Ravens Sit Out Opening Day of Free Agency

The Baltimore Ravens were very quiet on the first day of free agency, and that's OK.

Nov 7, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta one the field before the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The first day of NFL free agency was a wild one, with teams handing out huge contracts left and right. All the while, the Baltimore Ravens merely sat back and watched.

The Ravens are one of just two teams yet to sign an external free agent, the other being the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. While that may sound like a bad thing, it really isn't.

Nov 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta watches warm ups against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

First, this free agency class is widely considered to be a pretty weak one overall. There are definitely some impact players, but there is very little in the way of high-end talent.

As a result, many players who are good but not great are getting far more money than they would otherwise, and many more will follow. The Ravens have always been cautious about overpaying players, and this offseason is absolutely the time to exercise caution.

Second, it's important to remember that this was the Ravens' plan from the start. General manager Eric DeCosta even said as such at the combine last month.

"I mean, you guys know the Ravens," DeCosta told reporters. "[It has to be] the right player [and] right price. We don't have a lot of cap room. We have [vice president of football administration] Nick Matteo working tirelessly to find some space for us. We call it 'couch cushion coins.' We're trying to find 50 grand here, 75 grand there and a couch cushion. But we're not a team that's going to make a lot of splashes, generally speaking."

Third, and the biggest reason of all, is that the Ravens already accomplished their main goal of free agency by re-signing Ronnie Stanley to a three-year, $60 million deal on Saturday. Stanley was projected to be the top offensive tackle on the market, so Baltimore keeping him home, and on a great deal is a huge win.

Now this isn't to say the Ravens can sit by and do nothing for all of free agency. They're looking pretty thin at linebacker after Malik Harrison and Chris Board left on Monday, and they could probably use a bit more offensive line depth after losing Patrick Mekari and Josh Jones.

However, sitting out the initial wave of free agency was probably for the best.

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