The Baltimore Ravens were relatively quiet in free agency. Though they started with more cap space than in previous years, the Ravens couldn’t keep up with the big money being thrown around in free agency. As they watched several of their defensive starters sign big deals elsewhere, Baltimore signed safety Earl Thomas and running back Mark Ingram to contracts.
Still, the Ravens could have been a little more proactive in finding good deals at positions of need. Here are four great deals the Ravens should have made.
C, Matt Paradis:
Three-year, $27.03 million deal
Paradis was one of the best centers in football over the last few years. Pro Football Focus had him ranked second in two of the last four years, and no lower than 11th. Considering the Ravens still have a hole in the center of their offensive line, they could have gotten one of the best in the league on a pretty cheap deal.
Paradis’ $9.01 million-per-year contract was actually less than several other centers signed just this offseason and ranks seventh overall among centers. Paradis is coming off a broken fibula suffered last season but should be ready to return to form in 2019. Considering Baltimore signed Thomas following his broken leg, it doesn’t seem to be an injury the Ravens are too concerned about.
Signing Paradis would have helped the entire offensive line on a run-heavy offense that needs the talent up front.
G, Mark Glowinski:
Three-year, $16.2 million deal
Much like center, Baltimore has a hole at left guard they need to figure out and Marshal Yanda is nearing the end of his career and contract at right guard. Finding a talented, young player in free agency would have been a major win at nearly any price. But Glowinski would have been a relative steal at only $5.4 million-per-year.
Glowinski had a solid season for the Indianapolis Colts last season, earning a 68.9-overall grade from PFF. Considering none of the Ravens’ three left guards had an overall grade above 54.3 last season, signing Glowinski would have been a massive upgrade.
Realistically, there’s likely going to be a competition between James Hurst and Alex Lewis for the starting left guard job this season. But Lewis has been injured too often to be reliable and Hurst has struggled both at tackle and guard throughout his career. Glowinski would have immediately been the starter and allowed Hurst and Lewis to be capable depth for the Ravens’ interior offensive line.
WR, Tyrell Williams:
The Ravens simply need warm bodies at wide receiver right now. The only proven, consistent option they have is Willie Snead. After losing their deep threat in John Brown in free agency, Baltimore could use someone like Williams to bolster their wide receiver corps with speed and reliable hands (3 drops on 74 targets in 2018).
What’s better is Williams has proven to be a main option when given a chance, catching 69 passes for 1,059 yards and seven touchdowns in 2016. He’s been buried previously on the Los Angeles Chargers’ pretty deep wide receiver depth chart. He appears ready for a breakout if put in a more primary role like he’d receive in Baltimore.
In his prime at 27 years old, Williams could have grown with quarterback Lamar Jackson and given the Ravens the type of weapon they’ll likely try and select in the 2019 NFL draft.
RB, Tevin Coleman:
Though Baltimore added Ingram to their depth chart, they really needed a receiving back and someone who offers a little more speed. Coleman would have been the perfect budget pick up for the Ravens.
Last year with the Atlanta Falcons, Coleman rushed 167 times for 800 yards (4.8 yard-per-carry average) and four touchdowns. Coleman has been a little inconsistent at times but can take the ball the distance any time he gets his hands on it. That change of pace would have been nice opposite Ingram’s beefier, downhill rushing style. It could have created a similar setup as the New Orleans Saints saw last year with Ingram and Alvin Kamara.
But where Coleman would have been the biggest asset is coming out of the backfield as a receiver. It’s something he did quite a bit with the Falcons, catching 90 passes for 996 yards and 11 touchdowns over the last three years. He could have been a sure-handed pressure release option for Jackson and a real threat in the red zone where the Ravens struggled last season.
At $4.25 million-per-year for Coleman and $5 million-per-year for Ingram, Baltimore could have gotten a two-headed monster for far less than what Le’Veon Bell went to the New York Jets for.
