As the start of the league year comes ever closer, teams are sure to be looking at the free agency market and staying in close contact with agents to see if there are any players that can come in and help solidify a team’s roster. According to overthecap.com the Ravens currently have just over $9M in available cap space, however they are yet to sign either 1st round draft pick Patrick Queen or 3rd round pick Devin Duvernay, who will account for roughly another $2M combined against the cap. There is also an expanded practice squad to consider as well as the final two roster spots once the final rosters are set. After considering the Ravens like to carry a couple million in cap room into the season as an “emergency fund”, there isn’t much room to add talent to the current roster.
That said, there are always ways to manipulate contracts to “borrow” against future caps if there is a player the front office really wants to bring on. This may seem slightly unlikely given the uncertainty surrounding this season and how that may affect future season’s salary caps. In fact, that same uncertainty could likely be the primary reason where there are still some big-name free agents that are still available. Teams may not want to commit money to a player at this point in the offseason if they don’t even know when or if the season will happen. However, there are still some available players that could be real difference makers. Which of these players could be potential fits for the Ravens?
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QB Colin Kaepernick: My colleague Jason Hirschhorn previously wrote about why Kaepernick would be a good fit in Baltimore, and I agree with him. Taking any politics out of the equation, he provides more upside to the Ravens roster if Lamar Jackson were to suffer a significant injury.
Edge Jadeveon Clowney: It’s hard to imagine Clowney still being a free agent, but that is the reality he is facing. There are likely a number of factors at play here including his injury history, price-tag and COVID. Whatever the reason may be, he is still available and would be an impact player on the Ravens defense. The Ravens front office would have to do some very creative accounting which makes this fairly unlikely at this point, but he is the type of player that puts the team over the top.
Edge Everson Griffen: Another player that I am a bit surprised is still a free agent; Griffen has been one of the better pass-rushers in the NFL over the past decade. At this point in his career he is probably best utilized as a pass-rush specialist, but that is likely one of the main spots in which the Ravens could use help on their roster. The long-time Viking won’t come with the same price tag as Clowney and as the start of the season (hopefully) comes closer, he could be a player that the Ravens consider (plus we already know he looks good in purple).
OT Cordy Glenn: Glenn was a top offensive tackle in the NFL a few years ago, and while injuries and age have somewhat diminished his effectiveness, he still has significant experience playing OT and could potentially play inside at OG as well. The Ravens biggest hole on the entire team may be back-up OT and Glenn is extremely qualified to play that role.
DT Marcell Dareus: The Ravens made a concerted effort to make over their defensive line in this offseason and in the process, they lost some size up front. Justin Ellis and Daylon Mack will likely vie for the last defensive tackle spot on the roster, but both are really just back-ups; if Brandon Williams were to be injured/unavailable the Ravens would be in a bad spot on the defensive line. Dareus was let go for salary cap reasons, and he is still a very viable run defender that can be a starter in the NFL.
DB Brandon Carr: The former Raven was let go this offseason because of his cap number, but the veteran defensive back is still a free agent. His versatility was instrumental in the Ravens defensive turnaround last season as he was able to play every position in the secondary. He is clearly well-versed in Wink Martindale’s defense and would be a valuable reserve, especially if an injury were to happen during training camp.
WR Demaryius Thomas: Seemingly every season the Ravens bring 1-2 veteran WRs onto the training camp roster to compete for a spot. Thomas fits the bill for what the offense needs both as a veteran presence and as an “X” WR. Currently Miles Boykin is projected to fill that role, but Thomas was quietly productive last year in an injury-shortened season on a bad offense. He would push Boykin to be a starter on a Ravens offense that could use some veteran experience at WR.
TE Delanie Walker: The Ravens TE room took a hit this offseason when they traded Hayden Hurst to the Atlanta Falcons. Hurst played 500 snaps for the Ravens last year, and currently there is no clear answer where all those snaps will go. Walker had his season cut short last year with an injury, and even though he is 36 years old he is still a very reliable offensive weapon.
Ravens Analyst
Gabe is an avid fan of the NFL and Ravens football. He grew up in Westminster, MD, and attended college at Johns Hopkins University majoring in Biology. He earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and now works as a R&D Scientist developing Transplant Diagnostics assays. Gabe has appeared as a guest on 105.7 The Fan.