Baltimore Ravens 2016 Offseason Preview

To say 2015 was a disappointing season for the Ravens would be an understatement. A 1-6 start and a week 8 injury costing #1 wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. the rest of his season all but solidified a high draft slot and a seat on the couch in January. Throw in injuries to the other main cogs of the offense, Joe Flacco and Justin Forsett, and you have what could be called a disastrous season for Baltimore. One year after finishing 10-6 and narrowly missing a third trip to the conference championship in four years, John Harbaugh’s team finished with a 5-11 as they sit at home watching the playoffs for just the second time in his eight year tenure. With that said, the time to reflect is over and we now look to the future and see what the 2016 off-season has to offer for the Baltimore Ravens.

Free Agency

According to overthecap.com, Baltimore has less than $4 million in cap room making it difficult for the team to make a whole lot of moves without doing some restructuring with the contracts already on the books for next season. Joe Flacco is the prime candidate to have his contract redone as he is currently responsible for a ridiculous $28.5 million on the cap and any restructure could, at the very least, make it easier for Ozzie Newsome to bring back the important members of the team that are on the brink of hitting the open market. Also, do not be surprised if the struggling and often hurt left tackle Eugene Monroe is cut. Although he would only save about $2 million in cap space, that could be the final piece in retaining the team’s priority free agents.

Top Pending Free Agents

Justin Tucker

Although 2015 was Tucker’s worst season statistically, he is still regarded as one of elite-level kickers in the NFL, if not the best in the league. There is no doubting the effect that a great kicker, especially one who can come through in the clutch, can have on a game. Just ask the Minnesota Vikings. Baltimore letting Tucker walk would be one of the biggest shockers of the offseason. Expect them to either sign Tucker to a long-term deal that makes him the highest paid player at his position or slap the franchise tag on him to lock him up for at least one more season.

Kelechi Osemele

Along with Marshall Yanda, Osemele plays a big part in the success of the Ravens offensive line as he has shown that he is one of the top offensive guards that the league has to offer and has shown promise to be a good left tackle and should be a high priority on Baltimore’s to-do list. However, it is very likely that Osemele gets paid like a top 10 guard (around $7 million per year) at the very least and as it stands right now, that’s just not something Baltimore can afford. Barring a restructure of Flacco’s contract, do not get your hopes up for seeing Osemele back in purple and black next season.

Kamar Aiken

When Steve Smith Sr. went done in week 8, John Harbaugh was looking for someone to step up and take his place as the primary target for Flacco and the rest of the quarterbacks Baltimore trotted out on the field in 2015. In stepped Kamar Aiken, who did a fine job of that as he saw his targets nearly double and continued to play at the level he had been early in the season as he finished the year with 75 catches and over 900 yards along with dropping just two passes all season. All this being said, Aiken is still an under-the-radar guy who won’t be a very hot commodity, so he should be cheap to re-sign. Couple this with the fact that he is a restricted free agent and you get a sutuation where you should not expect him to be playing anywhere else next season.

Other Notable FAs

Matt Schaub

It’s pretty clear that Schaub is still cursed with that bad pick-six voodoo and that’s not something Harbaugh should want rubbing off on Flacco especially with Ryan Mallett looking competent enough to be his backup. The smart move here is to break off the relationship, delete his number, and never return his DMs.

Courtney Upshaw

Za’Darius Smith has already eclipsed Upshaw’s career sacks number in one year. Surely any day 3 OLB prospect can replace Upshaw’s production of 5 sacks in 4 seasons.

NFL Draft

The Ravens hold the 6th overall pick in the upcoming 2016 draft and there are a lot of different options Ozzie Newsome could go with due to the bevy of different positions where the team could use an upgrade, along with the talented class of prospects that Ozzie will have to choose from. These are some of the top positions and players to look for this coming April as a Ravens fan.

Draft Needs

1. Secondary

For the last few years, the Baltimore secondary has been, to be generous, below average. Even with very good players like Jimmy Smith and Will Hill patrolling the field, it’s hard not to notice the struggles the defense has on the back end with guys like Lardarius Webb and Shareece Wright manning the rest of the corner spots on the field and Kendrick Lewis back at safety. The team has done a fine job of adding talented pieces to the front seven but now it’s time for the secondary to catch up so that the biggest liability Baltimore has can at least begin to be competent.

Players to Watch

Jalen Ramsey, CB/S, Florida State – 6’1 202 lbs

Ramsey is without a doubt one of the two best defensive players in the draft and the best secondary prospect. He spent full seasons at both cornerback and safety and while he showed a lot of potential at corner, Ramsey looked to have All-Pro potential at free safety. His great athleticism, size, smarts and aggression make him an enforcer for a defense who you can move around to cover receivers in the slot, blitz off the edge or patrol the back end of the field. He has a fiery attitude and nose for the ball to go along with his ability as an athlete that compares favorably to Arizona Cardinals defensive back Tyrann Mathieu. It would be surprising to see five teams pass on Ramsey and have him fall to Baltimore, but it is an obvious pick if he is available.

Mackensie Alexander, CB, Clemson – 5’11 195 lbs

It is questionable whether or not Alexander will enter the draft considering he is just a redshirt sophomore but if he is to declare, the Ravens should be all over him. He has all of the athletic tools to be a great man to man corner as he has the ability to keep up with just about any wide receiver you put in front of him. This, coupled with the ability to play press at the line and attack the ball in the air shows all the signs of a very good corner that the Ravens can put across the field from Jimmy Smith to provide a dynamic duo.

2. Wide Receiver

As well as Steve Smith Sr. performed before his injury and how well Kamar Aiken stepped up in his absence, that’s basically where Baltimore’s receiving threat stops. Smith Sr. is a great receiver but 2016 will almost certainly be his last season considering this past season was supposed to be. Harbaugh and Newsome need to address the future of the receiving corp and go find a receiver who can not only replace Smith Sr, but also go up and get the ball in contested situations, something that Smith does well despite his size, but will be lacking from the team almost completely when he retires.

Players to Watch

Laquon Treadwell, Ole Miss – 6’2 210 lbs

Treadwell is seen as the consensus #1 wide receiver in this draft class by most people and for good reason. While he doesn’t have track star speed, Treadwell is a guy who will go up and get the ball in traffic and can be relied on to make a play whenever you need it, as he fits the Dez Bryant/Demaryius Thomas mold. Add in his route running ability and quickness which is quite good and you have a very good, all-around receiver who can complement Steve Smith Sr. very well and go on to be the go-to guy when he retires.

Josh Doctson, TCU – 6’4 195 lbs

This is not a popular opinion, but Josh Doctson is on the same level as Laquon Treadwell and should be mentioned among the top wide receivers in the draft. Doctson has shown ridiculous ability to make contested and acrobatic catches along with being a reliable #1 target for Trevone Boykin at TCU. Like Treadwell, he does not have 4.3 speed, but his catching prowess along with his ability to get open despite elite speed with agility and the ability to find open spaces when plays break down, makes him a great candidate to develop into a high class offensive weapon in the NFL who Joe Flacco could rely on. Baltimore could target Doctson if they were to trade down from the 6th pick or trade up from their 2nd round choice. The could possibly even Snatch him up from their current 2nd round slot due to the under-appreciated manner in which his skills seem to be viewed and the fact that he missed most of 2015 with a wrist injury.

3. Offensive Line

2015 saw a regression in the Baltimore OL, including an uninspiring season from left tackle Eugene Monroe. If the team can manage to re-sign Osemele to either stay at guard or replace Monroe at left tackle, they should look to supplant the other spot through the draft. If Osemele can not be retained, this becomes an even bigger need for Newsome to address as they will need to replace one of the best guards in the NFL and then also try to hopefully find an upgrade over Monroe.

Players to Watch

Ronnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame – 6’5 315 lbs

While it would be great for Baltimore to snatch up Ole Miss left tackle Laremy Tunsil, the odds of 5 teams passing on the elite level prospect out of Oxford are about the same as Matt Schaub winning Offensive Player of the Year. The next man on the list of OL prospects is a very good consolation prize, however. Stanley shows all of the physical tools, strength and technique to be a top 10 overall pick and the potential to be a great pass protector in the pros. With Eugene Monroe regressing more and more every year and Kelechi Osemele possibly saying goodbye, the left side of the line may need a shot in the arm to help Joe Flacco better avoid another season-ending injury and that is exactly what Stanley could provide.

Things That Must Happen This Offseason

1. Marc Trestman needs to go

While you can blame some of the offensive regression on injuries, the blame needs to be placed mostly on one man: offensive coordinator Marc Trestman. While it’s hard to improve or even stay stagnant with the loss of a great offensive mind like Gary Kubiak, it’s hard to ignore the fact that with the same offensive linemen and running backs for most of the season, Baltimore went from 8th in total rushing under Kubiak, to 26th under Trestman. Add in Trestman’s offensive style that clashes with the strengths of Joe Flacco and some of his downright awful playcalling, like having the majority of receivers run routes short of the first down marker on 3rd down, and you see an offense that is not living up to its full potential. Yes, he is apparently already coming back in 2016, but that is simply not the right move. There are many coordinators out there that could make this offense run more efficiently including Browns OC John DeFilippo, who could probably be easily lured away from the tornado of pain and sorrow that is Cleveland football.

2. Restructure Joe Flacco’s contract

With the team strapped for cash and the loss of an essential piece of the OL in Osemele and possibly Justin Tucker looming, Flacco needs to let the team cut down on his massive $28.5 million cap hit so that the key pieces close to being lost (especially Osemele) can be brought back to avoid even more of a decline next year. This seems like an obvious move for the front office to go through with to keep together the core of the team which partly relies on the strength of its offensive line. Newsome should do everything in his power to ensure the return of Osemele and Tucker and the restructuring of Flacco’s contract seems like the easiest path to take.

3. Do not trade down from the 6th pick

With all of the talent at the top of the draft board and Baltimore’s need of an upgrade at multiple positions, the Ravens need to get the best available player they can get their hands on and they certainly would not accomplish that by picking lower than they already are. Whether it’s improving the secondary with Jalen Ramsey or Mackensie Alexander, snagging the go-to weapon of the future in Laquon Treadwell or solidifying the left tackle position with Ronnie Stanley, Ozzie Newsome needs to add the most talented prospect to the roster he can get his hands on.

Expect the Baltimore Ravens to be quiet this offeseason when it comes to bringing in new faces through free agency and instead focus on stopping their key free agents from departing the team. Re-signing Justin Tucker already seems to be the first priority of the front office but bringing back Kelechi Osemele is just as important, if not more important, to the team’s success. Do not be surprised if, as usual, John Harbaugh’s team is considered one of the biggest winners of the 2016 draft with Ozzie Newsome having a plethora of talented options at the top of the draft and his notorious reputation of snatching up talented players that fall lower than warranted and finding very good players in the later rounds. With some simple, smart moves, Baltimore should be able to orchestrate a quiet, yet effective plan to get the team back into the playoff race in 2016.