Though free agency remains active, the vast majority of impact moves occurred over a week ago. During that time, the Baltimore Ravens experienced significant turnover in their personnel, including the departure of several longtime contributors. Of the Ravens’ myriad decisions and moves during free agency and the surrounding period, five stand out in particular, each with its own risk/reward proposition.
Joe Flacco
Traded for 2019 fourth-round draft pick
Background: Though the Ravens’ decision to move on from Joe Flacco ranks among the least surprising developments of this NFL offseason, the move does mark the end of one of the most prosperous eras in the franchise’s history. Flacco joined the team in 2008, the same year John Harbaugh took over as head coach. That quarterback-coach tandem oversaw seven playoff berths, three AFC Championship Game appearances, and a Super Bowl victory.
But while Flacco became one of the Ravens’ iconic players, his performance waned in the years following the championship. After tossing 102 touchdowns against just 56 interceptions over his first five years in the league, Flacco threw 110 scores and 80 picks over his final six. Understandably, his decline had a dramatic effect on Baltimore’s fortunes. After making the playoffs in each of Flacco’s first five seasons, the team only earned two trips over his final six.
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No longer able to ignore Flacco’s decline, general manager Ozzie Newsome drafted Lamar Jackson in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. That selection signaled the beginning of the end for Flacco in Baltimore.
Risk: The Ravens already acquired a successor to Flacco and completed the transition midway through last season. They face no additional risk by moving on from their longtime starter at this stage.
Reward: Given how the 2018 season unfolded, the Ravens couldn’t have expected much of a trade market for Flacco and his still-massive contract. Denver Broncos general manager John Elway, forever infatuated with skyscraping quarterbacks, offered a fourth-round pick. Though a Day 3 selection might seem paltry considering Flacco’s accomplishments, Baltimore deserves applause for turning an albatross into an asset.
Mark Ingram
Signed to three-year, $15.5 million contract ($6.5 million guaranteed)
Background: The identity of the Ravens’ running game has fluctuated greatly since the time of Ray Rice. Four different backs have led the team in rushing in each of the last four years, half of which joined the 53-man roster sometime after Week 1 in their respective season. With so little consistency in the backfield, it should come as no surprise that Baltimore hasn’t produced a 1,000-yard rusher since Justin Forsett.
With new offensive coordinator Greg Roman set to build a run-heavy approach to better utilize his young, über-athletic quarterback, finding the right backfield mate became one of the Ravens’ top priorities of the offseason. They eventually landed on former New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram, a versatile tailback that split carries with rising star Alvin Kamara.
Risk: Backs near Ingram’s age (30 in December) tend to slow down and run less efficiently. A miss here would prove costly, especially given the Ravens’ cap restraints this year.
Reward: On paper, Ingram offers quality between-the-tackles running as well as capable hands out of the backfield, two skills that make him a solid fit with Jackson. Baltimore can build an effective play-action game off Ingram and take even more weight off its young quarterback.
C.J. Mosley
Left for five-year, $85 million contract ($43 million guaranteed)
Background: When Ray Lewis retired following the Ravens’ Super Bowl XLVII victory, he vacated an important defensive and leadership role. Though the Ravens couldn’t have expected to fill either void completely, C.J. Mosley came as close as reasonably possible. The 2014 first-round pick immediately became the team’s top inside linebacker, earning second-team All-Pro honors as a rookie and four times over his first five seasons.
While many off-ball linebackers excel either as a run stopper or in pass coverage, Mosley eventually developed into a plus defender in both areas. That unique skill set makes life more difficult for opposing offensive play-callers, the best of which build their game plans around exploiting linebackers.
Ostensibly, the Ravens didn’t plan to let Mosley out of the building when they declined to apply the franchise tag to him earlier this offseason. Mosley had become the centerpiece of one of the league’s premier defenses, and replacing a player of his caliber likely necessitates an early round investment.
Risk: Losing Mosley for nothing more than a possible future comp pick leaves a massive hole in the defense, one that requires both talent and experience to fill.
Reward: Despite Mosley’s many talents, any off-ball linebacker would have a hard time living up to that massive contract from the Jets. Parting ways with Mosley freed cap resources that the Ravens applied elsewhere on the defense.
Terrell Suggs
Left for two-year, $7 million contract (fully guaranteed, 2020 voidable)
Background: Somehow, Terrell Suggs remained an effective pass rusher in 2018, his 16th NFL season. The veteran registered seven sacks and, according to Pro Football Focus, 60 total pressures, each the second most on the team in their respective categories. That performance didn’t create a massive market for Suggs, but it did generate a few suitors.
Despite his age-defying production, the Ravens determined that they couldn’t spend on a soon-to-be-37-year-old edge rusher when so many other areas of the team required attention.
Risk: By letting Suggs go at the same time as Za’Darius Smith hit the open market, the Ravens saw 122 combined pressures from 2018 leave Baltimore. Even with Matthew Judon returning, the defense needs some new blood to replace the departing players or patch over the loses with scheme adjustments.
Reward: The 2019 rookie class appears loaded with defensive talent, most of it along the front seven. The Ravens can realistically find an immediate contributor at outside linebacker with their first-round pick.
Earl Thomas
Signed to four-year, $55 million contract ($32 million guaranteed)
Background: The Ravens created an opening at safety before free agency began, releasing veteran starter Eric Weddle. Still, few expected the team to make a sizable splash at the position once free-agent period opened in earnest.
Instead, the Ravens landed the top player at the position, signing former Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas to a four-year, $55 million deal with nearly 60 percent fully guaranteed at signing. Thomas immediately becomes the most impactful defensive back to call Baltimore home since Ed Reed.
And it nearly didn’t happen. Yahoo Sports’ Terez A. Paylor reported that Thomas nearly signed a one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs before the Ravens swooped in with their far larger, more lucrative offer. The timing strongly suggests that general manager Eric DeCosta didn’t expect Thomas to linger on the open market, though he hardly came at a discount.
Risk: Thomas has suffered season-ending injuries in two of the last three seasons, never a positive indicator for an undersized defensive back. Unlike with the contract handed to Ingram, Thomas’ will keep him in Baltimore for at least the next two years. If his health becomes a problem again, the Ravens don’t have an obvious replacement plan.
Reward: Only a select few safeties tilt the field, and Thomas ranks among them. Even as he enters his age-30 season, he can effectively remove an entire section of the field. That allows Ravens defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale to implement more single-high defensive looks, a far more advantageous approach when it comes to confusing the quarterback and generating pressure.
Jason B. Hirschhorn is an award-winning sports journalist and Pro Football Writers of America member. He has bylines at NFL.com, SB Nation, Sports Illustrated, and other outlets.