Eric DeCosta is the variable in an equation that hasn’t changed for the Baltimore Ravens since 1996. What will he do as the general manager of the purple and black?
Using the words “new general manager” is kind of tricky when talking about Eric DeCosta. He is the new general manager of the team but he’s been mentored and brought along by Ozzie Newsome for about 20 years and he’s been with the organization since Ted Marchibroda was the head coach. DeCosta has an elevated position. He’s calling the shots and that is the biggest wild card of this offseason.
Newsome is no longer the general manager, and we can’t heap all of his patterns on DeCosta. DeCosta is a different man than Newsome. Just because Newsome taught DeCosta how to be a general manager, that doesn’t mean he’s going to do things the same exact way.
The protege is often different than the mentor. For example my father taught me how to shoot pool but we have completely different styles of play. Andy Reid developed John Harbaugh as a coach. Reid still hasn’t won a Super Bowl and Harbaugh has a ring.
Bill Parcells mentored Bill Belichick and Sean Payton. Now one is a defensive mastermind and the other is an offensive genius. The point is both Belichick and Peyton are Super Bowl winning coaches that learned from Parcells but were true to themselves when they became head coaches.
Newsome set a tough act for DeCosta to follow. Newsome wasn’t perfect but he is considered one of the greatest general managers of all-time. DeCosta is going to use Newsome’s teachings as a foundation but he’s going to make decisions that Newsome never would. The truth is that we’ve never seen DeCosta handle an offseason being the ultimate decision maker. We don’t know how this is going to go.
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Newsome rarely made a big splash in free agency and depended on strong drafts to bring star power to the team. DeCosta could be more aggressive in free agency. It’s human nature to want to make the first go at something memorable. In trying to knock it out of the park, DeCosta could take a swing at a big name free agent or two.
He may look at the stretch the Ravens missed the playoffs for three out of four years and internalize that the Ravens didn’t add enough star power to the team. Free Agency could see the Ravens take the same path as usual, but DeCosta is the variable that could provide a change up.
It was easy for Newsome to stick to his plan, it worked incredibly well early on. Newsome built his reputation by drafting Jonathan Ogden and Ray Lewis in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft. This was a strong start. He followed it up with draft picks like Peter Boulware, Duane Starks, Chris McAlister, Jamal Lewis, Todd Heap and Ed Reed.
That list could have gone on for an entire paragraph. The point is that Newsome did things his way because well into the 2000’s it had worked every year. By 2018 there were some rough patches but the Ravens always stayed competitive and there were more hits than misses. DeCosta was a part of all that but they were Newsome’s accomplishments, hits and misses. He has to start his own record.
The Ravens can’t draft a wide receiver to save their lives. They missed on Mark Clayton in 2005 and they missed on Breshad Perriman in 2015. Torrey Smith was the one receiver the Ravens drafted that turned out to be a decent player, but the Ravens record drafting receivers remains a bleak tale. The Ravens may just be able to draft receivers now.
DeCosta and Newsome may see the position completely differently. Fans are constantly asking why players like Michael Thomas and Stefon Diggs were passed up by the Ravens. What if DeCosta agrees with this complaint? One way or another DeCosta won’t come into his new job with the fear of drafting receivers that Newsome clearly developed. It is possible that the receiver position was a blind-spot of Newsome’s and DeCosta sees the position much better. DeCosta should have every motivation to do what his mentor never could, draft a superstar wide receiver.
We don’t know what DeCosta will do. We don’t know where he has disagreed with Newsome in the past. It’s not like we’re in the castle every day listening in on conversations and arguments. We all have to wait an see what happens. One thing is for sure, DeCosta is a potential variable in an organization that could use a bit of something different. The system works, but maybe it can work a little better under the leadership of DeCosta.