Baltimore Ravens free agents go unsigned during tampering period

The first day of 2020’s Free Agency period, a.k.a. the “legal tampering period,” has come and past and the Baltimore Ravens top free agents remain unsigned.

There’s still a ton of time left before the league’s New Year (March 18th), meaning there are still contracts to be negotiated during the NFL’s legal tampering period. Day one was a hot mess of trades and big free-agent splashes that you should check out in case you missed them. The Baltimore Ravens were involved on both ends of the spectrum.

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Tight end Hayden Hurst (and a 2020 fourth-round pick) was moved to the Atlanta Falcons for 2020 second and fifth-round draft choices. Hurst gives the Falcons a replacement for the departed Austin Hooper while the Ravens get good value back for a player that was simply buried on their depth chart. Baltimore now has some serious ammo for the 2020 NFL Draft.

Additionally, the Ravens signed defensive tackle Michael Brockers to a three-year $30 million deal. Brockers will join a massive defensive line that also features Brandon Williams and newly acquired Calais Campbell.

While Baltimore was busy signing free agents from other teams, their own guys went unsigned after the first day of the tampering period. This includes, but is not limited to, Jimmy Smith, Patrick Onwuasor, and Michael Pierce.

Pierce is definitely the most surprising exclusion, as he is one of the league’s best nose tackles. Smith, even at 31-years old (will turn 32-years old in July), is still a terrific cover man that many teams would benefit from signing him. Onwuasor had a down 2019 season, but his athleticism makes him an intriguing piece of any defense.

The Ravens may be interested in bringing back Smith and Onwuasor if their market proves to be smaller. The writing is on the wall for Pierce after the team signed Brockers.

The league year isn’t here yet and these guys will likely all cash out outside of Baltimore, but it is surprising to see them go unsigned after day one. Perhaps the market for these guys isn’t as big as we thought? Either way, we’ll be watching to see where these former Baltimore Ravens wind up.