Lamar Jackson isn’t the only tough decision awaiting Eric DeCosta ahead of 2023 NFL free agency. The general manager for the Baltimore Ravens will keep most of his focus on the future of the franchise quarterback, but DeCosta can’t ignore a big name on the other side of the ball.
A player acquired to transform an inconsistent defense is expected to earn a bumper payday once the 2022 season draws to a close. That’s the theory anyway, but one writer believes the former first-round pick hasn’t fully lived up to his billing in a Ravens uniform and must limit a career-long bad habit before he’ll deserve any mega-bucks deal.
Key Defender ‘a Difficult Evaluation’ for Ravens
Roquan Smith cost the Ravens second and fifth-round picks in next year’s draft to acquire from the Chicago Bears. It was a tidy haul to pay for a linebacker who Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus says “has been the same up-and-down player, which makes him a difficult evaluation at the top of the market.”
Spielberger identified a problem that’s plagued the 25-year-old since he entered the league in 2018: “However, he’s also been top 20 among linebackers in missed tackles over that span.”
As Spielberger also noted, “limiting the negative plays will be how he (Smith) truly lives up to the massive contract he’s expected to sign this offseason.”
It’s a worthy concern for the Ravens, who gave up too much for Smith simply to let him walk for nothing after only a few months.
Ravens Need More From New Acquisition
Smith’s only played three games for the Ravens since leaving Chicago, but it’s fair to say his arrival hasn’t led to the impact expected. The player drafted seventh-overall in ’18 was supposed to breathe new life into a defense gone stale, but the Ravens continue to be erratic on that side of the ball.
Getting off the field was a major problem during the fourth quarter of Week 12’s 28-27 defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence led comebacks from nine and seven points down.
Trevor Lawrence in 28-27 win vs. Ravens:
28/36
311 YDS
3 TD
Led game-winning drive with no timeouts 🙌
Smith wasn’t the only one at fault on a unit that failed to make plays in clutch moments. Yet, he did miss three tackles against the Jags, according to Pro Football Reference.
There were still some notable plays, like this tackle against Jamal Agnew, highlighted by Touchdown Wire’s Laurie Fitzpatrick:
Roquan Smith (no. 18)
Some solid moments aside, Smith’s overall stat line of 20 tackles and one sack is hardly the stuff big contracts are made from. The Ravens have to be demanding with the standards they set for Smith because his next deal might impact what they can pay Jackson.
It will be cheaper to re-up a prominent linebacker than a superstar quarterback, but the Ravens may crave longer-term security at football’s most important position. That would leave Smith facing the possibility of playing on the franchise tag, a situation he probably didn’t envisage when he chose to leave the Bears.
It’s more likely Smith wants to be paid on a par with the top linebackers in the game. Shaquille Leonard of the Indianapolis Colts currently tops the earning charts for LBs, on a deal paying him $19.7 million a year, per OverTheCap.com.
Putting Smith in the same contract bracket as Leonard, San Francisco 49ers’ ace Fred Warner and New York Jets’ starter C.J. Mosley will be a tough ask for the Ravens. The only way DeCosta would even countenance such a deal is if Smith plays at an All-Pro level for the remainder of this season.
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Ravens’ Prized Free Agent Must Limit Problem to Earn ‘Massive Contract’