The Baltimore Ravens got so close to the Super Bowl and will look to improve themselves this offseason to make another run in 2020. But before we get to free agency and the draft, the Ravens will need to handle their own pending free agents.
We continue our look at Baltimore’s pending free agents with a preview of inside linebacker Patrick Onwuasor. Make sure to check out our other Ravens free-agent previews for 2020.
Patrick Onwuasor – 2019 review:
Onwuasor started 25 of the 32 games the Ravens played in 2017 and 2018. But despite being on the field for the first few snaps, he only played on 59% and 42% snaps of the total defensive snaps. It appeared that Baltimore was confident he could become an every-down replacement for C.J. Mosley when the 2019 season began.
Onwuasor started the first five games and played at least 90% of the snaps in each contest. But his role diminished after struggles in communication and production. With Baltimore signing L.J. Fort and Josh Bynes prior to Week 5, Onwuasor went on to start one more game all season and never played on more than 53% of the snaps.
This decrease in playing time led to his production dipping. In 2018, Onwuasor registered 5.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss, along with two forced fumbles. In 2019, he managed 3.0 sacks, five tackles for loss and one forced fumble.
Onwuasor was not exactly an asset to the Ravens when it came to pass defense last year. He was targeted on 7.2% of his defensive snaps, seeing 34 targets throughout the year. He allowed 30 of these (88.2%) to be converted into 424 yards, including 283 of these yards coming after the catch.
Review / Potential / Value / Chance to re-sign
Patrick Onwuasor – Potential:
Onwuasor and the Ravens go all the way back to 2016. He first signed for the team as a UDFA in 2016, before being released prior to the season. He did make it onto the practice squad and was activated onto the 53 man roster in October of that season. Onwuasor signed one-year deals with the team prior to 2017, 2018 AND 2019 seasons. His 2019 deal was under a second-round tender, befitting his status as a restricted free agent.
In 57 career games with the team, he has 231 combined tackles, 17 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks. The Ravens may have once felt that they could rely on Onwuasor as a true three-down piece of their defense, but it became clear as the season progressed they no longer felt this way about him. He was a role player in 2019, one with no track record of forcing turnovers or making a quarterbacks life a misery.
Onwuasor has flashed starter-quality traits at times. But he’s just never been able to put it all together consistently and without Mosley next to him to help, Onwuasor looked completely out of his depth last season.
While another team might still view him as a potential starter, Onwuasor will be 28 years old before the 2020 season. That means he has a pretty short shelf life and is likely as developed a player as he’s going to be. Basically, what you saw is what you’re going to get.
Review / Potential / Value / Chance to re-sign
Patrick Onwuasor – Free agency value:
The Ravens may have thought and hoped Onwuasor could fill the void left by Mosley, but it’s apparent that this did not come to pass. It’s for precisely this reason why it would be ludicrous to expect Onwuasor will command a similar contract in free agency to the one Mosley signed with the New York Jets in 2019. Mosley’s contract pays him an average of $17 million per season and is the second richest among all inside linebackers.
However, Onwuasor is one of the top free-agent inside linebackers set to hit the market this offseason. If teams believe he can be a starter, he’s likely going to attract some attention in free agency.
While Onwuasor shouldn’t come anywhere close to Mosley’s contract, looking at some other inside linebackers that were signed last offseason points to a decent deal.
The Pittsburgh Steelers gave Mark Barron a two-year deal worth $12 million last offseason and is probably the benchmark for what Onwuasor will be looking for this offseason. At a year younger, a three-year deal worth $18 million doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility for Onwuasor.
However, if teams don’t believe Onwuasor is a definitive starter, his value is going to plummet. A one- or two-year deal worth $3 million a season is more likely to be Onwuasor’s floor this offseason.
Review / Potential / Value / Chance to re-sign
Chance to re-sign:
Despite his fall from starter to a role player in 2019, it may be in both Baltimore’s and Onwuasor’s best interests to remain together in 2020 and beyond. He has a familiarity with Don Martindale’s defense, although probably not a mastery of it. And in the absence of a megabucks contract offer, Onwuasor and the Ravens may come to agreeable terms.
However, If Onwuasor wants to be a starter and another team is interested in him at that role, I don’t think Baltimore would be willing to open their checkbook to keep him at that rate.
Ultimately, a lot will come down to Onwuasor testing the market and seeing what’s available. Still, I think the odds of Onuwasor remaining a Raven could be around 50% . . . if the price is right.
