Five games into the 2015 season, I can safely say the Baltimore Ravens season is done. With a 1-4 record, an injury report as long as War and Peace and a secondary as leaky as the Titanic, the Ravens have next to no chance of making the playoffs. As much as continued effort is important, more important is the franchise looking to the future in every move it makes, on and off the field.
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The Ravens have already begun to do so, with 11 total roster moves this week alone. Most prominently, the Ravens parted ways with two guys who weren’t performing in Rashaan Melvin and Jason Babin. This sent the right message: If you can’t get it done, you won’t stick around.
Rather than bring in known commodities and veterans, the Ravens brought in Shareece Wright (28 years old) and promoted Charles James (25) and Asa Jackson (25). That’s a good start. If any of those guys pans out, unlikely but possible, they can be a part of the long term future, as opposed to a guy like Tarell Brown, who may be a better player now, but is on the downside of the career.
Ozzie Newsome did the same thing in the backfield. When the Ravens put Lorenzo Taliaferro on injured reserve, Ozzie Newsome picked up Raheem Mostert (23), who ran a 4.38 40-yard dash at his pro day. If the Ravens were in win now mode, Pierre Thomas was out there, but instead, the Ravens went with the speedy, young unknown.
Obviously, no-name roster moves won’t pave the way to the future. If any of the new additions pan out, I would be shocked, but it shows the right kind of thinking.
Accordingly, the Ravens will not and should not make a trade for a veteran receiver like Roddy White or Anquan Boldin. Trading a future asset to improve from a 5-11 team to a 7-9 team just isn’t worth it.
I will point out that there is one receiver who merits further consideration: Golden Tate. It’s a pipe dream and would probably require more than the Ravens would care to give up, but Tate is just 27 years old, he is on a long-term, affordable deal and with some maneuvering, he could fit under the cap. With all the roster moves the Ravens have made, though, that ship has probably sailed. The point remains, though: Every move the Ravens make for the rest of the season should be forward thinking.
That goes for what happens on the field, too. Veterans who can’t get it done should be cast aside for promising young unknowns. Exhibit A: Marlon Brown. In 286 snaps this year, Brown has 75 yards. He has more snaps than any Ravens’ receiver, yet he is sixth on the team in receiving yards. That’s not just bad, that’s disgraceful.
It’s only his third year, but we know what Marlon Brown is, a mediocre receiver. Jeremy Ross, on the other hand, is a promising unknown. So too is Chris Givens. With Brown not getting it done, Marc Trestman and John Harbaugh should give Givens or Ross a chance to succeed where Brown has failed.
Despite the Ravens’ poor record, there is hope for the future. Between compensatory picks and trades, the Ravens will have plenty of picks in the 2016 draft. Nearly $20 million in dead cap (Ray Rice, Haloti Ngata and Jacoby Jones) is coming off the books. And best of all, the Ravens will get a clean slate of health. Who knows if the injury bug will continue to plague this team in future seasons, but it’s hard to envision the injury situation being any worse.
So yes, the season is over. But that’s OK. Ozzie Newsome is already looking to the future, and fans can too. So enjoy the fact that the Ravens will remain competitive (but bad) this year, knowing full well that this team should be back in full force next season.
Shawn began his writing career with Bleacher Report as a Ravens featured columnist and Breaking News Team writer. He moved on to write for Yahoo! and work on the Ravens Central Radio podcast. Most recently, he was an Editor at the Baltimore Wire. Shawn is a 2013 graduate of the Catholic University of America.