AFC North offseason opponent update – Baltimore Ravens
Before the start of free agency we initially took a look at the Steelers AFC North division opponents to see what moves they were going to make during the offseason.
It’s now time to reexamine the moves each of these teams has made. I started with the Bengals, continued with the Browns, and will now finish with the Baltimore Ravens.
Rather than cover all of the statistical analysis from the previous article, I’d like to simply review the team leaders at each major category.
2016 Rankings
Record: 8-8, 2nd AFC North
| Passing Leaders | Att | Comp | Yards | TDs | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Flacco | 672 | 436 | 4,317 | 20 | 15 |
| Ryan Mallett | 6 | 3 | 26 | 0 | 1 |
| Rushing Leaders | Att | Yards | Avg | TDs | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terrance West | 193 | 774 | 4.01 | 5 | 2 |
| Kenneth Dixon | 88 | 382 | 4.34 | 2 | 1 |
| Michael Campanaro | 3 | 72 | 24.00 | 0 | 0 |
| Receiving Leaders | Rec | Yds | Avg | TDs | Drops |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Wallace | 72 | 1,017 | 14.1 | 4 | 2 |
| Steve Smith Sr. | 70 | 799 | 11.4 | 5 | 3 |
| Dennis Pitta | 86 | 729 | 8.5 | 2 | 2 |
| Breshad Perriman | 33 | 499 | 15.1 | 3 | 5 |
| Defensive Leaders | Tack | Sack | Fum | INTs | HUR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zachary Orr | 130 | 0.0 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| C.J. Mosley | 92 | 0.0 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Eric Weddle | 89 | 1.0 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| Lardarius Webb | 73 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Albert McClellan | 52 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
The following is an overview of the Ravens offseason thus far.
Departing Players
- Kamar Aiken
- Vladmir Ducasse
- Lawrence Guy
- Marqueston Huff
- Timmy Jernigan
- Kyle Juszczyk
- Zach Orr
- Steve Smith Sr.
- Ricky Wagner
As mentioned in the previous Baltimore overview article, the loss of Zach Orr (a 2016 second team All-Pro) hurts Baltimore the most. Orr was forced to retire due to a congenital neck/spine condition which ended his 2016 season.
Kyle Juszczyk and Kamar Aiken were solid offensive pieces who will be missed, but none more than Steve Smith, who retired after a long NFL career.
Timmy Jernigan was traded to the Eagles in order to move up 25 spots in the third round of this year’s draft. He leaves another big hole on the defense, but the Ravens are clearly thinking ahead since the defensive tackle had one more year left on his contract.
Unsigned Players
- Elvis Dumervil
- Kendrick Lewis
Ladarius Webb- Shareece Wright
- Jeremy Zuttah
As previously predicted too, the Ravens cut ties with Dumervil and Wright to free cap space in order to re-sign Brandon Williams. Zuttah has been the Ravens starting center since Shep was a pup, while Webb has played cornerback and safety.
Update: as of 4/8 (and after the publishing of this article) it appears the Ravens are bringing Webb back.
Ravens re-signed CB Ladarius Webb, whom Baltimore released earlier this off-season, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 8, 2017
Re-signed Players
- Brandon Williams
Williams was the one player I had thought the Ravens couldn’t let go. Apparently, they felt the same way, releasing several others in order to have the cash to keep their defensive lineman.
Arrivals
- Brandon Carr
- Tony Jefferson
- Danny Woodhead
Jefferson was an interesting signing by the Ravens but will start where Webb left off. The repair of their secondary is complete with the signing of Carr, who will take over for Shareece Wright. Paired with Jimmy Smith, Eric Weddle and Tavon Young, the defensive backfield is one of the few strengths on Baltimore’s offseason roster.
I can’t honestly figure out the Danny Woodhead signing. He’s a capable receiver out of the backfield but has had a number season-ending injuries throughout the course of his career. If he stays healthy, he could be an asset… that’s a big if, however.
Conclusion
The Ravens have a lot of work to do. On offense, they have to replace several linemen. Their receiver corps is still a question mark as well. Breshad Perriman has yet to make an impact (due to various injuries) after being drafted in the first round several years ago. Mike Wallace too is getting long in the tooth. The unit is all but anchored (for better or worse) by Joe Flacco and Dennis Pitta.
On defense, Suggs is a year older while Dumervil, Jernigan, Orr, Wright, Webb, and others are all leaving. That’s a lot of moving parts, and assuming the Ravens will stock up on defenders in the draft, only time will tell if the unit can (or will) gel come the start of the season.
