Le’Veon Bell and his particular brand of free agency drama put the Baltimore Ravens fanbase through a whirlwind yesterday. He ended up with the New York Jets:
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Le’Veon Bell is not only the newest member of the New York Jets, but the Ravens didn’t even offer him a contract. Reports from yesterday were all over the place, but it appeared the Ravens were in on Mark Ingram. When the Ravens were reportedly close to a deal with the New Orleans Saints running back but still hadn’t made a deal, it seemed as though they were waiting on Bell’s decision.
It looks like the Ravens didn’t really make the dramatic push for the former Pittsburgh Steelers running back that many fans hoped they would have. In the end it was all about money for Bell, not the vengeance towards the Steelers that had been played up by just about everybody. The Ravens were a part of this process, but more so as a way to get more money out of the Jets. It appears to be artificial drama.
The Ravens fanbase was feeling fairly volatile yesterday, a mood that isn’t going anywhere with the news of the early morning. Baltimore has seen the veteran leadership of their number one ranked defense torn away from free agency. C.J. Mosley signed with the Jets, and will be a teammate of Mosley’s. This is a fact that is almost like salt in an open wound for some fans, who wanted Bell.
Free agent targets that got buzz going into free agency went to other teams. Tyrann Mathieu went to the Kansas City Chiefs and the Ravens missed out on both Mitch Morse and Matt Paradis for their offensive line help. Move after move happened around the league and the Ravens weren’t making any of them. There’s a lot to unpack here. Here are three big things about Bell’s decision and the aftermath for the Ravens.