Getty Matt Judon looks on during a Ravens vs. Steelers game.
It’s been an up and down free agency period for the Baltimore Ravens, who have been content for the most part to bring back their own players rather than make big splashes, but even though that has been the case, the team has sustained their share of losses in the last few weeks.
The Ravens have managed to keep plenty of key players, but they have sustained their fair share of losses to the roster as well. According to some, the Ravens have seen one of the worst instances of a talent drain from their roster in recent weeks.
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Recently, Bleacher Report took a look at naming some of the teams with major departures from free agency. According to writer Kristopher Knox, the Ravens make the cut as a team that has sustained a lot of losses in recent weeks, perhaps to their detriment even though there is an obvious silver lining in the form of compensatory picks.
Knox wrote:
“The Baltimore Ravens’ biggest free-agency signing actually came before the “legal tampering” period. After guard Kevin Zeitler was released by the New York Giants, the Ravens swooped in and signed him to a three-year, $22.5 million contract.
Baltimore proceeded to lose a pair of above-average pass-rushers in Matt Judon and Yannick Ngakoue in free agency, along with starting center Matt Skura, defensive contributor Jihad Ward and long snapper Morgan Cox.
The Ravens have historically used the compensatory-pick formula to bolster their draft capital—they received third- and fourth-round selections last year. So, while they did lose a lot of talent in free agency, the Ravens probably still feel like winners.”
It will be interesting to see what the Ravens do in the draft to try and offset these key losses, so for right now, the team might look like they have holes that will merely be plugged later on by different players. Still, it isn’t hard to see how much damage has been done to the Baltimore roster.
Ravens Free Agency Reviews Mixed
Thus far, the Ravens have seen some up and down reviews for their approach in free agency. While others credit them for using the compensatory system to their advantage, many see the team as having lost a few too many pieces and not done nearly enough in order to shore up their team.
Last season, the Ravens had a similar approach and managed to make the playoffs and win a playoff game. Certainly, there is nothing to say the 2021 roster can’t accomplish the same feat, so it will be interesting to see the team chasing this goal moving forward.
Ravens 2021 Free Agency Approach Measured
The Ravens have had a free agency approach that has been very measured compared to a lot of their NFL rivals. Baltimore has not outspent anybody and has looked like a team that is more content to keep their own players happy rather than a team looking to make any sort of big splash from the outside. That’s been decent in many ways, but the team may not have improved dramatically enough in the mind of some to take huge steps forward.
Moving forward, it will be fascinating to see what happens the rest of 2021, but for now, the Ravens still have some offseason work to get done.
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