averaged a career-high in yards per carry (5.9), he could also be getting a new deal. Even at 31 years old and with a lot of mileage, he still showed that he has a lot left, particularly when he doesn't have to be the focal point of the offense."
Ravens will add defensive line talent in the draft.
"Nose tackle Michael Pierce retired. Brent Urban is an unrestricted free agent and will turn 35 next month. Nnamdi Madubuike, Travis Jones and Broderick Washington, who had a down year last season, are the only defensive linemen with more than one year of experience on the roster. In other words, the Ravens will need to beef up their front and will do so through the draft and perhaps free agency."
Ravens' 2024 Rookie Class Ranked Among Top Half of NFL for First-Year Impact
In the first two rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Ravens nabbed two high-end starters for years to come.
In Round 1 they added cornerback Nate Wiggins, who put any doubts about his light playing weight to rest. In Round 2 they added surefire starter Roger Rosengarten, who manned the right tackle spot for 14 starts in his first season. Largely due to their performances, PFF's Bradley Locker ranked the Ravens' 2024 rookie class No. 14 for first-year productivity.
"First-round pick Nate Wiggins asserted himself as a starter on the outside in no time, generating a 69.0 PFF coverage grade to go along with 10 forced incompletions," Locker wrote. "Second-round pick Roger Rosengarten stepped up at right tackle, playing 1,057 snaps with a solid 69.2 PFF pass-blocking grade."
While the lion's share of strength came from the top-drafted duo, Locker also mentions fourth-round cornerback T.J. Tampa as a player who had an impact in Year 1.
"Besides the team's top two selections, no other Baltimore rookie played even 400 snaps, but T.J. Tampa deserves praise for his 72.7 PFF special teams grade on 188 snaps," Locker wrote.
Quick Hits
Yesterday's Most Read: Mock Draft Roundup 10.0: This Prospect Would Make Baltimore a 'Nightmare'
- Vanguard Magazine features Ravens' Associate General Counsil Toks Arowojolu and the work she does for the organization.
