Baltimore Ravens: Free Agency Brings a Focus on the Offensive Line

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Free agency is coming up quickly, and the Baltimore Ravens have a lot to do. General Manager Ozzie Newsome and Head Coach John Harbaugh have already spoken about the Ravens being heavily invested in this free agency.

Later today, it’s time for them to come through on that promise. One aspect of free agency depends heavily upon what happens before it even begins.

Will the Ravens be able to come to terms with Eugene Monroe, who is set to become a free agent after the Ravens did not choose to use their Franchise Tag on him? I said much earlier that Monroe was a bright spot on the offensive line.

Without having at least one strong member on the offensive line, the Ravens would have to start over almost completely to try to improve upon the terrible season they had up front.

There have been reports that the Ravens and Monroe are close to a deal that could be done before free agency begins. Let’s hope it gets done, because the offensive line needs Monroe and free agency starts today, Tuesday March 11th, at 4pm.

Even if Monroe stays, the Ravens still need an offensive line, because the current one did not work very well.

Michael Oher is set to be a free agent, and I doubt he will return to the Ravens. If the Ravens have to replace Oher, they might as well start to bring in new talent for the offensive line.

I have not heard too much about it, because there are other areas of focus, but I believe there needs to be some focus on revamping the entire line with exception of Monroe (if he stays).

The market for offensive linemen has not been as active as was originally reported, which may add to why Monroe might stay in Baltimore. But almost anything else could be better than the current offensive line.

Under new offensive coordinator, Gary Kubiak, the Ravens need a better line to protect Joe Flacco.

Kansas City Chief’s tackle Branden Albert is set to be a free agent and seems ready to leave. He can hold his own on the line, and could easily step into Oher’s place and do much better.

Cincinnati Bengals tackle Anthony Collins has not been the strongest, but has shown his ability in the last games of the 2013 season to hold his own. He protected Andy Dalton well in the last game the Ravens played against the Bengals.

Collins is one option other teams may look over, because it is only recent success. He could also slide into Oher’s place on the offensive line to give the Ravens some more consistency.

Even if the Ravens choose not to revamp the entire offensive line, they can at least keep Monroe and replace Oher. He has lost his chance to stay on the team, and the Ravens need  to move on to someone who can pull his own weight on the line.

If the Ravens lose Monroe, they need to act quickly to pick up a replacement for him and for Oher. But let us hope that Monroe stays, so that the offensive line is not left in complete shambles.

There are other needs to focus upon in free agency, but there has to be a strong focus on the offensive line going into Tuesday afternoon. Keep your eyes on the Ravens’ news, hopefully Newsome will keep it active with his moves.