After months of work boiled down to just three days, the 2019 NFL draft is complete. The Baltimore Ravens finished draft weekend with eight players selected. Now comes the arduous task of signing all eight draft picks ahead of training camp.
According to the NFLPA’s public salary cap report, the Ravens have a shade over $15 million in available salary cap space for 2019. According to Over the Cap, it will cost about $6.7 million to sign all eight of Baltimore’s draft picks, though the total is far more manageable due to the “rule of 51.”
Even though the CBA has slotted rookie deals to make things simpler, nothing is ever easy in the NFL. As we’ve seen in previous years, there are always a few deals that take ages to be completed, and there’s even the occasional holdout. However, under the new CBA, the no rookie has held out on the Ravens and missed any major time.
With an expected $12.8 million in available cap space following the draft, Baltimore will have enough money to go shopping in the second wave of free agency. After every draft comes a wave of last-minute cuts as teams drafted replacements for high-cost players on their roster. These new free agents don’t count against the compensatory pick formula and thus are the types of free agents the Ravens love to sign.
While Baltimore did a good job addressing their biggest needs in the 2019 NFL draft, the Ravens could find value free agents available in the coming months to help bolster their roster.
