As the Ravens lost key players C.J. Mosley, Terrell Suggs, Eric Weddle, and Za’Darius Smith to free agency, a youth movement began. The team traded Joe Flacco to the Denver Broncos as they turned the keys to the team over to second-year quarterback Lamar Jackson. They are going with younger, in-house options to fill the voids left by departed veterans. A key step in getting younger is signing good players to long-term contracts before their contract years.
Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta has already employed that strategy, choosing to sign cornerback Tavon Young to a three-year extension a full year before he was set to hit free agency. But Young isn’t the only player on the roster deserving of an extension. If Baltimore wishes to stop another mass exodus in the coming years, there are a few more players they should try to lock up early.
Let’s look at four young Ravens the team could look to extend before the season starts.
OLB Matthew Judon
After losing a young, promising pass rusher in Za’Darius Smith signing with the Green Bay Packers this offseason, there’s a little extra emphasis being put on Judon.
Judon has come a long way since entering the league as a sixth-round selection out of Grand Valley State in 2016. Judon has amassed 19 sacks and 40 quarterback hits in his three-year career. As Judon enters the final year of his rookie deal this season, he’s looking to follow a similar trajectory as Smith to big money in free agency. But if Baltimore can sign him early, they could get a bit of a discount while Judon gets a little added security.
The problem is Judon isn’t going to come cheap. Smith signed a four-year, $66 million contract with the Packers, according to Over The Cap, having only 18.5 sacks over four years in Baltimore. With a half sack more in one less season, there’s no reason to think Judon will be signed for less money. Then again, locking him up before record-setting deals can get thrown around next offseason could save the Ravens massive amounts of money in the long run.
DT Michael Pierce
Pierce has been a real diamond in the rough for the Ravens. He was given a chance by the team as an undrafted free agent out of Samford in 2016 and has been a dominant force as a run-stuffing defensive tackle.
Pierce has totaled 116 tackles as well as three sacks in his three years in Baltimore. However, his production goes far beyond the stat sheet. He constantly takes on double teams on the inside, opening up gaps in the offensive line and one on one matchups for his teammates. He also has incredible strength, as he uses his brute force to will his way inside and disrupt both running and passing plays. He has 11 total tackles for loss in his career and 83 total defensive stops, according to PFF.
The Ravens committed a lot of money to Williams when they signed him to a five-year, $54 million extension in 2017. Some might say that having two highly-paid defensive tackles isn’t necessary and takes away money for other positions. However, Pierce is four years younger than Williams and the two make a fearsome duo inside. Plus, Williams is a likely salary cap casualty after the 2020 season thanks to a $14.42 million cap hit with only $4.92 million in dead money. Having Pierce signed would make that decision significantly easier to make and could save the Ravens some serious money.
Baltimore’s defense suffers when Pierce isn’t on the field. It would suffer even more if he’s on a different team.
LB Patrick Onwuasor
Patrick Onwuasor is another undrafted gem that has earned playing time and delivered when on the field. He stepped up in a big way during the 2018 season to the tune of 59 total tackles and 5.5 sacks, proving to be a great compliment inside to C.J. Mosley.
The Ravens felt comfortable in Onwuasor and his ability to take over the defense. They showed that by letting Mosley sign with the New York Jets for a whopping $85 million over five years.
Onwuasor is now tasked with filling Mosley’s shoes. That’s already a tough thing to ask of any player but it’s especially difficult considering the greatness that has played inside linebacker in Baltimore. Onwuasor will have to step up and lead the defense this season, which could mean the Ravens will want to wait to see how he fares before looking to re-sign him.
But having shown steady improvement over each of the last two years, Onwuasor is a good candidate to be extended early. If Mosley’s new contract is any indication, Onwuasor having a good season could easily price Baltimore out. If that’s the case, the Ravens will be looking at their third starting inside linebacker in three years — something they don’t have a clear plan for as of right now.
CB Marlon Humphrey
Humphrey is easily the biggest up-and-coming player the Ravens have on their roster. He’s already considered to be one of the best cornerbacks in the league and is on his way to truly elite “shutdown cornerback” status this season.
While Humphrey has a fifth-year option that could keep him in Baltimore through the 2021 season, I doubt the Ravens are interested in letting him get that far along. Locking Humphrey up to a contract extension now will allow them to play around with the cap hits a little better, perhaps even having a lower cap hit in 2021 than his fifth-year option would be, considering it’s set at $13.703 million for 2020 already.
Baltimore values cornerbacks even more than the rest of the NFL. They’ve had really good ones and they’ve seen enough injuries pop up at the position to consistently stockpile players there. Signing Humphrey early takes some pressure off and gives them a good foundation to build off of in their secondary.
