Ravens Roster Uncertainty Leaves Questions Over Super Bowl Aspirations
The Baltimore Ravens will enter the offseason again as one of the best teams in the NFL, but whether they stay there remains to be seen.
With several key players having uncertain futures, coupled with the franchise's salary cap situation, the next couple of weeks have the potential to seriously help or hinder their ability to go one better than last season.
CBS Sports has come up with a list of tiers and has placed all 32 teams into five categories as free agency approaches, with the Ravens sitting in the "contenders with questions" section.
"Like the other contenders with big-time quarterbacks, the Ravens are going to be competitive as long as Lamar Jackson is under center," CBS Sports writes. "And retaining Justin Madubuike via the tag means a lot for the defensive front. But they're still pressed against the cap, and that's without new deals for veteran contributors like Odell Beckham Jr., Kevin Zeitler, Patrick Queen and Geno Stone."
It is no secret that the Ravens have an uncanny knack for finding players to fit into their schemes and at cost. It does feel like the organization may have to do that again this offseason.
While Justin Madubuike's monster deal is the first domino to fall, other starters' futures are uncertain and if all leave, there will be several holes that need plugging.
The downside is that due to Baltimore's cap situation, it is unable to seriously add to the roster in free agency with a big-name signing. But there are always ways around the salary cap as we know, and the Ravens might have to restructure several contracts to be players in free agency.
With so many starters set to hit the free agent market, the Ravens' roster could look vastly different in 2024 and potentially lose some of the firepower that made them so dangerous last season.
But football is a funny game and with Eric DeCosta and Co. working tirelessly behind the scenes, the Ravens could still pull off several moves that keep them in the Super Bowl sweet spot.
But for now, there lingering questions over the roster, and with Baltimore's inability to go shopping in free agency, it looms as a tricky moment in an offseason where the franchise would ideally like to double down and go all in for that elusive Super Bowl.
