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The Baltimore Ravens aren’t tanking but they are rebuilding

By Chris Schisler

OWINGS MILLS, MD - SEPTEMBER 08: Baltimore Ravens President Dick Cass (L) and assistant general manager Eric DeCosta (R) watch the team practice at their training facility on September 8, 2014 in Owings Mills, Maryland. Earlier in the day the Ravens terminated the contract of running back Ray Rice and the NFL suspended him indefinitely after the release of video showing Rice striking his then-fiancée in a hotel elevator. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
OWINGS MILLS, MD - SEPTEMBER 08: Baltimore Ravens President Dick Cass (L) and assistant general manager Eric DeCosta (R) watch the team practice at their training facility on September 8, 2014 in Owings Mills, Maryland. Earlier in the day the Ravens terminated the contract of running back Ray Rice and the NFL suspended him indefinitely after the release of video showing Rice striking his then-fiancée in a hotel elevator. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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The time for a rebuild is here for the Baltimore Ravens, but they plan on making it a competitive one:

The Baltimore Ravens have every intention of competing in 2019, but that doesn’t mean things don’t look bleaker than they did a few days ago. The Ravens have lost a lot of pieces to the puzzle, before new contracts can even be inked. The Ravens have yet to make any moves since the start of the legal tampering period on Monday. The Ravens are in rebuilding mode, no matter what their record is in 2019.

It’s easy to look at the headlines and think the Ravens have been decimated. They lost their all-time leading sack artist in Terrell Suggs, their Pro Bowl linebacker C.J. Mosley and their electric pass rusher Za’Darius Smith. The Ravens voluntarily said goodbye to Eric Weddle. Not to be alarming but the Ravens second round tender on Michael Pierce is not a promise that he’s back. Pierce and Matt Judon need to be locked up for the future at some point. The defense is under construction months after being the top unit in football.

The Ravens are not tanking, they’re just losing players they didn’t have the means to keep. What the New York Giants are doing (besides frustratingly helping the Cleveland Browns) is tanking. The Giants are keeping Eli Manning as the quarterback with a huge cap number, while letting players like Landon Collins and Odell Beckham Jr. go.

The Giants took a big bit of dead money just to trade Beckham Jr. away in a trade that almost says, we want the 2020 number one pick. The Ravens are not overpaying for players that aren’t irreplaceable and are not making big splashes just to make them. The Ravens are trying, but have consistently gotten out-priced. If this offseason is teaching NFL teams anything, it’s that cap space is important in a free agent market where overpaying a bit is a requirement. The Ravens are thinking about the future, instead of going all in on 2019 irresponsibly.

In reality, the Ravens defense still has some nice pieces. Marlon Humphrey and the cornerback group are the headliners of the show, while Kenny Young and Judon are two of the most exciting players coming back. On offense the Ravens have a young quarterback who is coming off a 6-1 regular season record as a starting quarterback. The sky is the limit for Lamar Jackson and his growth is absolutely crucial to the Ravens development.

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Baltimore has gotten a lot younger and they have rid themselves (or refused to sign) worrisome contracts. Suggs had to move on at some point and it was never going to be an easy moment. Mosley was worth about $12 million per season at most and he got paid five million more than that. After this season the Joe Flacco contract is in the past.

Many of the most important Ravens to the future are not costing the team all that much. Jackson is on a favorable rookie deal as is Hayden Hurst, Mark Andrews and Orlando Brown Jr. On the defense the Ravens have more youth leading the way and less bloated contracts. Gus Edwards and Kenneth Dixon are young players who haven’t broken the bank yet in their short NFL careers.

The Ravens are rebuilding, but they are not conceding the 2019 season yet. They are going to try to add players to compete this year. If the 2019 NFL Draft has the same level of impact as their last draft class, the Ravens will get a big boost in late April. The problem that Eric DeCosta faces is a roster without a ton of difference makers and a shortage of stars.

The Ravens record in 2019 ultimately boils down to Lamar Jackson’s development as a quarterback. If the Ravens can build an offense that isn’t a gimmick, that is sustainable and that is functional, Jackson might make the Ravens a compelling watch. Jackson is the x-factor here. The Ravens are looking to the future but their current competitiveness leans on Jackson.

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The goal for 2019 is to prove that the Ravens should build a team around Jackson, and to begin building a foundation for another stretch of great Ravens football. The Ravens should try to get back to the playoffs, but right now, 8-8 looks like an accomplishment. There’s still a long way to go in building the team for 2019. It’s too early to predict a record fairly, but the focus looks to be on the future and that’s okay.

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