The Baltimore Ravens have a whole list of pending free agents they need to sort out. With 10 unrestricted free agents set to hit the market, Baltimore has a lot of work cut out for them to determine which players they should aggressively pursue or let walk.
I’ve taken a look and picked out the five the Ravens should be able to re-sign this offseason. I’ve only looked at the unrestricted free agents as the restricted and exclusive rights free agents almost always get re-signed thanks to their low-cost deals.
Terrell Suggs | OLB
Suggs isn’t the player he once was but he’s still capable of both setting the edge and rushing the quarterback. While his role likely decreases in 2019, I think he’s a necessity given the way the roster currently shakes out.
Za’Darius Smith is another of Baltimore’s free agents this offseason. The problem with Smith is he’s likely going to pull down a much larger contract than his production and talent level warrant. That’s not a knock against Smith, who had eight sacks in a limited role in 2018. The Ravens tend to see these types of players depart in free agency only to falter. Re-signing Smith might be harder than Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta thinks and I don’t think he’s nearly the same bang for the buck Suggs would be. Re-signing Suggs should be a bigger priority as a stop-gap measure.
C.J. Mosley | LB
Many fans rag on Mosley for his perceived lack of coverage skills, but he’s far more talented in that regard than folks give him credit for. Beyond that, Mosley is the heart of this defense and the type of player to build around for the long term.
Beyond that, there’s just no replacement on the roster for Mosley. That would create a big hole in the center of Baltimore’s defense at the same time they’re asking their defense to win the field-position battle to supplement their offense. It’d be a bad idea even if the Ravens were able to get an inside linebacker early in the 2019 NFL draft.
Mosley is going to cost a fortune because the market always overpays for quality players. But Mosley is the foundation of what Baltimore wants to do on defense, and they can’t afford to let him go. DeCosta nearly said as much at his “State of the Ravens” press conference, as did coach John Harbaugh.
Brent Urban | DE
Urban is a name many are forgetting with this free agent class. Like much of the Ravens’ defensive line, Urban’s stat sheet doesn’t look amazing but he was one of the most consistent players in 2018, with the potential to get even better.
Urban was a big force in Baltimore’s run defense throughout the season, earning an 81.6 run defense grade from Pro Football Focus. But he was also a force in rushing the quarterback, notching 23 total pressures on the season. With Urban’s size and arm length, he takes up whole passing lanes just by standing up straight at the line of scrimmage. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of watching Urban at training camp, you’ll regularly see him batting passes for interceptions.
Finally healthy for a whole season, Urban has a chance to refine those physical traits into better production in 2019. He’s a quality person and player, which fits the mold of guys the Ravens love to have. And given his limited stat production in Baltimore’s 3-4 scheme, he should be pretty cheap.
Robert Griffin III | QB
The Ravens have noted they want to have a backup to Lamar Jackson that matches his playing style. After the Ravens held on to Griffin all of last season even though he was a healthy scratch more often than not, common sense would point to Baltimore wanting to re-sign Griffin this offseason.
That might be a little easier said than done as Griffin could see a fair market for his services as either a stopgap starter or backup. But that’s the same reason the Ravens should be interested in re-signing him.
Griffin not only would be an experienced backup for Jackson, but he’d be a great mentor. Griffin knows what Jackson is going through better than just about anyone else could. That’s an invaluable tool when you consider the draft equity and time the Ravens have invested in Jackson.
Nick Boyle | TE
Both Boyle and Maxx Williams are pending free agents this offseason, but only one should be re-signed. Boyle is a solid blocker and an underrated receiver while being far healthier than Williams has been.
With the way Baltimore loves using tight ends, they need someone who can back up Hayden Hurst and Mark Andrews. Boyle could also be utilized as an extra blocker in the run game.
Boyle isn’t likely to attract a ton of attention in free agency, which should make him cheap.
