Getting the most from veteran edge-rushers defined the Baltimore Ravens in 2023. Both Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy delivered on one-year deals, but there is uncertainty about their futures as they enter 2024 NFL free agency. Signing Jacksonville Jaguars’ outside linebacker Josh Allen would end the uncertainty and give the Ravens a “premier” player for the pass rush.
The Ravens are a good fit for Allen, according to The 33rd Team’s Dan Pizzuta. He believes “instead of patching together a pass rush with veterans, the Ravens could get a premiere edge rusher, which they haven’t had since Matt Judon left.”
Cap space will be an issue for the Ravens and general manager Eric DeCosta. Yet, Pizzuta thinks making room for Allen “would be slightly easier to do with a low Year 1 figure on a long-term deal.”
It’s worth DeCosta making the effort since Allen’s only 26 and coming off a banner season when he logged a career-high 17.5 sacks. The Ravens need a pass-rusher with those credentials since Van Noy is 32 and Clowney’s 31.
As Ravens.com Editorial Director Ryan Mink pointed out, “the price tag went up for both after they turned in career years in their early 30s, and the question may be by how much.” Mink also asked whether the price tags for Van Noy and Clowney will be “too big for the Ravens?”
That’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding two veterans who accounted for 18.5 sacks last season.
Josh Allen Would Dominate for Ravens
Allen has taken his game from strength to strength for the Jags during the last two seasons. His sack totals jumped by 10.5 in 2023.
Many of those sacks were created by top-tier speed off the edge. Allen showcased this quality to force a strip-sack against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 6.
A Josh Allen strip sack gets the ball right back in the Jaguars’ possession. 💪 @JoshAllen41_
📺: #INDvsJAX on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus t.co/B4mQvLOt8O
Ending pass-rush matchups with impact plays became a happy habit for Allen. Aside from the sacks, he also registered 33 quarterback hits, including 13 knockdowns, to go with 14 hurries, per Pro Football Reference.
No. 41 has all the attributes the Ravens want from a game-changing edge-rusher. Pairing Allen with 2021 first-round draft pick Odafe Oweh, who posted an 18.2 percent pass-rush win rate last season, per PFF BAL Ravens, would create a fearsome and youthful tandem of pressure specialists for new defensive coordinator Zach Orr.
Odafe Oweh: best pass rush win rate among Ravens players this season (18.2%) 📈
Now’s the time to get younger up front when veterans Clowney and Van Noy are set to enter the market.
Jadeveon Clowney Could Play Free Agency Waiting Game
Clowney performed above expectations during his first year in Baltimore. Finishing with 9.5 sacks and 23 pressures proved the 10-year pro still has a lot left as a formidable presence on the edge.
Getting to the quarterback hasn’t always been a strength, but Clowney displayed veteran savvy with a more nuanced pass-rush plan in 2023. Like for this sack against Malik Willis and the Tennessee Titans in Week 6, per Aaron Day of DLineVids.
Counter Club/Swim sack by Jadeveon Clowney. Beats the blocker inside & gets to the QB. Have a “Plan B” rush! #passrush #ravensflock
The question is will Clowney cash in on his late-career revival? More to the point, when will the first player taken in 2014 NFL draft choose to sign his next contract?
Clowney’s “been the king of the late one-year deals,” according to Mink. It’s a fair assessment since Clowney only signed with the Ravens back in late-August 2023, less than a month before the start of the season.
Maybe Clowney plays a waiting game and sees where some of free-agency’s top edge-rushers, including Allen, land. That would be prudent because as Mink points outs, “Spotrac projects Clowney’s market value at one year, $7.2 million. Could that be in Baltimore’s budget? Maybe.”
DeCosta has a lot of work to do to clear the decks for the salary cap. Knowing Clowney is affordable could afford the GM some flexibility earlier in the offseason process.
The same could be true of Van Noy, although Mink believes “both veterans would like to return to the Ravens if the money is right, but I doubt both are back. My gut says one returns.”
Retaining Clowney or Van Noy would be smart, but only if the cash-strapped Ravens are unable to make a splash move for a younger game-wrecker like Allen.
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Ravens Can Add ‘Premier Edge Rusher’ Amid Jadeveon Clowney Uncertainty