Offseason Primer: Ravens Still Looking for Weapons for Lamar Jackson, with Cap Space to Spend
With their 2020 season ended in the Divisional round by the Buffalo Bills last Saturday, the Baltimore Ravens look ahead attempting to retool, reload and continue the growth and maturation of quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Jackson took a step back from his 2019 campaign that made him the youngest MVP in NFL history, passing for 2,757 yards and 26 touchdowns with nine interceptions. He did rush for seven scores and eclipsed 1,000 yards on the ground for the second-straight season, becoming the first quarterback in league history to do so.
Entering this offseason, Baltimore’s primary objective should be to acquire Jackson a true No. 1 receiver on the outside. While wide receiver Marquis “Hollywood” Brown caught a career-high eight touchdowns, the Ravens failed to have a pass catcher reach 800 receiving yards. If they do not address the need through the draft, notable options in free agency will likely include, Chris Godwin, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Antonio Brown.
Baltimore’s run game was dominant again last season, as they led the league with 3,071 yards. Rookie running back J.K. Dobbins appears to be a budding star, rushing for 805 yards and a team-high nine touchdowns. His emergence factored into the Raven’s decision to cut veteran running back Mark Ingram on Tuesday.
Turning to the defensive side, the Ravens were stout in 2020 under defensive coordinator Don Martindale. The unit ranked second in scoring defense at 18.9 points allowed per game, and had 22 takeaways. Cornerback Marlin Humphrey led the league with eight forced fumbles, while his partner Marcus Peters had four interceptions and four forced fumbles of his own. Lastly, rookie linebacker Patrick Queen had a strong showing as well with 106 total tackles, nine tackles-for-loss, three sacks and a fumble recovery for a touchdown.
The Ravens already own the sixth-most cap space in the league, but could create more if they decide to part ways with some of their more expensive veterans, especially on the defensive side. 34-year-old defensive end Calais Campbell and 31-year-old defensive tackle Brandon Williams are both making north of $10 million next season, but such such moves could significantly hinder Baltimore’s front with edge rushers Matthew Judon and Yannick Ngakoue both entering free agency.
Baltimore clearly has plenty of tough decisions to make and different paths they may choose to follow as they look to continue the quest for their franchise’s third Super Bowl.
Notable Free Agents:
OLB Matthew Judon
DE Yannick Ngakoue
WR Willie Sneed
RB Mark Ingram
DE Derek Wolfe
C Matt Skura
QB Robert Griffin III
SS Anthony Levine
WR Chris Moore
OLB Tyus Bowser
OLB Pernell McPhee
LS Morgan Cox
G D.J. Fluker
CB Tramon Williams
WR Dez Bryant
DE Jihad Ward
DT Justin Ellis
SS Jordan Richards
TE Eric Tomlinson
WR DeAndrew White
RB Gus Edwards (Restricted)
P Johnny Townsend (Restricted)
CB Devontae Harris
LB Chris Board (Restricted)
Cap Commitments:
Baltimore has an active cap of $136,542,293 entering the 2021 offseason, according to Spotrac. The Ravens have the sixth-most cap space in the league at $28,604,089.
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