Ravens Earn High Marks For Offseason Moves

The Baltimore Ravens have made some very notable moves throughout the offseason.

Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry (22) heads to the locker room after defeating the Atlanta Falcons at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023. / Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA

After coming just one game short of a Super Bowl LVIII appearance, the Baltimore Ravens had the unenviable task of figuring out how to finally get over the top this offseason.

How did they decide to address that question? By doubling down on their greatest strength, of course. Baltimore signed former All-Pro running back Derrick Henry, adding a bruising force to the league's best rushing offense from last season.

The addition of Henry was easily the Ravens' biggest of the offseason, with all of their moves together earning a "B" grade from ESPN's Seth Walder.

"One of the Ravens' biggest -- and certainly most fun -- moves of the offseason was signing Henry to a shockingly cheap deal," Walder writes. "The $9 million fully guaranteed was less than D'Andre Swift, Tony Pollard, Joe Mixon, Josh Jacobs and Devin Singletary received. Even though Henry has been on the decline for some time, he has always had a large workload. If he splits carries in Baltimore, he could absolutely bring efficiency to its offense."

Aside from the Henry signing, Baltimore's offseason was relatively quiet. The Ravens re-signed defensive tackle Justin Madubuike to a four-year, $98 million extension, but also lost several key pieces of the league's best defense from last season. For that reason, Walder couldn't go any higher than just a "B."

"Baltimore signed Madubuike to a big $98 million deal with $48.5 million fully guaranteed. There's no question the Ravens needed a pass-rusher, and it's hard to fault them for paying the defensive tackle after a huge season in which he recorded 13.0 sacks, but I'm a little wary," Walder writes. "Mike Macdonald's simulated pressure-filled scheme was a contributor to Madubuike's success, and Macdonald left for Seattle. Elsewhere on defense, the Ravens let linebacker Patrick Queen, edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney and safety Geno Stone walk in free agency.

"There is also offensive line turnover. Tackle Morgan Moses and guard John Simpson went to the Jets via free agency and a trade, respectively. [Kevin] Zeitler left for Detroit, and they'll have to rely on their depth and possibly rookie tackle Roger Rosengarten to reshape that unit, which might get dicey."

The Ravens clearly have some lofty goals in mind, and they'll need their offseason moves to pay off in order to get there.

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