Baltimore Ravens: Offseason To-Do List

The Baltimore Ravens have a lot to do this offseason if they wish to become a contender in the AFC again.

Many said that last offseason was a critical one for the Ravens. It was a point in which the franchise had to part ways with some key contributors, but also eat a good share of dead cap in order to make ends meet. The result was one of the worst seasons in franchise history.

The present offseason could prove to be more pivotal as the Ravens need to find the pieces to move forward.

It starts with restructuring the contract of Joe Flacco. Both sides know an agreement must be made in order for the Ravens to make some moves this offseason. Flacco is scheduled to count for $28.55 million against the cap, a number that’s just impossible for the Ravens to work with. Once Flacco’s new deal is finalized, the team can turn its focus on to the impending free agents.

There are three players eligible for free agency that will garner the most attention: kicker Justin Tucker, offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele and defensive end Courtney Upshaw. It’s going to be difficult for the Ravens to keep all three, and it’s likely that only one does return. Tucker is almost a guarantee to stay, while the other two are wild cards.

The situation with Osemele will have a lot to do with what the Ravens decide to do with Eugene Monroe. There have been rumblings that the team could part with Monroe and use the savings on Osemele to take the left tackle position. It’s unlikely, however, as the numbers don’t add up to make that work.

That brings us to the draft. Many of the mock drafts being published at this point have the Ravens selecting an offensive tackle with their first pick. Most of those mocks have them landing Notre Dame tackle Ronnie Stanley with the sixth selection. This once again comes down to what the Ravens decide to do with the aforementioned players. If Monroe stays, maybe Stanley is the pick and plays right tackle.

What if both Monroe and Osemele stay? If they were to still take Stanley, the Ravens could have a seriously dominant offensive line with Monroe, Osemele, Jeremy Zuttah, Marshal Yanda and Stanley. The problem with that is the Ravens would have a significant amount of their cap room invested in the offensive line.

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The Ravens have other issues to address. The Denver Broncos proved how valuable it is to have great pass rushers and a secondary to make big plays. Playmakers on both sides of the ball are what this Ravens team needs most. Whether it’s through the draft or free agency, the Ravens need three types of players: a pass rusher that causes havoc, a speedster on offense to stretch the field and a ball hawk in the defensive backfield that makes quarterbacks pay for their mistakes.

So to review, here’s the Ravens offseason in a nutshell:

Get Flacco’s new deal done
Re-sign Tucker
Figure out the future of the offensive line
Fill the top needs during the draft
Get vaccines for the injury bug

Obviously, the last one is out of the team’s control as injuries do happen. It does seem a bit ludicrous that the Ravens have been ravished by injuries over the past two seasons more than other NFL teams. That is another issue that John Harbaugh has openly said they want to correct, but what can you really do when a guy is running in the middle of the field and his Achilles gives out or an awkward tackle breaks an arm. That’s part of the game.

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Finding the right pieces is what Ozzie Newsome and the rest of the front office is paid for. Last season was a rough offseason for Baltimore which makes this one even more important. The Ravens still have the core to be one of the better teams in the NFL. This offseason is about filling this team out into being a contender once again.

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