Man, I love talking about free agency! In my last article, I talked about two teams who stood out and made excellent moves early in free agency. So, I thought it’d be fitting to look at the one team that, I thought, couldn’t have done any worse this offseason. This team made one good move the entire free agency period. The rest may be detrimental to the team’s future success. I’m talking about the…
THE BALTIMORE RAVENS
I really don’t get what Ravens GM Eric DeCosta was thinking with any of his offseason moves. The ONE good thing he did was trade away Joe Flacco for a fourth-round pick. If I’m being completely honest, that was higher compensation than I was expecting the Ravens to get for Flacco. So, I’m giving credit where credit is due. However, the bulk of DeCosta’s moves this offseason were some of the worst I’ve seen in recent years by a single team.
The first move to bring attention to is the release of Pro Bowl safety Eric Weddle. He was signed by the Ravens in 2016, and his contract was far from a letdown. Weddle didn’t miss a single game in his tenure in Baltimore while also making three more Pro Bowl. He recorded 10 interceptions and over 60 tackles per season in all three years while being an excellent team captain and locker room guy. By cutting him, they freed up plenty of space to sign stud linebacker C.J. Mosley, but they didn’t!
So, the second move I want to bring up is the fact that, even by saving around $8 million by cutting Weddle, they couldn’t seem to keep their LB of the future who has carried a heavy load in Baltimore since his arrival. Mosley earned over 100 tackles in all but one season in his career while leading the Ravens in tackles during most of those seasons. The four-time Pro Bowler is only 26 and has an extremely bright future in the league as the New York Jets’ new defensive anchor. Even with the hefty $17 million price tag, he’d be worth it. Excellent signing by the Jets. Terrible move by the Ravens.
Another terrible, yet overlooked, mistake by the Ravens’ front office is letting John Brown walk. Brown, while not an extremely terrifying player to play against, was one of the only good receivers on the Ravens’ roster. The Ravens drafted Lamar Jackson with their first-round pick last offseason but have failed to build around him. Letting Brown walk could make Jackson’s job much harder, which isn’t what the Ravens should be doing. Rather than building around Jackson, they’ve taken away his best WRs in Brown and Michael Crabtree, and they have yet to fill their spots with meaningful talent. More questionable moves by the Ravens’ front office.
The final piece that makes this free agency for the Ravens the worst in the league is the fact that they let BOTH of their starting edge-rushers walk. Za’Darius Smith, only 26 years old, had a breakout season with 8.5 sacks and 45 tackles while starting only eight games. He’s shown nothing but improvement and potential in his first four seasons in the NFL. The other edge-rusher the Ravens let walk was much more understandable than letting Smith walk, but it still wasn’t the most intelligent move on the Ravens’ part.
Terrell Suggs has still remained rather productive while getting up there in age (36). Two years ago, Suggs was able to collect 11 sacks. Last year, he added seven. He also hasn’t missed multiple games in a single season since 2015. Letting both players go wasn’t the smartest move by the Ravens’ front office.
Baltimore should’ve made their main task gathering talent around Lamar Jackson and setting themselves up for success in the coming years. However, instead of doing that, it looks like the Ravens have gotten rid of their best players on defense and best WRs on offense. It looks like Jackson’s job has gotten a whole lot harder. One man can’t win the Super Bowl.