Baltimore Ravens: Offseason Wants, Needs & Preview

[Finished 11-5 Overall]

Last year we saw 12 different quarterbacks pass for over 4 thousand yards. The Ravens took a different approach, zigging when the rest of the league was zagging. The Ravens averaged the fewest passing attempts of any team in the NFL. This approach proved to be successful, at least to a certain extent. Lamar Jackson has taken the Ravens to the playoffs in each of the past two seasons and has won a regular-season MVP. However, at this point, making the playoffs is not enough. Moving forward, Jackson has to prove he can win in big-time pressure-filled games. Entering the 2021 season, a contract extension has been discussed with Jackson but is not imminent. Lamar Jackson is a modern-day Michael Vick, and if he can slightly improve his accuracy, he can become an even better player. Some playmakers would probably help him make that next leap as a passer, right? Hopefully, the Ravens look at bringing in more weapons to allow this offense to flourish.

The Ravens have shown who they are over the past two seasons. They love bullying weak teams. This team operates with a roster built to play with the lead and punish opponents. The Ravens as a whole were dominant statistically, finishing 7th in points scored. On the defensive side of the ball, they allowed the 2nd fewest points. The Ravens reign in the secondary, they have displayed their ability to suffocate opposing wide receivers regularly. The Ravens get it right most of the time, but they do need to fix a few weaknesses to get them to the Super Bowl. One of those weaknesses is at edge and interior offensive line. The amount of pressure that the Bills brought in the playoffs was too much for Jackson. He can't be put into that situation again. The Ravens have additional salary cap space to add more players and still extend Jackson if they choose.

Offensive Needs

Quarterback

Ever since Lamar Jackson was inserted into the starter role, the Ravens have dominated the NFL in rushing. It is almost impossible to stop him in the open field, making world-class athletes look foolish. What makes the Ravens so hard to play against is their physical brand of football. Game planning for Baltimore in a short period of time is a challenge that keeps defensive coordinators up at night. Despite being trapped in a broken passing game, Jackson finished as the 2020 QB9 per game (22.2 fantasy points), and that is mainly because of his rare rushing abilities. If Baltimore can fix their passing concepts and the receiver depth chart, Jackson has a QB1 overall ceiling. The Ravens have the cap space and draft capital to find upgrades.

Running Back

Veteran Mark Ingram was demoted to healthy scratch through the second half of the season and was cut early in the off-season. This opens up the door for rookie sensation J.K. Dobbins and Gus "The Bus" Edwards. Justice Hill is also a name to keep an eye out for if they opt to go with a 3-way committee in the backfield. Dobbins's PPR points per game average jumped from 7.6 to 11.3 following the Ravens Week 7 bye. The rookie was as efficient as expected (6.0 YPC), but needs more volume to get into the RB1/2 mix. The offensive line, as it currently stands, could be a concern for Dobbins. With Ingram’s departure, Dobbins should have a slightly larger role, but the Ravens have retained restricted free agent Gus Edwards after he averaged a minimum of 5.0 YPC in three straight seasons. Edwards has restructured his contract and will return to Baltimore in 2021. He could find himself as a valuable flex option that offers touchdown upside. Edwards still lacks receiving game floor but makes up for it in the clock-killing role. Given how efficient this offense is in the rushing department, we'll be monitoring the running back room very closely.

Offensive Line

This offensive line has some things to shake out, starting with RT Orlando Brown who wants to be traded so he can play left tackle. If he's dealt, that would leave the Ravens with a big hole to fill, and they already need to make changes on the interior offensive line. C Matt Skura has signed with Miami, while 2018 sixth-round LG Bradley Bozeman and 2019 fourth-round RG Ben Powers need to be upgraded. Center is an issue the Ravens will likely look to address in the draft. LT Ronnie Stanley was severely missed after suffering a knee injury. Stanley is on track to return in Week 1, which is a boost to the whole offense. This team needs a strong offensive line for the run-first strategy to work. The Ravens shouldn’t avoid adding to their receiving corps, but upgrading their offensive line should be the top priority this offseason. The Ravens have begun to address this issue by adding Kevin Zeitler who was released by the Giants. He will step into the role that was held by future Hall of Famer Marshal Yanda in 2019. Yanda's impact was severely missed last season.

Wide Receiver

At wideout, Marquise “Hollywood” Brown is a solid player but is better suited for the No. 2 role. Drops, inconsistent volume, and inaccurate passes thrown his way, really capped Brown's upside. Hollywood led the Ravens with 58 catches for 769 yards and eight touchdowns. Will bringing in an elite receiver via free agency really make that much of an impact on offense? The Ravens pass at such a low rate, will enough volume be available to make it worth spending money at the position? Miles Boykin, Devin Duvernay, and free-agent Dez Bryant all did little in the receiving department. Willie Snead, who played WR2 for Baltimore last year, has signed with the Raiders in free agency. As of now, Boykin would be the guy filling that role next year, but Baltimore will likely try to upgrade at the position. Boykin has just 32 receptions in two years, despite little competition.

The Ravens made failed attempts to bring in Allen Robinson, Kenny Golladay, and T.Y. Hilton. In the end, the Ravens ended up taking Sammy Watkins away from Kansas City. Is Sammy Watkins the No. 1 receiver that Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens have yearned for over the last 2 seasons? Before you laugh, Greg Roman was the Offensive Coordinator for Buffalo in 2015 and part of 2016. Those two seasons were Watkins’ second and third seasons in the league. In 2015, under Greg Roman, Watkins caught 60 balls for a career-best 1,047 yards and a career-high nine touchdowns over 13 games. In standard fantasy scoring, he finished as the fantasy football WR17. During Roman’s tenure as the Bills OC, Watkins secured a total of 66 balls (on 107 targets) for 1,110 yards and nine touchdowns. In full-point PPR, that would average 15.4 fantasy points per game. In 2020, that would’ve been tied for WR18 overall.

It is no secret that the Ravens' passing attack took a major step back in 2020. Many factors can be attributed to this including Lamar Jackson failing to live up to his 2019 MVP play. However, all of the blame can't be placed solely on Jackson, some of it falls on the receiving corps. The Ravens' coaching and offensive game-planning from last season aren't absolved from blame either. They need to figure out how to play from behind or we'll see the same result we've already seen for the past two seasons.

Tight End

In the tight end department, the Ravens have two of the best in the NFL. Mark Andrews has been a very solid red-zone option. The 26-year-old enters a contract year with a lot to prove after a 2020 season that featured some infamous drops. Andrews’ floor/ceiling combination is hard to find at the position, but he won’t get the weekly target volume that the elite tier does. He averaged just 12.0 PPR points last year. Nick Boyle is a monster in the blocking department. Both Stanley's and Boyle’s injuries were too much to overcome for the Ravens in 2020. Ravens GM Eric DeCosta noted that they have to “get better up front with pass protection."

Defensive Unit

DC Don Martindale asks his corners to play a lot of press coverage, and he has the talent to leave them on islands. Last year, his work resulted in the No. 2 scoring defense in the NFL. If the front office can properly address the edge rusher need, the Ravens are candidates to repeat as an elite unit. The Ravens blitz at a relentless rate, this is an issue when their top five edge rushers from last season are free agents. Yannick Ngakoue and Matthew Judon are two players who the Ravens will seriously miss in 2021. Ngakoue has signed with the Raiders and Judon has signed with the Patriots. The duo ranked 12th and 16th in total quarterback pressures among edge defenders over the past three seasons. Jaylon Ferguson, a 2019 third-rounder, has some upside, but 4.0 sacks through two seasons as a part-timer is not enough. Edge rusher is easily the biggest need on the roster this offseason. The rest of the Ravens' pass defense is legit. CBs Marcus Peters, Marlon Humphrey, Tavon Young, and Jimmy Smith are all set to return. Also set to return are FS DeShon Elliott and SS Chuck Clark. The secondary unit as a whole is excellent, but with upgrades at edge rusher, they can be even better!

It’s an older group, but Baltimore is set on the interior with 32-year-old NT Brandon Williams, 35-year-old DT Calais Campbell, and run-stopping specialist Derek Wolfe. Linebacker is also looking good on paper with 21-year-old 2020 first-round pick Patrick Queen leading the way. Queen is talented but did have his share of struggles tying the league lead of missed tackles this season, at 22. There are many reasons to believe Queen will improve with more time and experience in Baltimore’s defense. Queen showed flashes of the high-end athleticism that got him selected in the first round of last year’s draft.

Too Long Didn't Read Version

It will be interesting to see what Baltimore decides to do with Lamar Jackson entering the final year of his rookie contract. The biggest fan of Dak Prescott’s contract had to be Lamar Jackson’s agent. The former 2019 MVP has already tried to renegotiate his contract, but a deal remains yet to be seen. If Baltimore gambles and lets him play out his contract, history could end up repeating itself with the quarterback Jackson replaced, Joe Flacco. For fantasy football purposes, it’s always optimal to target players who are heading into their contract season. Jackson’s 30-7 regular-season record is often overshadowed by his 1-3 postseason mark. Nevertheless, GM Eric DeCosta and HC John Harbaugh have suggested that they are content to run it back with the core players and schemes that have earned them three-straight playoff appearances.

Where The Ravens decide to concentrate on this off-season is very important. The clear weaknesses of this team are edge rusher, offensive line, and wide receiver. For most teams, the clear-cut answer is to find a WR1, regardless of the cost. However, the Ravens are one of the few teams that prefer to run rather than pass, so opting to improve the offensive line may be the route they choose to go with. On the defensive side of the ball, edge rusher is also a need the Ravens should make a priority to address. Baltimore will either have to develop or hammer this position in the draft. If constructed correctly, this team is in Super Bowl discussion heading into 2021.