Getty L.J. Fort during a Ravens game.
The Baltimore Ravens have seemingly made a habit out of bringing back their own free agents in recent days, but the streak of that hit the skids in a big way on Wednesday.
Just ahead of the beginning of the new league year, it was revealed that the Ravens would not be bringing back veteran linebacker L.J. Fort. The news was revealed on Twitter by ESPN’s Josina Anderson, who had the report.
She said:
Interestingly enough, Fort seemed just as surprised by the news when he reacted to it on Twitter in the aftermath of the report.
Fort will now be heading to free agency where he will be able to look at a new team and a new contract.
Fort’s Career Statistics
Forte has been a very productive linebacker during his time in the league, and has played well for the Ravens since joining the team from the Pittsburgh Steelers. In his career, Fort has put up a solid 173 tackles, 5 sacks and 1 interception. He did good work with the Steelers and defected to the Ravens, where he’s done a nice job in the last few seasons in terms of being a solid glue guy at the linebacker position.
The Ravens will have to go about replacing Fort, so it will be interesting to see if they can get the job done in doing so. It will be a next man up situation to be sure.
Ravens Offseason Update
The Ravens are seemingly in a decent spot in terms of both sides of the ball thanks to the fact that they have a young roster, but there’s little question that the team needs to make a few well placed additions, especially on offense, as folks have hinted before the offseason. Baltimore could still use another receiving threat to help Lamar Jackson, and depending on what happens with some of the team’s own free agents, another linebacker or pass rusher could be on the docket as well, though that position could get filled in the NFL Draft.
Baltimore shouldn’t need many more dramatic moves after what they have already done, but should continue to lock up their own talent while looking to make a few well-placed additions to the mix.
The team managed to have one of the best NFL Drafts in the league last season, so that lends to the notion they might be able to get things done in April while also making a few well-placed buys within free agency. It might not be that much of a stretch to say the team doesn’t have many needs to fix this offseason, even as wideout looks like a major one.
The Ravens will not be bringing Forte back after they have done a good job with keeping their own free agents. That must feel like a tough development for the player as well as some of the fans of the team who have seen plenty of others come back.
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