The Baltimore Ravens brought back pass rusher Pernell McPhee this offseason, signing him to another one-year deal. And that’s bad news for the rest of the league because McPhee is coming back motivated.
In an interview with “The Lounge” podcast, McPhee said he used free agency this offseason to light a fire in him.
“I do stuff to piss myself off, McPhee said. “Like, ‘let me see if any team out here gonna want to sign me.’ Cause I already knew I was gonna go back to the Ravens and when the Ravens reached out — cause I wasn’t reaching out to no teams — I was already training.”
“When you catch whoever you catch — and there’s going to be a time when I catch whoever I catch and I guess that’s going to be the Cincinnati Bengals — snatch one of they souls out they chest.”
McPhee rejoins a Baltimore defense that has more hope in their young pass rushers than proven production. Outside of McPhee and Matthew Judon, who was franchise tagged this offseason, Tyus Bowser has the most sacks on the team with 8.5 over the last three years. Jaylon Ferguson improved over his rookie season last year but is far from a guaranteed asset at this point. Still, the Ravens didn’t address the position in free agency or the 2020 NFL Draft, allowing their young talent the room to step up.
While the Ravens undoubtedly would love to see Bowser and Ferguson improve their production this season, McPhee is a great veteran presence that’s a proven insurance policy in case Baltimore once again struggles with getting after the quarterback.
Though McPhee’s season ended after just seven games with a torn triceps, he was still one of Baltimore’s most productive pass rushers. His three sacks ended up being tied for third-most on the team, while his six quarterback hits tied for fifth. If McPhee can stay healthy and continue that level of production, it would make him arguably the best value addition Baltimore made this offseason.
