Getty This 4-time Pro Bowl edge-rusher is perfect for the Ravens.
The Baltimore Ravens will come out of this offseason loaded at most positions on the roster. There are only two obvious spots of concern: wide receiver and edge-rusher.
General manager Eric DeCosta and head coach John Harbaugh appear content to rely on young players with upside at the former position. Yet, it’s likely to be a different story in the pass-rush department, with one Ravens reporter calling it inevitable the team will add a free agent before the 2022 NFL season begins.
Fortunately, there are more than a few capable veterans still left on the market. The Ravens have already been linked with a couple of experienced quarterback hunters, but one four-time Pro-Bowler with almost 100 sacks on his CV is being strangely ignored.
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NFC East Lifer Perfect for Ravens
Ryan Kerrigan hasn’t generated a lot of buzz on the market this year, and it’s difficult to figure out why things have been so quiet. He’s logged 95.5 sacks during 11 pro seasons, all spent in the NFC East, first with Washington then with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021.
Things didn’t go to plan for Kerrigan in Philly last season, and perhaps that’s why suitors aren’t lining up to offer a contract to the 16th-overall pick in 2011. He appeared in just five regular-season games, making only two starts, and failed to record a sack. A thumb injury sustained in training camp and the subsequent surgery were named big reasons for the downturn by Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Kerrigan did at least show some of the old magic is still left with this sack of Tom Brady against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild-card playoffs:
Wirfs went to the bench after the last series and his replacement Josh Wells got destroyed by Ryan Kerrigan and another sack on 3rd down for the #Eagles defense.
A down year shouldn’t deter the Ravens from signing Kerrigan. Not when part of his problems were scheme related.
Kerrigan thrived on 3-4 fronts during his days in Washington, but the Eagles used more four-man line schemes. Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon’s system was criticized for its read-and-react nature last season, with All-Pro Fletcher Cox among the dissenters, per Martin Frank of the Delaware News Journal.
The Ravens can offer Kerrigan a return to the type of 3-4 schemes he’s operated within for most of his career. It’s worth making that offer because Kerrigan was out-performing first-round picks like Chase Young, Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne the last time he played in this type of defense, per Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan:
How often do #WashingtonFootball DL get pressure on the QB. Here are their pressure percentages (via @PFF):
Montez Sweat: 16%
Ryan Kerrigan: 11%
Tim Settle: 11%
Chase Young: 10%
Jonathan Allen: 9%
DaRon Payne: 7%
Kerrigan is the proven and effective veteran the Ravens need to help solidify a useful rotation that still prompts more questions than answers. Those questions can’t be ignored after the Ravens registered a mere 34 sacks last season.
Signing Edge-Rusher a Matter of Time
On the surface, the Ravens are stacked with young, up and-coming talent on the edges of their front seven. Scratch even a little below the surface, though, and there are ample reasons to feel less than confident about the Ravens’ ability to pressure the pocket this season.
Injuries are the main worry, starting with second-round pick David Ojabo. He’s a gifted athlete, but one who tore his ACL at Michigan’s pro day back in March.
Taken in isolation, Ojabo’s recovery time wouldn’t be a problem, but the chance he won’t be available early in the season is compounded by concerns elsewhere. The team’s sack leader last season, Tyus Bowser, had surgery in January to repair a torn Achilles. Bowser’s fellow outside linebacker, Odafe Oweh, underwent a procedure to fix a shoulder problem this offseason.
When putting a timetable on these players, The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec named “late October at the earliest” as a likely return date for Ojabo. Zrebiec also noted how players who have suffered Bowser’s injury have taken “anywhere between nine and 12 months” to get fully healthy.
These timeframes are bleak and why Zrebiec, in a separate article for The Athletic, wrote “it’s a matter of when, not if, the Ravens sign someone” to play outside linebacker.
DeCosta and Harbaugh have already met with one prominent free agent, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero:
Three-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Jason Pierre-Paul is visiting the #Ravens today, per source.
Aside from sitting down with Jason Pierre-Paul, the Ravens also put the UFA tender on Justin Houston. He logged just 4.5 sacks last season, but the Ravens ensured they have “exclusive negotiating rights” to sign Houston if he doesn’t find a new team by July 22, per ESPN’s Field Yates.
Bringing Kerrigan on board makes as much sense as striking a deal with Pierre-Paul or re-upping Houston. Kerrigan is still a useful pass-rusher from both sides of the formation who can line up at outside linebacker or put his hand in the dirt. He’d also be a great example to Ojabo and second-year pro Oweh.
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