We’re continuing our free agency survey of every NFL team, looking for candidates from the Baltimore Ravens who could help the New Orleans Saints once signings begin on March 13. We’ve already covered the Arizona Cardinals and Atlanta Falcons as we move throughout the league, and will continue to update this series of posts daily all the way up until March 12 — with two posts dropping on Saturdays.
Today we’re giving a look at Baltimore, which narrowly lost to the Saints during the 2018 regular season. They’ve got a number of intriguing free agent prospects on each side of the ball.
Unrestricted free agents
- DT Brent Urban
- LB C.J. Mosley
- LB Terrell Suggs
- LB Za’Darius Smith
- QB Robert Griffin III
- RB Ty Montgomery
- RB Javorious Allen
- TE Maxx Williams
- TE Nick Boyle
- WR John Brown
Options for the Saints
It’s possible the Saints get crazy and pay C.J. Mosley to supercharge the linebacker corps, but it isn’t likely. Mosley (6-foot-2, 250-pounds) played better against the run than the pass, notching 11 tackles for loss or no gain. That said, he was still credited with five pass deflections (including an interception) to go with half a sack and two quarterback hits on passing downs. But any team signing Mosley would be doing so for his overall value: he led Baltimore in combined tackles (105) by a mile, with 70 solo stops to his name. He’s a defensive leader and likely someone the Ravens would like to keep should the finances worked out. New Orleans is probably set at the position between Demario Davis and Alex Anzalone, but you never know.
Tight end Nick Boyle was a marginal upgrade over Maxx Williams, and now they are each entering free agency after the Ravens double-dipped at tight end in the 2018 NFL Draft. Boyle (6-foot-4, 270-pounds) dressed for 14 games while Williams (6-foot-4, 254 pounds) appeared in just six games between an ankle injury and a stinger. Neither logged meaningful snaps as receivers, doing most of their work as blockers. It’s possible the Saints look at one of them as backup material, but neither is the answer at tight end New Orleans is looking for.
It’s interesting to consider wide receiver John Brown in the Saints offense. He’s a pure burner, a speedster (5-foot-11, 178-pounds) who can beat any defensive back in a footrace, reminding Saints fans of Joe Morgan. Brown ranked second on the team in targets (97) and first in yards (715) as well as touchdown catches (five). But he’s certainly the type to take the top off of coverage and run in stride, not someone who can create tough yards after the catch and fight through contract. That doesn’t really fit the description the Saints are working with.
