Ravens Free-Agency Preview

Baltimore might need to create more salary-cap space.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens have not been big players in the free-agent market, adhering to a philosophy of "right player, right price."

This year might not be much different because the Ravens currently don't have much money to spend even with the increased salary cap. 

Baltimore is projected to have $8.7 million for the free-agent market, which ranks 19th in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. 

“We’ve never been a big, huge free agency team,” GM Eric DeCosta said. “We’ve dabbled in it a little bit. We’ll continue to look for players that benefit the club in different ways, certainly. We’ll continue to look at players that we have whose contracts are expiring to try to get some deals done. I’m comfortable with that process. We’re excited.”

Related Link: Ravens Top Offseason Needs

The Ravens have several key players that are free to sign with other teams, most notably center Bradley Bozeman, defensive end Calais Campbell, fullback Pat Ricard, safety DeShon Elliott and cornerback Anthony Averett.

Baltimore's most pressing needs are at cornerback, defensive line, safety and offensive line.

As a result, the Ravens will look for value in the free-agent market and continue to build their team organically through the draft. 

"Injuries made the Baltimore secondary look worse than it should have been, but the unit still has room to improve," PFF's Anthony Treash writes. "Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters will man two cornerback spots, and safety Chuck Clark has played decently in his versatile role, but the rest of the pack is skating on thin ice. A cornerback in Round 1 of the 2021 NFL Draft is in the cards, but the team could also pursue a defensive back in free agency. 

"One such player is safety Justin Reid, who is coming off a couple of underwhelming years in Houston. Reid was a top-15 graded safety in 2018 and in 2019. Going to Mike Macdonald’s defense in Baltimore could help resurrect that past play, and the Ravens could get him for a fair price in free agency."