Should Ravens be Aggressive & Lure Big RB Fish in Free Agency?
The Baltimore Ravens were one of if not the best rushing team last season. With Lamar Jackson (821 yards) leading the team in yards, followed by Gus Edwards (810) and then rookie Keaton Mitchell (396), it was a potent unit.
But as we edge closer to free agency, Edwards, J.K. Dobbins, and Melvin Gordon III are all set to test the market. Should all seek employment elsewhere, that would leave Mitchell and Justice Hill as the only running backs on Todd Monken's offense.
Which brings us to the abundance of star power in free agency.
Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and Josh Jacobs are the "big fishes" in this year's running back class and of course, the Ravens have been heavily linked with all three.
But should Eric DeCosta and Co. aggressively go after one?
This will largely depend on the salary each is asking for, and what Baltimore is willing/can pay with its salary cap situation.
Per spotrac.com, Henry ($10.3 million APY), Jacobs ($10.6 million APY), and Barkley ($9.9 million APY) all have decent enough market value, so whether the Ravens would be willing to pay the amounts above is unknown.
We saw the big drop off in running back salary last offseason, and with three big stars now available, will it pick up?
Additionally, Henry (30) is the oldest of the trio (Barkley 27, Jacobs 26), so that could factor in as well. Will DeCosta want to fork out over $10 million APY on Henry for one year, maybe two? There's a lot of wear and tear on the tires.
Barkley and Jacobs are both younger and would conceivably have more "juice" in the tank thank Henry.
In truth, either of the three would present a serious improvement in a running back room that was already one of the best in the NFL.
With all three available and the Ravens having multiple free agents, the franchise would be foolish to not at least make a phone call to all three.
After being so close to their first Super Bowl appearance last year since 2012, adding a star back like Henry, Jacobs or Barkley could be just the move that pushes Baltimore over the top.
