If The Ravens Don't Sign 1 Of These 2 DTs, They Will Regret It

Things come in threes, so they say, but for as frugal as the Ravens tend to be in free agency, one of these two will do. Thank you

Dec 4, 2022; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens defensive end Calais Campbell (93) enters the field prior to the game against the Denver Broncos at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images | Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

The Ravens are not a finished product.

There is still plenty of time between now and September, as general manager Eric DeCosta pointed out at the end of his draft-ending press conference on Saturday.

But some concerns are more pressing than others, some demand immediate attention, and coming out of another draft in which they had a preponderance of selections (11 this time) only to grab a defensive tackle at the very end, yet again (even if that pick has some legit upside) ... it required more substantial response.

We didn’t include any of these veteran free agents in our recent piece on unrestricted free agents DeCosta better grab between now and Week 1, because, well, this merits its own distinction, as did, frankly largely offensive line. Bottom line is this general manager has invested more draft capital in punters the last five drafts than he has defensive tackle.

This includes sitting out a generational 2025 draft in terms of hulking DTs (he chose a small one instead). In the interim, Broderick Washington has continued to decline and Nnamdi Madubuike missed almost all of last season and just recently had potentially career- saving neck surgery that naturally begs a lot of questions about longevity. One of these players need to be here soon; of course the Ravens will wait until May at this point to sign anyone (MUST PROTECT COMP PICKS AT ALL COSTS!), but they can certainly have handshakes done.

And they’d better.

Note: Like many others, I keep hearing John Harbagh is going to lure DT DJ Reader to New York, so I am leaving him off this list. He had pre-draft contact with the Ravens and would obviously make a lot of sense. (He would be the third guy on this list, but no one said these articles have to come in threes. I don’t know why they always tend to, I’ve only been here for three weeks, but we break the cycle now!)

1) Calais Campbell

They didn’t think he was worth what Arizona gave him a year ago  - HYPER EXTERNAL and, well, man, what a whiff. This defense totally collapsed without Madubuike, and Campbell had a renaissance going back to the team that drafted him so many years ago. Maybe that was the last, best he had to offer. But he is one of the best leaders in football, he loved playing here, he obviously fits schematics and culture and, he showed last year he loves reunions, too.

On a pitch count, this is a versatile and powerful force at the line of scrimmage who would offer some vital insurance to help Travis Jones in case Madubuike’s return doesn’t go as well as we all would hope. Yes, he is 40 years old, but he carried just a $6M cap hit a year ago and is worth the risk. He can help this unit anchor no matter where they deploy him.

 I ran the numbers on every age 30-39 DL in the NFL last year, and their metrics when deployed specifically from the DT position – Campbell (467 snaps from that position per TruMedia), had a 10.8% pressure rate (younger DeForest Buckner was at 11.9% for reference) and Campbell has 16 QB hits to 13 for Buckner (on 453 DT snaps). What are we waiting for here?

2) DaQuan Jones

At age 34 he is a young pup compared to Campbell, and at 6-4, 320 pounds, he is every bit the same mountain of a man. Jones continued to be a nice piece for a Bills defensive line that was overall too light in the ass, with the cast around him suffering at times. Started two playoff games for them. I’m hardly a slave to PFF grades, but he had their 17th-best pass rush grade out of 134 interior defensive linemen and he was 31st against the run. He isn’t going to come as cheap, after earning $8M last year, but he isn’t going to break the bank, either.

Jones was top 10 among all 30-plus defensive linemen last year in pressure rate when aligned as a DT (8.9%) and knows how to navigate his way through a long season and be available for the postseason. He’s hit the post in the playoffs six of the last seven years since 2019, the only exception being his 2021 season on Carolina (did not qualify for playoffs). That matters on a team with Super-Bowl or bust expectations.

Subscribe On YouTube For The Best Ravens Coverage: