Ravens Eric DeCosta Ranked 15th Among Top 22 NFL General Managers

Baltimore GM has helped teams to playoffs in two of his three years.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens' Eric DeCosta was ranked No. 15 out of the top 22 general managers in the NFL, according to NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal.  

"You can barely tell Ozzie Newsome has left the GM post, which is intended as the highest of compliments," Rosenthal wrote. "The Ravens balance short-term goals against veteran contracts along with tough decisions about their future (the Orlando Brown trade) as well as any team in the league. Baltimore staying competitive despite the worst injury luck in two decades speaks to the organizational strength. DeCosta just needs a few draft home runs like Newsome used to hit to round out the portfolio."

Brandon Beane/Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills were ranked No. 1, followed by Les Snead (Los Angeles Rams), Kevin Colbert (Pittsburgh Steelers), Brian Gutekunst (Green Bay Packers) and Jason Licht (Tampa Bay Buccaneers). 

There were only 22 GMs ranked because they need more than one draft completed with their current team to qualify.

DeCosta took over as the Ravens' GM in 2019, succeeding the Hall-of-Famer Newsome. He was named The Sporting News 2019 NFL Executive of the Year as Baltimore produced a franchise-best 14-2 record, earning the AFC's No. 1 playoff seed.

In 2020, the Ravens earned their third-straight playoff berth by posting an 11-5 regular-season record. Baltimore's rushing attack finished No. 1 in the NFL (191.9 ypg) and produced the third-most yards (3,071) in a 16-game NFL season.

Last year, the Ravens were plagued with injuries and finished 8-9. 

DeCosta has been a part of the Ravens since the organization moved to Baltimore. He is a graduate of the Ravens’ “20/20 Club," which includes members of the personnel staff who started with the team as young assistants and grew into evaluators with more input. 

DeCosta joined the franchise in an entry-level position in 1996. He moved up the personnel ranks, first as an area scout, then as director of college scouting (six years) and director of player personnel (three years) before his promotion to assistant general manager in 2012.