The Baltimore Ravens have to bring back these three players before they can start looking at free agents from other teams:
3. Brandon Carr:
There really is no downside to the Baltimore Ravens bringing back Brandon Carr. He may be 34 years old, but he’s never missed a game in his NFL career. The cornerback position is one that can so easily get thinned out by injury and that makes Carr’s ability to stay on the field so appealing. Carr also has the versatility to play safety and provides veteran leadership, something a team can use after such a disappointing end to the 2019 season. On top of that, Carr is the Ravens’ Walter Payton Man of the Year candidate. There’s a lot of positives in bringing Carr back.
It’s important to remember that Carr isn’t a free agent. The Ravens have a club option for his contract. The good thing here is that the Ravens don’t have to bargain out a deal or compete with another team. They know the price going into the offseason. According to Spotrac.com, Carr would be a seven million dollar cap hit. That’s not horrible for a player with a remarkable avoidance of the injury bug that can play anywhere in the secondary.
Carr was a big part of the Ravens defense this past season. He doesn’t get the most attention for it. He’s not Marlon Humphrey. He’s not as exciting as Marcus Peters. That being said, Carr was fifth in tackles for the defense in 2019. He had two sacks blitzing from the secondary. With Carr you get no negatives. Does he have a rough game here or there? Yes, but who doesn’t. The Ravens have a wealth of secondary talent. In a passing league, they need to keep their investment in their defensive backs. The Ravens shouldn’t try to save cap space by taking away dependability in the back end of their defense.