With Jimmy Smith expected to sign today, the Baltimore Ravens rookie draft class will be signed. Marshall Yanda has been signed, but it remains to be seen if the team will retain several other of their own Unrestricted Free Agents. There is also a lack of clarity of what other Free Agents the Ravens are interested in.

Below we take a look at the existing roster position-by-position:

QB: Flacco, Taylor, Cantwell
Thoughts:
It appears that Bulger will be brought back, which is a good thing. Would be tough to have Super Bowl aspirations with Taylor as the backup. I think when the Ravens finish Camp, it will be difficult for them to carry a 3rd QB.

EDIT: Ravens 24×7 reported on 8/1 that Bulger had retired.

RB: Rice, Parmele, Allen, Berry, Lawrence, Steele, Sanders
Thoughts:
The Ravens have several years invested in Parmele, drafted Allen, and like their RFA Berry. Their battle should be one to watch. After working in the Triple Option at Georgia Tech, I want to hear how Allen adjusts to blitz pickup. I think retaining McClain should occur. He gives you that bruising back the opposite of Rice, another option at FB, and with McGahee having been released; should have the additional touches available he is seeking.

FB: McKie, Mahaffey
Thoughts: McKie has been in the league for 8 years, and his experience with the Ravens last December should give him a leg-up. Mahaffey was a TE/FB at Northern Iowa, and an All-Academic Selection in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Panthers led the MVC in rushing offense, with him helping lead the way. Would be nice if he could open some eyes the next few weeks, but that is probably a lot to ask.
Possible Free Agent: Lawrence Vickers. Familar with the AFC North with his time in Cleveland. Was a ’08 Pro Bowl Alternate.

WR: Boldin, T. Smith, D. Reed, Doss, Hardy, M. Smith, Harper, L. Williams, Moore, B. Jones, Zachery
Thoughts: A 2nd WR is clearly needed, as the Ravens will not place that responsibility on the rookie Torrey Smith. If the team adds one receiver, I would expect Reed and Doss to make the final roster. I’d think they would also want to keep 1 out of the 3 of Hardy, M. Smith, and Harper. Whether they keep a 6th receiver will be determined by what happens on the Offensive and Defensive Lines.
Possible Free Agents: Mason matched Boldin’s production last year, and obviously has an existing relationship with Flacco. With the limited camp time this year, that relationship should have additional value. We wrote last year of our interest in Malcolm Floyd, and he is available. Would take a larger investment than Mason, but the 6’5 Floyd would provide Flacco with another bigger target. The Rams, Bears, and Vikings have also made clear they are interested in Floyd. If the Ravens commit to moving on without Mason, and miss on Floyd; maybe they will be interested in Mike Sims-Walker. The former Jacksonville receiver has stated Chicago would be one of his preferred destinations. Floyd has superior size, and Yards Per Reception averages; but Sims-Walker has good size (6’2, 214 lbs) in his own right.

TE: Dickson, Pitta, Drew, Morris
Thoughts:
Even before Heap was released, we were very excited about the prospects of Dickson breaking through this year. Pitta and Drew were also picks the Ravens were excited about. Heap worked hard to improve his pass-blocking, and if he does not return, I think that will be a drop off for the Ravens. As far as existing skill-position players who could be brought back; McClain and Mason would have priority with me over Heap. If the Ravens can also afford to bring Heap back for a year, that is something I would like to see. His Yards Per Reception was above his career averages last year, and like Mason he gives Flacco a familiar target. No matter how much the Ravens like Dickson, and Pitta – the only goal this year is a Super Bowl. The less unknowns you have, the easier it is to see a path to a Championship.

O-Line: Oher, Grubbs, Birk, Yanda, Reid, Harewood, Cousins, VandenHeuvel, Bond, Mattison, Ramsey, Boren, Madison, Barnes, Bartholomew
Thoughts:
I’m glad the Ravens were able to retain Yanda to a reasonable contract. Yesterday, I wondered aloud if Baltimore could get involved with Tyson Clabo. Last night Clabo resigned with Atlanta. I still think getting Gaither back in a Ravens uniform is a win/win for all involved. You get Yanda back at Guard, you upgrade at Tackle, your depth is improved, and Gaither gets a chance to build back his image and play for a larger contract. That said, everything you hear about Reid is positive. I think asking him to start right away might be a bit much, but he sounds capable of helping this year. Harewood, and Cousins bare watching to see how they have developed. I think Birk is on his last legs, and would feel better about things if the Ravens had some backup Center depth they felt good about. Similar to Mahaffey at FB, we will see if Barnes, Boren, and Bartholomew are able to open any eyes.

D-Line: Ngata, Cody, McKinney, Redding, Jones, Divens, McPhee, Talavou, McClellan, Simmons, Hall, Banks
Thoughts:
A pretty deep and talented group, but I still love the Osi Umenyiora rumors. McPhee is described as a run-stopper. Will be looking to see if he has any pass rushing ability. I’d like to see Arthur Jones step-up some. UFA Derek Simmons has that USC pedigree, but will be very difficult for him to make this roster.
Possible Free Agent: It was rumored that Cullen Jenkins had signed with Washington, but that fizzled out. The 6’2, 305 Jenkins has spent the past 8 years with the Green Bay Packers. He turned 30 in January, and is coming off of a 7 sack season as a 3-4 DE. He won’t come cheap though, and his addition might mean an inability to resign several of the players discussed above.

LB: Lewis, Johnson, Suggs, Kruger, Kindle, McClain, Ellerbe, Gooden, Phillips, Ayanbadejo, Leon, Bynes, Ch. Williams
Thoughts:
On a human level, I feel good for Kindle that he is going to get the chance to resume his career. For the Ravens, this is exceptional news. Even if he is just used on 3rd down to seek and destroy QB’s opposite of Suggs, that will a major help for this team. Suggs played the best ball of his career down the stretch last year. Can he put together an entire 16 game season at that level? I think Ayanbadejo is in danger of being cut. Is Johnson healthier? I know McClain had 91 tackles last year, but I thought he was more disruptive previously as a reserve. Looking forward to seeing if him or Ellerbe can become a true force.

CB: Smith, Webb, Foxworth, C. Brown, C. Williams, Jackson, Paschal, Gorrer
Thoughts: You can win with the first three names mentioned, but the depth has to improve. Brown has good speed, and played a lot at Texas – but it probably would not be a good thing if he had to see the field with regularity in ’11. Cary Williams had the big preseason last year, but got buried a bit when he had to serve the two game suspension to begin the year. The Ravens decided the price was too high to match or beat what Wilson received from Washington. Chris Carr played well last year, and wants to return. After losing Wilson, getting Carr done should occur. I’m just not seeing the Ravens spending the money necessary it would take for Cromartie, or Rogers.

S: Reed, Zbikowski, Nakamura, N. Williams, Silva, Clifford
Thoughts:
Zbikowski played reasonably well when he was on the field last year, but missed 8 games with foot and back injuries. While he was healthy enough to box, it remains to be seen if he hold-up as a starter in the NFL. After spending ’09 on IR, Nakamura played in all 16 games last year.  Yahoo.com lists Landry as the 55th best available Free Agent, and touting tackling and run-stopping ability. I’m not sure how many Ravens fans would agree. I’d like to see another S added – even if it is not Landry who returns.

ST: Koch, Cundiff, Cox, Scales

Chris Stoner
Chris Stoner

Owner

Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.

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