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2025 Offseason Thread
- Thread starter Dom McRaven
- Start date
Grim
Ravens Ring of Honor
Andrews is a FA in 2026. You either trade him this year if he isn't in your long-term plans or you think he gets you over the top for a Super Bowl & go all-in. I like this TE class so I would trade him if there is a buyer. If not then you ride with him and just build around him.
gtalk12
Ravens Ring of Honor
gtalk12
Ravens Ring of Honor
I still really like Wallace and would like to see him get more opportunities.
gtalk12
Ravens Ring of Honor
If Stanley stays then it makes things easier to your point. O-line and receiver is the play there in the draft even though I really like Tylan Wallace out there when he gets the ball. He is a small guy so there's that working against but he shows to be a tough SOB to take down.
Pass rush IMO has to be the priority on defense unless of course someone else falls in your lap. We rely too much on coverage sacks IMO
JAAM
Hall of Famer
Gotcha. I didn’t know when his contract expired. I bet we’ll just let him walk when it comes down to him or Likely
rmcjacket23
Ravens Ring of Honor
So for me, its kind of a no-brainer. There is certainly no reason to think we should like cut the guy because he had a bad game. That's just massive fan overreaction.
On top of that, he has a nearly $17M cap hit in the final year of his deal. So obviously he'll be looking for some sort of job security, and I highly doubt the Ravens are comfortable with his cap number where it is (currently fourth highest on the team). I don't think it has to be a long extension (maybe a year or two), but I don't see him playing out his contract in its current form as is.
I personally ain't close to being sold that Likely is a TE1 on this team specifically. Another year maybe he will be, but I'm not there yet.
rmcjacket23
Ravens Ring of Honor
No point. There's nothing he can say to make anybody feel better or change the way they think. Literally adds no value other than for fan vanity.
QtR Nevermore
Pro Bowler
So many Ravens fans say we need a top edge rusher. I don't really get it. The way we build our defense has been working for years. We're always one of the top Ds and it's rarely been the defense that has let us down in big games.
This year started shaky but over the last phase of the season we were #1 in a lot of categories. So while a superstar on the edge would be nice, I don't think it's any kind of glaring need.
What am I missing?
This year started shaky but over the last phase of the season we were #1 in a lot of categories. So while a superstar on the edge would be nice, I don't think it's any kind of glaring need.
What am I missing?
marklar
Pro Bowler
I wrote the same thing one page back, stop stealing my material
Seriously though, we are in agreement
Grim
Ravens Ring of Honor
Well, who scares you on defense in the front-4? Oweh's future is uncertain, Ojabo looks like a bust, Isaac is an unknown, Robinson is OK but is he really our top edge rusher? How long can Van Noy do it?
I mean, we kinda need someone there. We don't need some game wrecker but it is nice to have someone like that. We need a guy who shows up and plays big in big games. It's debatable if we have anyone like that here right now at Edge.
rmcjacket23
Ravens Ring of Honor
Well the low hanging fruit would be that your top two pass rushers (in terms of sacks), by a wide margin, are a) 33 years old, and in no way would be dependent on to repeat that, and b) not under contract beyond 2025. Plenty of scenarios where neither are on the team beyond 2025.
And while acknowledging sacks are just one metric, you're not getting significant production from any other OLB on the roster beyond those two.
I certainly don't think we need a superstar edge rusher (i.e. trading for somebody who's a stud), but I certainly think you need to add multiple pass rushers in some fashion in the offseason, with ideally one of them being a projected higher upside player higher in the draft.
And for the record... I think lack of pass rush was absolutely a factor in yesterday's game. Not a gigantic one, but a factor.
Would also throw out that it doesn't have to be an Edge rusher either. Interior pass rush is arguably more dangerous. You go find a Jordan Davis in the draft (doubtful, I know), and I'll be super happy.
Going to make some assumptions that the young guys on the PS sign reserve/future deals...
QB -
Under Contract: Lamar Jackson, Devin Leary
Free Agent: Josh Johnson
I'd honestly continue to retain Johnson as long as he wants to play. I don't place a high value on backup QB at this stage of Lamar's career. I'd expect we'll be looking to add a guy or two ahead of Leary regardless, but I doubt the investment would be large.
RB -
Under Contract: Derrick Henry, Justice Hill, Keaton Mitchell, Rasheen Ali, Owen Wright
Free Agent: Pat Ricard (FB)
I'm not sure I see the need to add another RB just yet, but never say never. The draft is deep so if the value is right, sure. The big question here is Pat Ricard. I'd guess we'll end up retaining him for a modest deal.
WR -
Under Contract: Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Devontez Walker, Dayton Wade, Malik Cunningham
Free Agent: Nelson Agholor, Tylan Wallace, Steven Sims, Anthony Miller, Keith Kirkwood, Diontae Johnson
We obviously need some depth here, and probably will look to upgrade WR3 over what we got from Agholor. I'd be interested in retaining guys like Wallace, Sims, and Miller if possible, but I expect a pretty extensive depth overhaul here.
TE -
Under Contract: Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely, Charlie Kolar, Qadir Ismail
Free Agent: Zaire Mitchell-Paden, Scotty Washington
On paper, this position looks quite set. The reality is that all 3 guys would be due for contracts in the next couple of years and a decision is going to have to be made on Mark/Likely at some point. I'd probably run status quo here, but wouldn't be opposed to drafting a guy if the value is right.
OL -
Under Contract: Tyler Linderbaum, Daniel Faalele, Roger Rosengarten, Andrew Vorhees, Nick Samac, Corey Bulluck, Sala Aumavae-Laulu, Darrian Dalcourt
Free Agent: Ronnie Stanley, Patrick Mekari, Josh Jones, Ben Cleveland
Ronnie is the biggest domino this offseason. If you re-sign him, you're likely looking to upgrade one of the G spots. If you don't, you're going to have to get aggressive for another T. Otherwise, depth is looking pretty light again. I'd hope to retain Mekari and/or Jones if possible, and then draft some depth. A better starting G should be a top priority regardless.
DL -
Under Contract: Nnamdi Madubuike, Travis Jones, Michael Pierce, Broderick Washington, CJ Ravenell
Free Agent: Brent Urban, Chris Wormley, Josh Tupou
Another position that looks fine on paper, but probably needs a bit of a youth overhaul in the depth department. We develop DL well but haven't really taken a swing in recent years.
OLB -
Under Contract: Kyle Van Noy, Odafe Oweh, Tavius Robinson, David Ojabo, Adisa Isaac, Malik Hamm
Free Agent: None
The depth is fine but we're missing a bonafide playmaker, and don't really have much of a future at the position with KVN and Oweh only on deals for 1 more year. I'd make this the top priority. It's not a bad group but we could stand to get better and need to look toward the future anyways.
ILB -
Under Contract: Roquan Smith, Trenton Simpson, William Kwenkeu
Free Agent: Chris Board, Malik Harrison, Kristian Welch
Ideally we could retain Board and/or Harrison for cheap again to add some competition. Hopefully Simpson can get back to his early season play as well. Regardless, we'll need to add depth, and probably some starter competition.
CB -
Under Contract: Marlon Humphrey, Nate Wiggins, Arthur Maulet, TJ Tampa, Jalyn Armour-Davis, Anthony Kendall
Free Agent: Brandon Stephens, Tre'Davious White, Desmond King, Trayvon Mullen, Christian Matthew
Another position that doesn't look bad on paper, but could probably use another CB3/4 option. I'd look to retain White if I could, but also let Tampa take a swing at the job. I feel like we could use slot or outside depth, so the options should be fairly open depending on how the market plays out.
S -
Under Contract: Kyle Hamilton, Sanoussi Kane, Beau Brade
Free Agent: Marcus Williams (gtd cut), Ar'Darius Washington (RFA)
I'd guess we'll work an extension or give Ar'Darius a 2nd round tender. Regardless, I still think we should be looking to add a guy with range to let Kyle do Kyle things again.
ST -
Under Contract: Justin Tucker, Jordan Stout, Nick Moore
Free Agent: None
A rare year where you could argue every single guy here could benefit from some competition in camp. I don't think I'm looking to move on from any of them, but I don't think any are absolute locks. Tucker is still probably 99% but no harm in bringing in another body.
QB -
Under Contract: Lamar Jackson, Devin Leary
Free Agent: Josh Johnson
I'd honestly continue to retain Johnson as long as he wants to play. I don't place a high value on backup QB at this stage of Lamar's career. I'd expect we'll be looking to add a guy or two ahead of Leary regardless, but I doubt the investment would be large.
RB -
Under Contract: Derrick Henry, Justice Hill, Keaton Mitchell, Rasheen Ali, Owen Wright
Free Agent: Pat Ricard (FB)
I'm not sure I see the need to add another RB just yet, but never say never. The draft is deep so if the value is right, sure. The big question here is Pat Ricard. I'd guess we'll end up retaining him for a modest deal.
WR -
Under Contract: Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Devontez Walker, Dayton Wade, Malik Cunningham
Free Agent: Nelson Agholor, Tylan Wallace, Steven Sims, Anthony Miller, Keith Kirkwood, Diontae Johnson
We obviously need some depth here, and probably will look to upgrade WR3 over what we got from Agholor. I'd be interested in retaining guys like Wallace, Sims, and Miller if possible, but I expect a pretty extensive depth overhaul here.
TE -
Under Contract: Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely, Charlie Kolar, Qadir Ismail
Free Agent: Zaire Mitchell-Paden, Scotty Washington
On paper, this position looks quite set. The reality is that all 3 guys would be due for contracts in the next couple of years and a decision is going to have to be made on Mark/Likely at some point. I'd probably run status quo here, but wouldn't be opposed to drafting a guy if the value is right.
OL -
Under Contract: Tyler Linderbaum, Daniel Faalele, Roger Rosengarten, Andrew Vorhees, Nick Samac, Corey Bulluck, Sala Aumavae-Laulu, Darrian Dalcourt
Free Agent: Ronnie Stanley, Patrick Mekari, Josh Jones, Ben Cleveland
Ronnie is the biggest domino this offseason. If you re-sign him, you're likely looking to upgrade one of the G spots. If you don't, you're going to have to get aggressive for another T. Otherwise, depth is looking pretty light again. I'd hope to retain Mekari and/or Jones if possible, and then draft some depth. A better starting G should be a top priority regardless.
DL -
Under Contract: Nnamdi Madubuike, Travis Jones, Michael Pierce, Broderick Washington, CJ Ravenell
Free Agent: Brent Urban, Chris Wormley, Josh Tupou
Another position that looks fine on paper, but probably needs a bit of a youth overhaul in the depth department. We develop DL well but haven't really taken a swing in recent years.
OLB -
Under Contract: Kyle Van Noy, Odafe Oweh, Tavius Robinson, David Ojabo, Adisa Isaac, Malik Hamm
Free Agent: None
The depth is fine but we're missing a bonafide playmaker, and don't really have much of a future at the position with KVN and Oweh only on deals for 1 more year. I'd make this the top priority. It's not a bad group but we could stand to get better and need to look toward the future anyways.
ILB -
Under Contract: Roquan Smith, Trenton Simpson, William Kwenkeu
Free Agent: Chris Board, Malik Harrison, Kristian Welch
Ideally we could retain Board and/or Harrison for cheap again to add some competition. Hopefully Simpson can get back to his early season play as well. Regardless, we'll need to add depth, and probably some starter competition.
CB -
Under Contract: Marlon Humphrey, Nate Wiggins, Arthur Maulet, TJ Tampa, Jalyn Armour-Davis, Anthony Kendall
Free Agent: Brandon Stephens, Tre'Davious White, Desmond King, Trayvon Mullen, Christian Matthew
Another position that doesn't look bad on paper, but could probably use another CB3/4 option. I'd look to retain White if I could, but also let Tampa take a swing at the job. I feel like we could use slot or outside depth, so the options should be fairly open depending on how the market plays out.
S -
Under Contract: Kyle Hamilton, Sanoussi Kane, Beau Brade
Free Agent: Marcus Williams (gtd cut), Ar'Darius Washington (RFA)
I'd guess we'll work an extension or give Ar'Darius a 2nd round tender. Regardless, I still think we should be looking to add a guy with range to let Kyle do Kyle things again.
ST -
Under Contract: Justin Tucker, Jordan Stout, Nick Moore
Free Agent: None
A rare year where you could argue every single guy here could benefit from some competition in camp. I don't think I'm looking to move on from any of them, but I don't think any are absolute locks. Tucker is still probably 99% but no harm in bringing in another body.
Grim
Ravens Ring of Honor
I agree with you but going to highlight some things
1. QB - Josh is OK. I think we could do better. Not sure this is the draft to do it. He will probably be back
2. RB - I’m sure we are getting a RB, either in draft or UDFA. I think the most interesting question is Ricard. I think his future is very much tied to the next position
3. TE - I think we very well will take a TE, only issue is we always double dip at this position when we do as far as I recall. Could be wrong but usually we double dip at this and that gives me pause. I think I could see us do it again because this class is really good and if we do and we get a guy to replace Ricard then maybe he doesn’t have as much value to us.
4. WR - I didn’t realize Wallace as a FA. That is kinda surprising. We will definitely bring some guys back but I could see guys walk if we want them contributing to ST. I think we do want a guy with skillset similar to DJ but not the attitude obviously so we watch us target that type
5. DL - definitely a sneaky need. We like to have a stable here and it may get bare soon
6. OLB - I wouldn’t be surprised if we trade away Ojabo to a team who thinks they can salvage him like SEA or LAC. Definitely a place to add talent more than bodies.
there's a difference between sacks and pressures
and not all sacks and pressures are created equal
KVN has been good and productive but not especially disruptive
odafe got 10 sacks without doing very much all year
he's only 29 and it's the easiest way to retain him and spread his cap hit around
while the defence has been good
it's key failing has been in forcing turnovers
the best way to create turnovers (and other negative plays) is to be disruptive with a 4 man rush
and on top of that edge is also probably the weakest position group on our team and only figuring to get worse over time (KVN a year older and only has 1 year left on his deal, oweh reduced to a non-full-time role and 1 year away from being a free agent, robinson doesnt offer much pass rush, ojabo has shown nothing, isaac has been awol as a rookie)
JAAM
Hall of Famer
That’s fine but it better not be at the expense of Likely
QB - it didn't bite us this year but the offence looked non-functional with josh johnson in this year - all it takes is lamar to get sick (like he sometimes does) or have some short-term injury and then you're looking at a backup who won't keep your head above water in the intervening period - Leary's obviously not the guy - i'd advocate for us to draft a guy on day 3 every year until we find a guy who sticks
RB - not a need but, as you say, might want to take advantage of a decent looking class and potentially upgrade on Ali/Wright and Mitchell
WR - WR3 feels like one of the biggest needs on the roster - a 3rd WR to be dangerous in 11 personnel, but also to give us some decent play in case one of the top 2 guys can't go - i know lots of people will want a traditional 'X' type guy and i'd be open to it, but i think the style is less important than the talent here - maybe if he had a big body bully he could trust on the outside lamar would throw more fades but he generally doesnt like to throw those kinds of balls so having a contested catch guy doesnt really add much of a complementary skillset (nor does a straight up vertical speedster)
skillsets i'd be looking for at WR: twitch, separation skill (route running or explosive athleticism), zone beaters... if they happen to be a good blocker then even better
i'd be happy to bring back anthony miller and tylan wallace on vet minimum type deals to see if they can compete and stick around
TE - as you say not a need, and maybe this is a year too early, but just like RB, this looks like a good TE class to be looking for young talent
OL - i don't see how we can let Ronnie leave tbh - if we do it throws this whole offseason into the blender... we have to look at a LG upgrade - faalele was fine but you cant have a "weak link" at both guard spots and mekari was the bigger issue - if we do move on from mekari, we'll be in the market for a swing tackle too, i'd welcome back josh jones if he were amenable but he might be looking for a spot where he can compete starting job somewhere
DL - looks like a decent DL class - finding an upgrade/replacement for michael pierce/broderick washington would be nice and as you say it's a very veteran group
EDGE - this position is in big trouble, if we don't find some young pieces this offseason, the 2026 overhaul at this position is going to be seismic... the only guy, right now, who looks guaranteed to be here beyond 2025 is Tavius Robinson... luckily the EDGE class looks like probably the best position group in the draft
LB - not much to say here - a lot will depend on how they view Simpson in-house
CB - another outside CB would be welcome - maybe a veteran - hopefully TJ Tampa stays healthy and can compete and the same for JAD but i think you're looking to take a swing on a cheap outside CB veteran like Ronald Darby a couple of years ago
S - if we want kyle to become a defensive weapon then we need to find another guy we're comfortable with at free safety - i dont think kane or brade figure to be players that can develop that way... but brade was carried on the inactives for a reason
Don't necessarily need to look at anything with the specialists but returner needs to have a real long look taken at it
Priorities:
Ronnie's deal (or if Ronnie leaves then OT becomes our biggest priority by a mile)
EDGE
LG
WR3
Outside CB
FS
Going down the list of FAs, the only guys I like enough to commit multiple years to are Ronnie Stanley, Pat Ricard, and weirdly Tylan Wallace. I think Josh Jones and Patrick Mekari are 1-year types but maybe a little bump in pay. No one else gets much more than the minimum for me.