Free agency is not over. It certainly has quieted down, especially for the Ravens who haven’t made any player acquisitions in recent days. The pool of available players has thinned considerably. However, there are still opportunities for the Ravens to make meaningful upgrades before next month’s draft.
A look at the team’s projected depth chart suggests a few more free-agent moves are probably necessary. The Ravens are loaded at cornerback, and they have the necessary numbers at running back, tight end and defensive line. That doesn’t mean they aren’t still looking for upgrades in those areas, but it does mean that they don’t necessarily have to use their remaining offseason assets (cap space, draft picks) to make significant acquisitions at those spots.
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Meanwhile, positions such as wide receiver, outside linebacker and safety clearly need more attention from the front office, either in terms of depth adds or obvious upgrades.
The Ravens depth chart will be constantly changing over the next four months as the team augments its roster ahead of the start of training camp in late July. This is one projected version after the first wave of free agency.
Offense
Quarterback: Lamar Jackson, Trace McSorley, Tyler Huntley
As expected, the Ravens were not players in the early free-agent quarterback market. They haven’t ruled out adding a veteran, but they don’t seem bothered by the thought of going with a younger and unproven backup. McSorley and Huntley appear likely to be the main factors in the No. 2 quarterback competition, which could be one of the more interesting position battles of camp. McSorley is listed as second now, only because he has another year in the Ravens’ system under his belt. However, he and Huntley will enter camp on equal footing.
Running back: J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, Justice Hill, Ty’Son Williams
Fullback: Patrick Ricard
It’s appropriate to list Dobbins and Edwards as 1A and 1B. They’ll probably get a similar amount of work. However, they drafted Dobbins in the second round last year with visions of him being the lead back and he looked ready for that role during an impressive rookie season. The Ravens love their Day 3 running backs, and they’ve drafted a running back and/or fullback in eight of the past 10 drafts. It would be foolish to dismiss the possibility of them doing it again, but it’s probably time that Hill, a fourth-round selection in 2019, gets a chance to prove that he can be a productive part of the offense.
Outside receiver: Marquise Brown, Deon Cain
Slot receiver: Devin Duvernay, James Proche, Jaylon Moore
Outside receiver: Miles Boykin, Binjimen Victor
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After swinging and missing at JuJu Smith-Schuster, the Ravens remain in the mix for a veteran receiver. They can still target another pass catcher in the draft, but a more proven and experienced target feels like a necessity. The Ravens’ options in the slot are all second-year guys, and they still lack a big and physical receiver on the outside. Brown is a legit starter and Boykin will have a role because of his blocking alone. The team feels like Duvernay and Proche will develop into reliable options. Still, there’s room to make at least one significant addition here and a case could easily be made for two.
Tight end: Mark Andrews, Josh Oliver, Jake Breeland, Eli Wolf
Blocking tight end: Nick Boyle, Eric Tomlinson
Andrews and Boyle, assuming the latter is recovered from a significant knee injury, is a great start at the position. Tomlinson is a solid blocker and good insurance for Boyle. However, it’s unclear whether the Ravens have a third tight end who can contribute both as a pass catcher and blocker. Breeland’s health is a question after he missed all of last season because of a college knee injury. Wolf flashed at times last summer before injuries slowed his progress. Oliver, whom the Ravens acquired last week from the Jacksonville Jaguars for a conditional seventh-round pick, has the measurables, but he hasn’t been able to stay on the field. The Ravens might not be done here.
Left tackle: Ronnie Stanley, Andre Smith
Left guard: Ben Powers, Ben Bredeson
Center: Bradley Bozeman, Patrick Mekari, Trystan Colon-Castillo, Greg Mancz
Right guard: Kevin Zeitler, Tyre Phillips
Right tackle: Orlando Brown Jr.
There are still so many variables here. Will the Ravens trade Brown, the reluctant right tackle? Will Stanley, who is coming off a major ankle injury, be ready for Week 1? Are the Ravens comfortable with Bozeman at center or do they think they have to fill that position in the draft? Do the Ravens feel like Phillips’ future is at guard or tackle? For now, Stanley and Brown are penciled in at the tackle spots, and Zeitler, the team’s only current outside free-agent acquisition, will be at right guard. All indications are that they’d be comfortable moving Bozeman, the starting left guard the past two seasons, to center. That’s the way they’re operating for now, but using an early-round pick on a center — and that’s a consideration — could change that. If Bozeman is at center, Powers and Phillips are candidates to start at left guard, but the Ravens will probably look to bring in another guard/center early in the draft. The Ravens also need to add another tackle unless they envision Phillips in that swing role.
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Defense
Rush linebacker: Pernell McPhee, Jaylon Ferguson, Aaron Adeoye
Strong-side linebacker: Tyus Bowser
After losing three of their top five outside linebackers in free agency, this group is under construction. As of now, McPhee and Ferguson would platoon at rush linebacker and Bowser, who re-signed last week, will step in as the starter on the strong side after Matthew Judon’s departure. The Ravens’ depth behind Bowser is nonexistent to the point where Malik Harrison, the favorite to start on the weak side, would probably be considered Bowser’s backup. The loss of Judon and Yannick Ngakoue also leaves the Ravens without an 8-10 sack presence on the edge. A veteran pass-rushing specialist, and there’s plenty available, would be a welcome addition, and the Ravens will probably draft an outside linebacker as well.
Five-technique DE: Calais Campbell, Justin Madubuike, Chauncey Rivers
Defensive tackle: Derek Wolfe, Broderick Washington, Braxton Hoyett
Nose tackle: Brandon Williams, Justin Ellis, Aaron Crawford
When the offseason started, this group seemed ripe for change as Williams was mentioned as a potential salary-cap casualty and Wolfe was a free agent. Now, it seems likely that everyone is back. Wolfe re-signed and the team has held on to both Williams and Campbell. Madubuike will figure prominently as the top interior backup. Washington’s future seems tenuous after his recent arrest on destruction of property charges. Campbell and Williams are on the last years of their deals and Wolfe is 31, so using a draft pick on the defensive line seems a likely scenario.
Middle linebacker: Patrick Queen, Otaro Alaka, Kristian Welch
Weak-side linebacker: Malik Harrison, Chris Board
Youth reigns here as Queen, Welch and Harrison are heading into their second year, and Alaka will be entering his third although he’s played just five career NFL games. Harrison, Board and Alaka are candidates to start alongside Queen. Harrison was inconsistent as a rookie, so it’s crucial that he takes a step forward in 2021. The Ravens declined the option of L.J. Fort, who started eight games last year. They could eventually bring him back or another veteran in, but it doesn’t seem to be a priority.
Outside cornerback: Marlon Humphrey, Jimmy Smith, Davontae Harris, Chris Westry
Slot cornerback: Tavon Young, Khalil Dorsey
Outside cornerback: Marcus Peters, Anthony Averett, Iman Marshall
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With Humphrey, Peters, Smith, Young and Averett, the Ravens feel like they have five starting corners. That’s not to say they still won’t add here. Smith and Young are major injury concerns, and the Ravens could use another option in the slot as insurance for Young. The Ravens believe in drafting a cornerback just about every year, because of the volatility of the position and the difficulty in finding quality young corners. They’ll add more numbers here before all is said and done. One of the more competitive roster battles in training camp will again be waged at cornerback.
Strong safety: Chuck Clark, Jordan Richards
Free safety: DeShon Elliott, Nigel Warrior
The Ravens will need to add another safety to the mix although Smith will likely see some snaps at safety and Marshall could as well. Richards is more of a special teams guy, and Warrior will have to play his way onto the 53-man roster this summer. Depth needs to be upgraded, and the Ravens would benefit from the addition of a playmaking safety to complement starters Clark and Elliott. That piece will likely be a draft target.
Special teams
Kicker: Justin Tucker
Punter: Sam Koch, Johnny Townsend
Long snapper: Nick Moore, Brian Khoury
The big change here is the departure of long snapper Morgan Cox, who signed with the Tennessee Titans. He was with the Ravens for 11 years. Moore will get the first opportunity to replace him. The Ravens will likely add another kicker after the draft, just so they don’t wear out Tucker’s leg in training camp.
Kick returner: Duvernay, Hill
Punt returner: Duvernay, Proche
Duvernay’s performance last season suggests he could be the long-term answer at the return spots. He averaged 11.5 yards on punt returns and 27.5 yards on kickoff returns. Proche also showed he had sure hands in the punt returner role, but Duvernay brought more speed and explosiveness.
(Photo: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)
