Which Free Agent Is Ravens' Top Priority?
Free agency is all about finding quick and important stop-gaps for your team to efficiently improve the roster.
Make the right move, and the organization is set up for success in a major way. Overpay, or miss out on the top available player, and your team could head into the new season with a glaring need.
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For a team like the Baltimore Ravens, their run to the AFC Title game has come at a cost.
Top players like Patrick Queen, Kevin Zeitler, John Simpson, Geno Stone, and Odell Beckham Jr., are all expected to hit the free agent market this year. With minimal cap space following the long-term extension of Justin Madubuike, Baltimore does not have enough cash to dish out larger contracts to some of the top available players.
That doesn't mean Baltimore will be quiet, though. Like any team, they'll have a player that they want more than others and try everything they can to get him. Luckily for the Ravens, that particular player is already very familiar with the organization.
Marquise "Hollywood" Brown.
Since Brown was traded during the 2022 NFL Draft, the Cardinals have seen him unable to produce close to his 1,000-yard season with the Ravens back in 2021. The former first-round pick out of Oklahoma has big play speed and could pair nicely with any quality top receiver.
That's what makes a potential reunion so important for Baltimore.
With the strong performance from rookie Zay Flowers this season, the Ravens can move forward with the belief that they have finally found a true #1 receiver. The organization has also stated their defense of additional first-round pick Rashod Bateman out of Minnesota in the past.
Baltimore still needs a competent second receiving option on the outside.
That's where Brown comes in.
His ability to get behind a defense and be used as an offensive weapon would be incredibly important for both reigning MVP Lamar Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Monken. While Flowers already does that for this offense, having a dependable second option on the outside would open up the middle of the field even more for Baltimore's two top tight ends.
It won't be easy - Brown is expected to have plenty of suitors - but the Ravens desperately need more offensive firepower and offensive line help in free agency. In one of the deepest draft classes of all-time, though, Baltimore can reshape their offensive line in April's Draft.
There's few times where acquiring a former teammate and friend to Jackson could be made available.
It's why Brown should be the Ravens' biggest and most important free agent signing this offseason.
