I think just about everyone was surprised to hear that the San Francisco 49ers parted ways with NaVarro Bowman. Should the Baltimore Ravens take a chance on him?
The Baltimore Ravens already have their star middle linebacker in C.J. Mosley, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t consider bringing in NaVorro Bowman would fit perfectly into the Ravens defense. There are reasons for and against signing him in my opinion. I will go over a few in this post.
A match made in Heaven.
After the sudden retirement of LB Zach Orr this past offseason, there has been an opening for another inside linebacker next to Mosley. Since the Ravens typically like to use an extra defensive back on obvious passing downs, they really only need an ILB who is a good tackler and can play the run well next to C.J. Mosley. Bowman is exactly that. He has great anticipation and a nose for the football. He has been my favorite 49er in recent years because of this.
Adding NaVorro Bowman to this already strong Ravens defense would make it scary for sure. My best friend is a 49ers fan and he and I have always said how pairing our teams’ star middle linebackers would be a dream duo. The thought of that being a real possibility now get’s me very excited. Bowman would bring even more swagger to a defense loaded with tons of it already. I for one would love to see NaVorro in the purple and black.
The Ravens already have younger, cheaper options in-house.
During training camp and the preseason, the battle for this spot was between second-year player and second-round pick Kamalei Correa and second-year former undrafted player Patrick Onwuasor. Despite Onwuasor clearly outplaying Correa in the preseason, the Ravens decided to split snaps between the two to start the season. Going into week 6 I think it’s safe to say that Onwuasor has won the job. He makes plays where Kamalei has not and that’s the bottom line. Kamalei being a second-round pick doesn’t mean he gets to start over an undrafted player who has outshined him in every way.
Onwuasor tipped a pass from Andy Dalton in week one which resulted in an interception for cornerback Brandon Carr, and forced a fumble against the Raiders last week which resulted in a Jimmy Smith recovery and touchdown. He has an aggressive mentality and it shows on the field. He knows how to lay the wood too. Against the Steelers, Patrick put a nasty hit on WR Antonio Brown. I couldn’t watch it enough. Patrick Onwuasor could be the Ravens guy for the future next to C.J. and bringing in NaVorro Bowman would only stunt his growth.
The Ravens may not be able to afford him, and he might not be the same player he once was.
As always, the Ravens do not have much money to spend on any more players. I don’t know how much NaVorro wants, but I would imagine it wouldn’t be too cheap. The Ravens could be better off sticking with Patrick Onwuasor and saving the money. In a perfect world for the Ravens, I would absolutely love to see Bowman suit up for them. The world isn’t perfect as we all know though.
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In his prime, NaVorro Bowman was a top linebacker in the NFL. Injuries have seemingly taken a toll on him however at this point. For the Ravens, however, Bowman could be a great stop-gap player. He doesn’t need to be the star he once was, as the Ravens have Mosley as the clear-cut number 1 MLB, but he could help tremendously in a supporting role. The question is, would the Ravens rather bet on the upside of their young talent in-house like Patrick Onwuasor, or shell out some extra bucks for a sure-fire guy like Bowman for a few years?