Behind Lamar, options are ...

Johnson, Cunningham are other QBs on roster

The AFC North suddenly has perhaps the best, or at least most intriguing, collection of quarterbacks of any division in football.

Nine-time Pro Bowl selection Russell Wilson will attempt to resurrect his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers after being cut loose by the Denver Broncos, while Chicago Bears castoff Justin Fields tries to pry the starting job from him. Joe Burrow and Deshaun Watson, meanwhile, are both returning from season-ending injuries with the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns, respectively. And, of course, there’s the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, coming off a second career NFL Most Valuable Player Award and looking to bounce back from a poor performance in the AFC championship game as he continues to seek an elusive first trip to a Super Bowl.

A less heralded move was that of now ex-Ravens backup quarterback Tyler Huntley bolting for the Browns, agreeing on Sunday to a one-year deal worth the veteran minimum.

Given how little Cleveland paid, it’s clear the Ravens had little interest in bringing back Huntley, one of their more than 20 unrestricted free agents entering the offseason, for a fifth year. Though he would have provided familiarity, that was perhaps the problem — Baltimore knew what it had.

Over the past three seasons, Huntley started 10 games for the Ravens while Jackson was injured and had a 3-7 record in that span. That included Baltimore’s AFC wild-card game against the Cincinnati Bengals in January 2023, when Huntley was stripped on thirdand-goal from the 1-yard-line early in the fourth quarter and defensive end Sam Hubbard returned it 98 yards for the decisive touchdown.

and briefly Keaton Mitchell, but how’d that work out in the playoffs? Henry is a star and his presence should take some of the pressure off Jackson, who was reluctant to run at times against the Chiefs in the AFC championship game.

Henry won’t necessarily help Jackson’s accuracy, but his playmaking and ability to churn out yards and wear defenses down will have a significant impact. After all, one of the best ways to beat the Chiefs is to keep the ball out of their hands.

Walker: B. It would be easy to look at the net loss of quality players and sound the alarm, but we knew the Ravens’ roster was going to take a significant hit in the first few days of free agency. They did not have enough cap space to bring back every man worth keeping. The question was how general manager Eric DeCosta would operate in this tight window to keep the team on track for another deep playoff run. On that count, he did well, prioritizing and securing an extension for the team’s most precious free agent, Madubuike, and signing Henry, one of the top players available at a position that no longer commands premium salaries.

The Ravens have always excelled at identifying which homegrown players they should build around, and Madubuike is another in that line. Henry might not transform a running attack that was already the most efficient in the league, but he will give offensive coordinator Todd Monken even greater firepower to keep defenses off balance. DeCosta still has much work to do, but the moves he has made have fit the greater mission.

Preston: The grade so far is incomplete and we won’t have a better handle on the offseason until weeks into

Signed by Baltimore as an undrafted rookie out of Utah in 2020, he completed 64.6% of his passes for 1,957 yards and eight touchdowns in the regular season.

Huntley now goes from a locker next to Jackson’s to backing up Watson and battling Jameis Winston and 2023 fifth-round pick Dorian Thompson-Robinson on the Browns’ depth chart.

But Huntley’s departure also raises a question: Who will be the Ravens’ No. 2 quarterback? Given Jackson’s injury history — he missed 10 games in 2021 and 2022 combined because of injury — it’s a pertinent question.

Currently, the only other quarterbacks on Baltimore’s roster are 2023 undrafted rookie Malik Cunningham and veteran Josh Johnson, who has played for an NFL-record 14 teams, turns 38 in May and last week re-signed for another year with the Ravens. Put another way, Baltimore will likely want to bolster that group through free agency and/or next month’s draft.

With several other holes to training camp. Henry and Madubuike were good signings, but there will be more deals once the free agent market cools down. The second wave will begin once teams pour over their salary cap situations and cut some veterans who will be available at bargain prices. Plus, the Ravens lost three defensive coaches this offseason, and all three had good relationships with their players. We’ll have to see if the replacements can develop the same rapport. That’s all part of determining the offseason grade.

The Ravens only have two returning starters on the offensive line. What’s the best way to rebuild that group for next season?

Wacker: Ideally, they’ll be able to draft a tackle they can plug in as a starter on the right side of the line this season, then perhaps shift to the left side if Ronnie Stanley isn’t back in 2025. To fill their two guard spots, they can again turn to the draft as well as their own roster, with Ben Cleveland and perhaps Andrew Vorhees their best in-house options.

As for free agency, they couldn’t afford a top-tier lineman like tackle Jonah Williams, who signed with the Arizona Cardinals for $30 million over two years, so at this point, it’s best to wait and see what capable veterans are available as free agency enters its second week.

Walker: The draft, the draft, the draft. That’s not to say the Ravens won’t add a veteran to compete for one of the three open starting jobs; they likely will sign at least one. They’ll also give real shots to incumbent reserves Cleveland, Daniel Faalele, Vorhees and perhaps Patrick Mekari (though they love to keep him in the super-utility role). But it’s no coincidence that DeCosta embraced a rebuild of one of the team’s most important units in a year with one of the deepest offensive line classes in recent fill on the roster — including offensive tackle, outside linebacker and guard — adding another quarterback is far from the most pressing need, but it is one general manager Eric DeCosta will need to address, among others.

Here’s a look at who a few options could be at quarterback through free agency or the draft as well, and what other free agents at other positions the Ravens could still pursue.

Quarterback Joshua Dobbs

At 29, Dobbs has already played for seven organizations, including the Browns and Steelers. Last season, he led the Arizona Cardinals to a stunning 28-16 upset of the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3, but success in the desert was short-lived. He went 1-7 for Arizona, which included a loss to the Ravens and was traded to the Minnesota Vikings after Kirk Cousins suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. He came off the bench to lead the Vikings to a comeback victory over the Atlanta Falcons in November after not taking any reps during the week but was eventually benched memory. He won’t abandon his “best player available mantra,” but he hasn’t exactly hidden the fact he’ll be looking for a rookie starter or two at the end of next month.

“We have a good plan,” DeCosta said at Henry’s introductory news conference last week. “We’re fortunate that this draft class is pretty good from that standpoint. I don’t want to call it historically strong, but it looks like a very strong crop of offensive linemen.” That’s a pretty clear statement of intent at a time of year when DeCosta usually practices obfuscation.

Preston: The Ravens have been recognized as one of the best drafting teams in the league, and we’re going to find out, especially in terms of offensive linemen. Mekari is a versatile performer who can play anywhere on the line, but I’m not sure his lower body will hold up for 17 games as a starter.

In recent years, the Ravens have selected Faalele, Cleveland, Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu and Vorhees in the draft. Besides Vorhees, all three are big run blockers, but the Ravens have struggled in recent seasons with pass protection. Both Faalele and Cleveland struggle with bending their knees, backing up and pass blocking, and we’ve seen that for years in training camp. Vorhees might be the most interesting because he played well during his last season at USC before suffering a torn ACL during the 2023 scouting combine.

The Ravens will get some offensive linemen via the draft, but they usually don’t start right away unless taken in the first two rounds.

After losing Odell Beckham Jr., how aggressive should the Ravens be in adding another wide receiver this offseason? Wacker:

They need to draft a starting-caliber wide receiver. The good two games later after struggling. In all, he had a record of 3-9 as a starter last season and threw 13 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. For his career, Dobbs has completed 62.2% of his passes for 2,290 yards, 15 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He also has 496 career rushing yards.

Brian Hoyer

Hoyer, whose first three years in the league were as Tom Brady’s backup with the New England Patriots, led the Browns to a 6-3 start in his first year as an NFL starter in 2014 but he quickly faded with eight interceptions and just one touchdown his next four games. He signed a two-year, $10.5 million deal with the Houston Texans the following year and was again named the starter but was benched in the fourth quarter of the opener, ended up starting just nine games and has bounced around as a backup since. Last season, Hoyer appeared in three games for the Las Vegas Raiders, including one start, and completed 23 of 42 passes for 231 yards and no touchdowns with two interceptions.

Blaine Gabbert

The backup to Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes last season, Gabbert started news is it’s a deep class, so getting someone who can contribute from the beginning shouldn’t be a problem on Day 2. They should also comb the veteran free agent market, like they did last season when they signed Nelson Agholor to a one-year deal last March. That experience worked out so well for both sides that he re-signed for another year. But with Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Agholor as its top three receivers, Baltimore would ideally like to bolster that group.

Walker: They need one more. That’s another rich position in this year’s draft, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Ravens pick another wide receiver in the first few rounds, especially with Bateman potentially approaching the last year of his rookie deal. A splash on par with Beckham would be more surprising, but there are big names potentially available on the trade market, and they have made a few aggressive moves to give themselves more spending power, so it’s not out of the question.

Preston: The Ravens need to find a quality speed threat on the outside who can make the difficult catch in traffic or win a jump ball. They have all the other vital ingredients in the passing game, but they need a receiver on the outside, especially with Jackson’s difficulty throwing the deep ball.

Which of the league’s remaining free agents is the best fit for the Ravens?

Wacker: Bringing back outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney should be a priority, but at a projected $9 million, per Pro Football Focus, and with several teams interested, he would probably have to be willing to take a lesser, incentive-laden deal to return to a place where he was genuinely happy. Bringing Kyle Van Noy back would be a cheaper, nearly as effective option, though Clowney in their meaningless regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers. In his first start since 2018, the 10th overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2011 completed 15 of 30 passes for 154 yards with no touchdowns and one interception while also rushing for 46 yards in the 13-12 win.

Jordan Travis

There’s always the possibility that the Ravens will turn to the later rounds of the draft for a quarterback. Travis, who starred at Florida State and was the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year, guided the Seminoles to an 11-0 start and had them on the path to the College Football Playoff before a devastating season-ending ankle injury. At 6 feet, 1 inch tall and 212 pounds, Travis is an athletic passer who operates well off script. His fundamentals need work and he projects as a developmental prospect, but he is also recovering well, got out of the walking boot he was in a week before the scouting combine and said he expects to be ready to go for rookie minicamp in May or June. He also said he met with just about every team at the combine. is much better against the run.

The other area of free agent interest should be wide receiver, and Tyler Boyd would be a terrific addition as a slot receiver with good size (6-2, 185 pounds), excellent hands and a willing and capable blocker in the run game. Plus, it would weaken the division rival Cincinnati Bengals. But at a projected $8.25 million a year, per PFF, he is perhaps too expensive.

Walker: It’s a boring answer, but Clowney. The top offensive linemen don’t feel like great answers, aside from Kevin Zeitler, who wanted to come back to Baltimore and could still help the Ravens on a short deal. But we know DeCosta prefers to fill out his edge rusher group with veterans on short deals, and Clowney in 2023 was his greatest coup, delivering Pro Bowl-level production and durability at a steep discount. Though Clowney loved his time in Baltimore, he has other suitors who might pay more than the Ravens can afford. He’s almost certainly looking for a significant, wellearned raise. But if he and DeCosta can get to an agreeable number, a reunion would be great for both team and player. Clowney has plenty of juice left, and he’s not going to win a Super Bowl ring with the Carolina Panthers.

Preston: The Ravens might need to gamble on edge rusher Chase Young or a cornerback like Stephon Gilmore or Steven Nelson.

There’s been a lot of player movement in the AFC North, most notably quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields to the Steelers. Which team is the biggest threat to the Ravens?

Wacker: The Bengals are still the best team in the division the Ravens will face all year. The return of quarterback Joe Burrow alone from a season-ending wrist injury suffered against Baltimore immediately makes them a

Other needs Offensive tackle

There aren’t many options left on the free agent market without injury concerns or questions about their ability to start. The best option would likely be for the Ravens to focus on the draft, which has plenty of tackle depth. Then they can revisit the free agent market in another month or two, too.

Best free agent options:

Trent Brown, Mekhi Becton, Donovan Smith, Yosh Nijman

Edge rusher

While it seems likely the Ravens will turn to the draft to select another young edge rusher, as they have recently with Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo, they lack a veteran presence with Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy both free agents. Bringing back one of them would make sense and Clowney, who had 9 ½ sacks last season, would be the best option given his ability as a run defender, but he might be too expensive.

Best free agent options:

Clowney, Van Noy, Mike Danna, Yannick Ngakoue

Guard

With John Simpson a New York Jet and Kevin Zeitler reportedly set to sign with the contender for the AFC title. They also franchise tagged receiver Tee Higgins and signed former Ravens safety Geno Stone, who should slot in nicely alongside Vonn Bell and Dax Hill in a threesafety look, with Hill serving as the Bengals’ version of Kyle Hamilton. Cincinnati added defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, who fills a big hole with DJ Reader moving on to the Detroit Lions. The addition of running back Zack Moss also gives the Bengals a solid player who rushed for just under 800 yards, including 120 against the Ravens as a member of the Colts, and averaged 4.3 yards per carry.

Walker: It’s still the Bengals with a healthy Burrow at quarterback. The Browns have a stronger overall roster, but they have yet to find any consistent mojo with Deshaun Watson leading their offense. If they falter early, with 2023 savior Joe Flacco no longer around, Cleveland fans could turn on Watson with a fury. The Steelers picked up Wilson for almost nothing, but when was the last time he looked capable of leading a team on a deep run?

That leaves the Bengals, who have a lot of improving to do on defense but were the class of the division in 2021 and 2022 with Burrow throwing to his many weapons. It’s reductive to say everything comes down to the quarterbacks, but that’s the lesson the NFL teaches us year after year.

Preston: Every team in the AFC North is a threat. If quarterback Joe Burrow returns healthy, the Bengals will be good again. Pittsburgh has added Wilson and Fields, as well as former Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen, so they have talent. Cleveland is Cleveland, but the Browns will be in the playoff picture again. The AFC North is still the best division in football, even though it struggled early in the 2023 season.

Detroit Lions, Baltimore will need to replace both guard spots. They have some internal options in Ben Cleveland, Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu and Andrew Vorhees, but a veteran free agent would be a good addition. There’s not much to pick from at this point, though, so the draft could be an option as well.

Best free agent options: Dalton Risner, Greg Van Roten, Andrus Peat

Cornerback

The Ravens have Marlon Humphrey and Brandon Stephens, but they could use another starting-caliber player on the outside, especially if they want to use Humphrey inside. DeCosta is fond of saying the Ravens can never have too many cornerbacks and that proved out last season with a slew of injuries, including to Humphrey. Georgia’s Kamari Lassiter could be that player at the 30th overall pick in the draft, but it would be a surprise if the Ravens still didn’t add another veteran or two at some point, which could include re-signing Arthur Maulet.

Best free agent options: Xavien Howard, Stephon Gilmore, Steven Nelson, Adoree’ Jackson*