Did Ravens Do Enough? NFL Analyst Weighs In on Baltimore's Offseason
Did the Baltimore Ravens do enough this offseason? It is the question that every fanbase asks as the offseason winds down, and it is certainly relevant to the Baltimore Ravens after a recent article from ESPN's Bill Barnwell laid out their best and worst moves, which left many questions.
The ESPN analyst starts off with the obvious, noting the new contract for franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson as the biggest win of the offseason for the Ravens.
"Jackson will be with the Ravens for years to come, and you need only look at the Commanders and their post-Kirk Cousins flailing to see what can happen if a team lets its quarterback leave for nothing after two franchise tags," Barnwell writes.
The deal that felt like it took ages to be completed was then followed up by the Ravens selecting Boston College's Zay Flowers to add to the weapons out wide that Baltimore added in free agency. The additions of Odell Beckham, Nelson Agholar, and Flowers were also noted as positives from Barnwell, but that was it.
I'm not sure everything else went well," Barnwell said while starting off the cons. "I spoke to more than one NFL executive who was shocked by the terms of Beckham's new contract. Beckham had been disappointing in Cleveland, ran hot and cold in Los Angeles, tore his ACL in the Super Bowl, and then wasn't able to play a year ago. The Ravens are paying him $15 million for the 2023 season, including $13.8 million up front in a signing bonus."
He then added that if Beckham does get back to the form he had prior to his struggles in Cleveland, then it would cost the Ravens a bigger financial commitment to keep him around.
But that wasn't all of the cons, as Barnwell questioned the moves that were meant to fill holes, like signing Angelo Blackson to fill the void of Calais Campbell and Rock Ya-Sin as the cornerback opposite of Marlon Humphrey. Additionally, edge rusher was another potential issue Barnwell points out after the Ravens have yet to bring back Justin Houston, their sack leader from a season ago.
With Houston still sitting at home, the Ravens will be relying on their younger guys, Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo step into the shoes of Houston as the pass-rushers. Yet, while Barnwell thinks adding a veteran edge rusher should be a priority for Baltimore still, he is not counting out their ability to develop their options that are already in-house.
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