Ravens Retaining Free Agent Justin Madubuike 'Key to Avoid Major Dip' in 2024?

The Baltimore Ravens have a host of free agents entering the offseason, but keeping defensive tackle Justin Madubuike is looming as the No. 1 job for Eric DeCosta.

The Baltimore Ravens were close to reaching their first Super Bowl since 2012 but fell at the final hurdle to the Kansas City Chiefs.

After a superb regular season that saw John Harbaugh's team dominate on both sides of the ball, one shining light was the form and play of defensive tackle Justin Madubuike.

In a contract year, Madubuike dominated from the outset and established himself as one of the premier defensive tackles in football, and in doing so, is set to earn a large payday.

But will that be in Baltimore? NFL.com has listed retaining Madubuike as the one move that the Ravens have to make.

"The Ravens have a host of key defenders heading for free agency, including Jadeveon Clowney, Patrick Queen and Geno Stone, but retaining Madubuike -- who just finished the final season of his rookie contract -- is key if Baltimore's defense is to avoid a major dip in 2024," NFL.com writes. The 26-year-old led the Ravens (and all NFL defensive tackles) with 13 sacks, but it wasn't just about the QB takedowns. Madubuike also pushed the pocket (logging 64 QB pressures, per Next Gen Stats), caused havoc and ate up double-teams, allowing linebackers free runs to make plays.

"With top-paid DTs like Quinnen Williams and Jeffery Simmons recently landing contracts worth more than $90 million, the Ravens could use the franchise tag (projected to be roughly $20 million, per Over the Cap) as a placeholder to ensure Madubuike doesn't leave Baltimore in 2024. Retaining the DT could mean losing a player like Queen, but that's the cost of doing business."

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Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta is paid to make these decisions and with Madubike and linebacker Patrick Queen out of contract, both expected to fetch top-of-the-market money, is there room for the pair?

Potentially, but with 23 unrestricted free agents, not all can come back, and signing Madubuike and losing Queen might be something Ravens fans might have to come to terms with.

DeCosta stated that the Ravens "have a good plan" for their free agents, but there is only so much of the salary cap pie to share around.

'Business is Business!' Ravens' Justin Madubuike One of 23 Pending Free Agents for Baltimore

After his breakout season, it appears that keeping Madubuike could be key to the Ravens' defense maintaining their level of play from this season.

Whether it be a long-term contract or the franchise tag, it seems that Baltimore should prioritize keeping their stud defensive tackle this offseason.