Ravens free agency: Is the price tag for C.J. Mosley dropping?

C.J. Mosley has had an up and down year and because of this his price tag may drop this offseason:

C.J. Mosely has a ton of talent but he isn’t having a Pro Bowl caliber season with the Baltimore Ravens. In today’s NFL a linebacker needs to be able to help in pass coverage. Mosley seems lost in this part of the game. Mosley has all the physical attributes to be a top level linebacker in this league. He’s built like a Bobby Wagner or a Luke Keuchly, he has the same quickness and sideline to sideline speed. The truth is though, that Mosley isn’t playing to that elite level.

Mosley has made the Pro Bowl in back to back seasons, and he also was a Pro Bowl player in his rookie season of 2014. C.J. Mosley is tied for the 37th most tackles in the NFL with Kyle Van Noy, and Myles Jack. Kenny Young and Patrick Onwuasor have 49 and 42 combined tackles respectively. The two linebackers who share time next to Mosley have put up  91 combined tackles. Mosley has 89. Mosley has 57 total tackles to his stat line. Adding the total tackles of Young and Onwuasor you get 63.

C.J. Mosley is the most productive linebacker the Ravens have. That goes without saying. He’s the leader of the defense, taking the most snaps is kind of in his job description. However he should be producing at a much higher rate than the combined efforts of Young, who was a day three pick and Onwuasor, who was an undrafted free agent.

With Mosley in the middle of the defense the Ravens have had trouble covering tight ends and they have also had problems with running backs catching passes out of the backfield. Mosley isn’t the only reason for that, scheme plays a role in that as well. The question becomes is the Ravens defense adjusting to the weaknesses of Mosley?

Young looks like he could be a star in the making. He has the smooth moving athletic ability that should make him a great linebacker in pass coverage. The Ravens could easily move on from Mosley, draft another linebacker and ask Young to step into a larger role. However, the Ravens could also re-sign Mosley and have Young step into that larger role any way. Young could be the Zach Orr like player that lifts Mosley’s game back to a Pro Bowl level.

When free agency starts, it really depends on how the market for Mosley plays out. If Mosley is viewed as a three time Pro Bowl linebacker and an elite player, at least one team will throw big money his way. If Mosley is seen as a player coming off a slightly off year, the Ravens may be able to bring him back at a number that works.

Mosley’s inability to cover could pay off for the Ravens. He’s not a bad player, it’s just a big part of the game he needs to improve on. Getting Mosley back without breaking the bank is a tough ask, but he may be opening the door to that possibility.