The Baltimore Ravens had a mass exodus of talent this offseason. Several impact players on defense left in free agency as Baltimore couldn’t keep pace with the record-setting contracts being handed out.
But in the past, the Ravens have seen departing players fail to achieve the same level of success as in Baltimore. With the 2019 preseason nearly over, let’s take a look at the Ravens’ five biggest free-agent losses and how they’ve fared so far.
LB, C.J. Mosley, New York Jets
Mosley signed a record deal for an inside linebacker with the Jets this offseason. It was a deal that shocked everyone, including owner Steve Bisciotti and outpaced our wildest expectations. But the Ravens are hoping the combination of Patrick Onwuasor, Kenny Young and Chris Board can step up and replace what Mosley did
Mosley’s going to be expected to lead New York’s defense and bring in a new era for the team. So far this offseason, Mosley has been just as quiet as he was in Baltimore, though coach Adam Gase raved, calling him a “quarterback on the defense.”
Over three preseason games, Mosley has gotten 44 total snaps. He hasn’t made any crazy plays, however, turning in just three tackles total. But it’s not like Mosley is being asked to win his job, so his preseason stats aren’t nearly as important as what he’s done on the field in practice to prepare the team.
It appears like the Mosley we saw with the Ravens is going to be the same Mosley with the Jets. Which for New York, is exactly why they paid him so much money this offseason.
OLB, Za’Darius Smith, Green Bay Packers
Smith hasn’t really played this preseason, getting just 22 snaps in the second preseason game against the Ravens. So his preseason has been pretty lackluster for a guy that signed a four-year deal worth $66 million and is the fourth-highest paid outside linebacker in the league right now.
But much like Mosley, Smith isn’t fighting for his job and his new team doesn’t feel like he needs to extra snaps to get ready. That makes plenty of sense considering Smith has been a beast during practice for Green Bay, including beating All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari in one-on-one sessions.
OLB, Terrell Suggs, Arizona Cardinals
Suggs shocked the team and Bisciotti by leaving this offseason, taking a little more money to play with the Cardinals. But it always made sense Suggs would want to play for his hometown team towards the end of his career, with the Phoenix native saying as much.
“I always wanted to play for my hometown team at some point,” he said to USA TODAY Sports, “whether it was coming out in the draft or on the Back 9.”
Just like Mosley and Smith, Suggs hasn’t done much in three preseason games, putting up no tackles or sacks and only one pass defensed over 32 defensive snaps. Where Suggs’ biggest value comes is as a mentor to fellow outside linebacker Chandler Jones and Arizona’s young defense. If he produces like he did in Baltimore, the Cardinals are undoubtedly going to be pumped. But his veteran leadership is really what counts for a team that has a brand new coach in Kliff Kingsbury.
WR, John Brown, Buffalo Bills
Brown has been exactly what the Bills were hoping he’d be. Just like we saw last year at this time with the Ravens, Brown has been making big plays regularly in practice throughout training camp. However, Brown hasn’t done exceptionally well this preseason, catching just three passes for 45 yards in two games.
While Brown has impressed with his deep speed and earned rave reviews for his short and intermediate route running, it’s the same thing we saw in Baltimore. Brown has tons of talent and potential but he tends to disappear at times, especially in a run-heavy offense like Buffalo seems to be running this year.
Once the regular season starts and offenses stop running vanilla schemes, we’ll have a better idea of if Brown will be quarterback Josh Allen’s top target or if Cole Beasley steals that role.
WR, Michael Crabtree, Arizona Cardinals
Crabtree sat around unsigned for the longest time, officially signing with the Cardinals on Sunday. He’s just gotten on the practice field for the first time Tuesday, according to Katherine Fitzgerald of the Arizona Republic, so his status for Thursday’s preseason game is still up in the air.
It’s likely going to take Crabtree a little time to get into game shape. But given how late he signed and how Arizona’s young wide receivers have been playing, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Crabtree used more as experienced depth rather than as a starter.
