Baltimore Ravens: Recapping the Offseason

Jun 11, 2015; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Torrey Smith (82) during minicamp at Levi

It was a bit of a disappointing offseason to start the year with many fan favorites finding new teams around the NFL. Jacoby Jones is with the San Diego Chargers. Pernell McPhee joined the Chicago Bears. University of Maryland alum Torrey Smith is now in San Francisco. Losing Torrey was heartbreaking for fans because he was well liked off the field and was a local product. However, the contract he earned from the 49ers is a figure that the Ravens just could not match.

The biggest surprise – literally – was the trade of defensive tackle Haloti Ngata to the Detroit Lions. There was a lot of speculation leading up to the new league year that the Pro Bowl tackle would either need to restructure his contract or risk being released. Instead, the Ravens were able to get a two draft picks instead of just letting him walk for free.

The moves were necessary for all parties involved. The Niners have been looking for a wide receiver that can stretch the field for some time now. The Lions needed a defensive tackle with the losses of both Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley. Baltimore desperately needed to clear some cap space and felt that they had enough depth at defensive tackle and wide receiver to fill the void. Little did we know, the Ravens had their eyes on a certain receiver in the first round of the draft.

Next: The Reinforcements Brought In