The Baltimore Ravens haven’t been sitting back and waiting for OTAs to start. They’ve taken the bull by the horns and have been inking contracts in the second wave of free agency. Among their signings are pass rushers Pernell McPhee and Shane Ray.
But what does the signing of McPhee and Ray mean for the rest of the Ravens’ outside linebacker depth chart?
Primarily, it means Baltimore didn’t have much faith in Tim Williams and Tyus Bowser to step up. And for good reason too. Both Williams and Bowser have been relative duds since being selected in the 2017 NFL draft. They’ve combined for just 5.5 sacks, 36 combined tackles and 0 starts since being drafted. The pair have only been active in 46 of 64 potential regular-season games, showing just how disappointing they’ve been for the Ravens.
With the departure of Za’Darius Smith and Terrell Suggs in free agency, Baltimore was left scrambling. Matthew Judon is expected to start at one of the outside linebacker spots and Jaylon Ferguson is a promising prospect but that isn’t enough to make it through a season, much less be very productive.
Though McPhee and Ray have had recent production limited due to injuries, they offer quite a bit to the Ravens. Both players have starting experience and have been solid pass rushers at times during their careers. Ray had eight sacks in 2016, while McPhee had 7.5 sacks in 2014. In the worst case scenario, both players can be a part of a rotation to keep everyone fresh throughout the season.
At this stage of free agency, no one should be expecting these signings to be automatic starters. But on one-year “prove-it” deals, both signings offer low-risk/high-reward potential. The Ravens still have to be hoping Bowser, Ferguson and Williams are able to step up but they’re not going to bet their entire defense on that.
