It’s been two consecutive seasons since the Baltimore Ravens made the playoffs. In 2015, you could blame it on quarterback Joe Flacco suffering a midseason broken leg. Last season’s 8-8 finish is more of a mystery.
The Ravens seem to always take a preseason injury hit and this year was no different, losing tight end Dennis Pitta during OTAs. He joins other recent pre-season/early season losses like Benjamin Watson last season and Terrell Suggs the year before.
Free Agents Kept
Ladarius Webb, Safety
Brandon Williams, Nose Tackle
Free Agents Gained
Jeremy Maclin, Wide Receiver, formerly of the Kansas City Chiefs
Brandon Carr, Cornerback, formerly of the Dallas Cowboys
Tony Jefferson, Safety, formerly of the Arizona Cardinals
Danny Woodhead, Running Back, formerly of the Los Angeles Chargers
Free Agents Lost
Kamar Aiken, Wide Receiver, signed with the Indianapolis Colts
Vladimir Ducasse, Offensive Guard, signed with the Buffalo Bills
Lawrence Guy, Defensive End, signed with the New England Patriots
Marqueston Huff, Defensive Back, signed with the Kansas City Chiefs
Kyle Juszczyk, Fullback, signed with the San Francisco 49ers
Ricky Wagner, Offensive Tackle, signed with the Detroit Lions
Elvis Dumervil, Defensive End/Outside Linebacker, signed with the San Francisco 49ers
Kendrick Lewis, Safety, currently a free agent
Shareece Wright, Cornerback, signed with the Buffalo Bills
Jeremy Zuttah, Center, signed with the San Francisco 49ers
2017 NFL Draft
Round 1: Marlon Humphrey, Cornerback, Alabama
Round 2: Tyus Bowser, Outside Linebacker, Houston
Round 3: Chris Wormley, Defensive End, Michigan
Round 3: Tim Williams, Outside Linebacker, Alabama
Round 4: Nico Siragusa, Offensive Guard, San Diego State
Round 5: Jermaine Eluemunor, Offensive Guard, Texas A&M
Round 6: Chuck Clark, Defensive Back, Virginia Tech
Proposed Offensive Starters
QB: Joe Flacco
RB: Terrance West
WR: Jeremy Maclin
WR: Mike Wallace
WR: Breshad Perriman
TE: Benjamin Watson
LT: Ronnie Stanley
RT: James Hurst
LG: Alex Lewis
RG: Marsha; Yanda
C: John Urschel
Offensive Outlook
There are two versions of Joe Flacco; regular season and postseason. Regular season Flacco is a decent quarterback and a legit NFL starter. Postseason Flacco is a certified killer and one of the best playoff quarterbacks of this generation. If that Flacco played the 16 games preceding the playoffs, the Ravens would be a danger to win it all every year.
While some might think Jeremy Maclin is a downgrade from Steve Smith Sr., I don’t. This is probably the best wide receiver group Flacco has played with since that 2012 Super Bowl season. Breshad Perriman finally got onto the field last season after getting an injury redshirt in 2015. He was decent, but with Maclin and Wallace on the outside, he should have plenty of opportunities to show his worth in the slot. Where the Ravens take a hit on their grade is at tight end and it’s not their fault. Dennis Pitta suffered what is likely a career ending hip injury last month at organized team activities. Benjamin Watson is coming back from injury too and if he’s back to normal they’ll likely be fine. Otherwise, they’ll need to look at free agency for a guy like Gary Barnidge or Ladarius Green.
Terrence West is just the latest journeyman running back to find a home in Baltimore. His 13 starts, 774 yards, 4.0 yards per carry and five touchdowns were all career highs last season. He showed his value in the passing game too, catching 34 balls for 236 yards and score. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if this job didn’t belong to Kenneth Dixon before the year is over.
Proposed Defensive Starters
DE: Brent Urban
NT: Brandon Williams
DT: Chris Wormley
OLB: Terrell Suggs
OLB: Albert McClellan
ILB: C.J. Mosley
ILB: Kamalei Correa
CB: Brandon Carr
CB: Jimmy Smith
FS: Tony Jefferson
SS: Eric Weddle
Defensive Outlook
The Ravens’ draft was all about upgrading the defensive side of the ball so it’s likely this starting line up will look very different halfway through the season. I see Carr moving into a nickle corner role and Marlon Humphreay taking over as an outside corner. Tony Jefferson is a significant upgrade at free safety and the Ravens still managed to re-sign the guy that started there last year anyway in LeDarious Webb for depth.
Tim Williams or Tyus Bowser will likely push Albert McClellen to a reserve role before October. Terrell Suggs is in no danger of losing his starting job, but he might get spelled more on obvious run situations.
Rookie Chris Wormley should step right into a starting role and while Brent Urban is slated it at defensive end, I don’t expect him to keep that job either. It’ll be a competition down to the wire between him, Michael Pierce and Bronson Kaufusi.
Grade: B-
The loss of Pitta is a big one, considering the Ravens have had a playmaking tight end when they’ve had any success (including Owen Daniels during their recent Super Bowl run). Watson was an elite tight end with the New Orleans Saints two years ago, so he may still be that guy. The defensive upgrades should help, but there’s still a solid hole on one side of the defensive line. Luckily for the Ravens they have about 100 linebackers eager to plug it.
O/U wins: 8.5
Preseason Schedule
Week 1: Washington Redskins
Week 2: at Miami Dolphins
Week 3: Buffalo Bills
Week 4: at New Orleans
Regular Season Schedule
Week 1: at Cincinnati Bengals
Key game: If the Ravens are going to return to the playoffs, they’ll need to get through the Bengals to do it. This is a solid test right out of the gate on the road.
Week 2: Cleveland Browns
Week 3: at Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 4: Pittsburgh Steelers
Key game: Few teams can handle the Steelers like the Ravens can. This is another huge divisional test, at home, where Baltimore can’t afford a stumble. A loss here hangs on the schedule a while.
Week 5: at Oakland Raiders
Week 6: Chicago Bears
Week 7: at Minnesota Vikings
Week 8: Miami Dolphins
Week 9: at Tennessee Titans
Key game: A lot of people are about to jump on the Titans’ bandwagon this season. Facing Tennessee on the road before the buy could set the stage for at least a wild card berth.
Week 10: BYE
Week 11: at Green Bay Packers
Week 12: Houston Texans
Week 13: Detroit Lions
Week 14: at Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 15: at Cleveland Browns
Week 16: Indianapolis Colts
Week 17: Cincinnati Bengals
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