Ebony Bird
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Baltimore Ravens Free Agency Losses and Possible Replacements

By Jackson Thompson

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Jan 3, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Josh Harris (40) carries the ball as Baltimore Ravens free safety Darian Stewart (24) and Ravens linebacker Pernell McPhee (90) tackle in the second quarter during the 2014 AFC Wild Card playoff football game at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

Free agency isn’t over yet, not by a long shot.  There are still plenty of valuable players whose asking prices have dropped to levels that won’t crush a team’s salary cap.  Here are the players that the Ravens have lost since the beginning of free agency and who they might find to replace them:

Dec 14, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles (5) scrambles away from Baltimore Ravens linebacker Pernell McPhee (90) during the fourth quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Baltimore Ravens defeated Jacksonville Jaguars 20-12. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

OLB Pernell McPhee: signed with Chicago Bears, five years $40 million 

McPhee was a hot commodity this free agency period after notching 7.5 sacks in a part-time role in 2014, his most since the 6 sacks of his rookie year. ESPN.com’s Bill Polian gave McPhee an A- grade in this year’s free agency class, and the test will be to see if he can keep it up in a full-time gig.

At 26 years old, his star should be on the rise, but even if McPhee matches his production from last year, is he worth the roughly $8 million a year the Bears are paying him? They will certainly hope so, but the Ravens were trying to free up cap space and Ozzie Newsome decided to spend his shillings elsewhere.

To me, the Pernell McPhee situation seems similar to the Paul Kruger’s back in 2013. He had a good year and got overpaid in the offseason. The moral of the story here kids: if you can get to the quarterback, you will get paid in the NFL.

How to replace him: The Ravens are still stacked in their front seven and as long as they have Terrell Suggs, Courtney Upshaw, and Elvis Dumervil on the outside, they should be fine. They will almost assuredly be picking up a pass rushing DE or OLB in the draft to take McPhee’s ancillary role.

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