Let’s not kid ourselves, if the NFL season started today, the Baltimore Ravens would be in the middle of the pack. Fans might argue that the Ravens are back in Super Bowl form, but that is far from reality.
Longtime Raven Terrell Suggs signed an extension that will allow him to finish his career in Baltimore. Fan favorite Dennis Pitta signed a five year deal that will ensure that he will be Joe Flacco’s go to guy for a long time.
Courtesy: CBS Local Washington
Left tackle Eugene Monroe, who was one of the few bright spots on an anemic Baltimore offense, has also been signed to a long term deal. Jacoby Jones will be making plays and dancing in the end zone for four more years in Baltimore. Daryl Smith also inked a four year deal. Wide receiver Steve Smith joined the Ravens on a three year deal, improving the Ravens’ talent starved wide receiver core.
Despite these signings, the Ravens are very much a broken team full of holes.
After he had a dominant 2013 season, defensive lineman Arthur Jones left the Ravens for the Indianapolis Colts. He was a force on the Baltimore defensive line, racking up 53 tackles and four sacks as an interior lineman. His departure opens up a gaping hole on the defensive line.
Haloti Ngata is aging and constantly injured, Chris Canty is aging and declining, nose tackle Terrence Cody has yet to be given a new deal. DeAngelo Tyson and Brandon Williams have shown promise in limited play time, but they may not be ready for a starting role. Kapron Lewis-Moore, who spent the season on injured reserve, is an unknown quantity. The Ravens will struggle to replace Jones’s production.
Courtesy: Bleacher Report
Corey Graham came to Baltimore as a player known as a special teams ace, and he left as solid nickel corner who can hold his own against the best. Now a Buffalo Bill, Graham leaves the nickel back spot wide open for the Ravens. Jimmy Smith and Lardarius Webb have the top two spots locked down, but the cornerback position is suspect after that duo. Chykie Brown and Asa Jackson are both young and unproven. They’ve played well in the preseason, but that is no indication of how they will play against starters. In a league where many teams have three quality wide receivers, you need to have three quality cornerbacks. The Ravens need to fill that hole.
Free safety is another position that has yet to be addressed by the team. Matt Elam manned the position as veteran James Ihedigbo played strong safety in 2013, but now Ihedigbo is a free agent and possibly moving to a new team. General Manager Ozzie Newsome has already declared free safety a need, but the position has not been filled.
With holes on the defensive line and in the secondary, Newsome has his work cut out for him to rebuild this defense.
Of course, the Ravens still have gaping holes on the offensive line. Monroe has been re-signed, and guard Marshal Yanda and Kelechi Osemele will return, but tackle Michael Oher is now a Titan. While his play left a lot to be desired, Oher never missed a game and was able to fill in at left tackle in a pinch. The Ravens brass should bring in competition for center Gino Gradkowski who struggled mightily in 2013. A lack of quality depth on the offensive line hurt in 2013, and the Ravens should try to acquire a veteran guard or center that can step in if Osemele faces complications in recovering from his back injury.
The Ravens have retained most of their 2013 roster, but that roster could only manage an 8-8 season. For once, Newsome will have ample salary cap space to work out some deals to fill some holes, but his shopping list is long. Newsome must acquire starters at free safety, defensive line, and right tackle, in addition to finding a nickel back and competition on the offensive line. He kept the quality players from last season, but he’ll need to find several more quality players before this team can be considered a Super Bowl contender.
