In case you didn’t already know this, the Baltimore Ravens love to utilize tight ends in their offensive scheme. Whether it’s as an in-line blocker or split out wide as a receiving option, the Ravens’ offense is built upon the tight end. To help bolster the unit, Baltimore is bringing back Eric Tomlinson.
According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the Ravens are signing Tomlinson to a one-year contract worth $1.015 million. Though, it won’t cost Baltimore that much against the cap, qualifying for the veteran salary benefit, knocking the cap hit down to just $875,000.
The deal will give the Ravens another experienced tight end on the roster, something they were in desperate need of during the season when Nick Boyle went down with a season-ending knee injury. In Boyle’s stead, Tomlinson performed relatively well as a blocker, which helped the offense find its groove again toward the end of the regular season. Though Tomlinson played a total of 123 offensive snaps over six games with Baltimore in 2020, he was one of the top players on our free-agent priority list this offseason.
While this isn’t a blockbuster deal by any means, it is needed. Behind Mark Andrews, the Ravens are pretty thin at the position. They traded Hayden Hurst to the Atlanta Falcons last offseason, leaving the team with just Andrews and Boyle. But when Boyle went down, the offense struggled mightily. Though Baltimore signed tight end Eli Wolf to a futures contract this offseason and he’s a promising prospect, he has no experience in the NFL and is more of a developmental option at the position.
Tomlinson’s signing doesn’t preclude the Ravens from adding another tight end to the roster this offseason. With the importance of the position in Baltimore’s offense, don’t be shocked if they look to free agency or the 2021 NFL draft to add even more talent and potentially find a long-term option in case they can’t re-sign Andrews next year.
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