Notable free agents were paired with one preferred team by NFL.com’s Nick Shook. Running back Saquon Barkley was matched with the Ravens.
“The numbers don’t suggest he’s as good (or owns as much earning power) as he was a year ago, but I can confidently say he’s still a very good back who would thrive in a better offence,” wrote Shook. “The issue is that running backs don’t make much money these days, so Barkley’s contract will probably only be for two or three years. All of this creates the ideal conditions for him to sign with a contender who is short on cap space. The Ravens and general manager Eric DeCosta plan to add a veteran back this summer, and while
It’s unclear if Barkley will be available for purchase. Joe Schoen, general manager of the New York Giants, stated earlier this week at the Combine that Barkley’s return would be preferred by the team. He said that Barkley may yet be assigned the franchise tag for a second consecutive season.
Barkley has indicated interest in playing for the Texans, according to Aaron Wilson, who covers the team for the Houston NBC affiliate.
Regarding the Saquon Barkley to Houston rumours, Aaron Wilson clarifies that the sentiment is “mutual.” tweet.com/PLCqDU5EXB
Odell Beckham Jr.’s best match, according to Shook, is with the Giants, who selected him in the 2014 draft.
“I could see Beckham going back to Baltimore, where he claimed to have had a great time. And yet, it seems to me that Beckham has always found a return to New York enticing,” Shook wrote. “Daniel Jones doesn’t do it for me, but maybe he will for Beckham – or maybe Beckham will once again wait out his free agency until a contender comes calling.”
At the Combine, Head Coach John Harbaugh and DeCosta both stated that the Ravens have not ruled out the prospect of Beckham playing for them again in the upcoming campaign.
Two Under-the-Radar Free-Agent RBs Who Could Interest Ravens
Although Barkley, Derrick Henry, and Josh Jacobs are among the well-known running backs that the Ravens are regularly linked to in free agency, Jamison Hensley of ESPN suggested that underrated backs D’Andre Swift and Zack Moss are respectable alternatives.
Hensley stated of Swift, “This has the makings of being a great fit in terms of value and playing style.” With the Philadelphia Eagles, Swift ran for a career-high 1,049 yards, which ranked seventh, thus he is comfortable with run-pass option plays and the pistol formation. He is one of just six running backs from the previous campaign to have at least 35 receptions and 1,000 rushing yards. Swift is also one of the youngest running backs available as a free agent, at 25.”
Hensley had this to say about Moss: “The Ravens are known to pay attention to players who do well against them, and Moss certainly drew their attention last season when he ran for 122 yards in Baltimore. Moss, an effective fill-in for [Indianapolis Colts] All-Pro back Jonathan Taylor, completed last season as the third-leading rusher in the NFL with 794 yards and five touchdown runs.
Ravens Have Experience Rebuilding Offensive Line, But May Need to ‘Take Bigger Swings’ This Time
Rebuilding the offensive line is the Ravens’ main offseason objective, as has been established, but how will they go about rebuilding a team that may feature up to four new starters?
via means of free agency? The manuscript? promoting internal players who are young?
Everything mentioned above, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, who also pointed out that the Ravens are no strangers to this situation.
The Ravens parted ways with veteran starting centre Mike Flynn and retired future Hall of Fame left tackle Jonathan Ogden shortly after Harbaugh was appointed head coach in 2008.
That is exactly what they accomplished in 2008 when veteran Willie Anderson was signed as a temporary right tackle, Chris Chester emerged as the starting guard, Jason Brown moved back from guard to centre to replace Flynn, and second-year player Jared Gaither replaced Ogden at left tackle.
It’s also what they did prior to the 2016 season, when they underwent their most recent offensive line restructuring. First-round selection Ronnie Stanley established himself as a plug-and-play left tackle following veteran Eugene Monroe’s injury problems. In 2016, guard Alex Lewis was selected in the fourth round, mostly to take Kelechi Osemele’s place when he left in free agency. Eight starts were made by Baltimore’s one-year free agency signing Vlad Ducasse at guard.”
Zrebiec went on to say: “The Ravens have had holes to patch on the offensive line most offseasons since, and they’ve done it mostly with savvy, mid-level free-agent signings (Morgan Moses and Kevin Zeitler), successful mid-to-late-round draft picks (Orlando Brown Jr., Bradley Bozeman, Ben Powers) and undrafted free-agent finds (Patrick Mekari, Matt Skura).”
But according to Zrebiec, the Ravens might have to make “bigger swings” in the summer.
“Eric DeCosta and company will need to be aggressive like their divisional rivals have been the past couple of years in trying to solidify their offensive line,” wrote Zrebiec. The Georgia offensive tackle Broderick Jones was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers last year after they traded up in the first round. To a three-year, $24 million contract, they also signed guard Isaac Seumalo, a free agent. Throughout the
