According to reports the Baltimore Ravens will not be signing Michael Brockers. Where does this leave the Ravens?
The Baltimore Ravens will not be signing Michael Brockers. The deal fell through reportedly because the two sides couldn’t agree on the contract. According to a tweet from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, a high ankle sprain was what impacted the deal.
The Baltimore Ravens went from having the most dominant defensive line for a 3-4 defense to having a big hole at the defensive end position. This changes the offseason plans for the purple and black.
It is worth noting that the Eric DeCosta and the Ravens have a great reputation for not making rash decisions with player signings. They have a history of getting these things right much more than they get them wrong. The Ravens were hesitant to get the deal signed at the original number. Things change with more information and that’s why teams get these players to have physicals.
Rapoport also reports that Brockers will be signing back with the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams are clearly more comfortable with the ankle sprain situation than the Ravens were. If Brockers has a great season with the Rams and Baltimore fails to find a good alternative, this is a day of headlines that could look bad for them.
After all this, the #Rams end up with their homegrown talent and Michael Brockers ends up with a nice deal. Per source, he’s getting a three-year deal worth up to $31.5M maximum value — similar to what Baltimore had on the table. And LA gets more firepower up front on D.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 27, 2020
The Ravens have to turn their attention to a position they thought they were already stocked up on. The Steelers now have Chris Wormley and while the Ravens have good depth, they are missing a clear starter opposite of Calais Campbell.
The plan was to have a dominant defensive line that got the Ravens more interior pass rush. The idea was to give the offensive line too many players they had to double team. A defensive line consisting of Brockers, Brandon Williams and Campbell would be almost impossible to run against, and would give the Ravens a lot more pass rush. The defensive line will still get a boost from Campbell but now the Ravens have lost Michael Pierce and Chris Wormley. The plan just got messed up.
It will be interesting to see how the Ravens move forward. An NFL Draft prospect like Ross Blacklock looks a lot more like a fit for Baltimore than he did yesterday. Will the Ravens sign another defensive end? Will they go after an edge rusher now? This news comes with a lot of questions that have to be answered.
The landscape of the Ravens offseason just changed. Brockers would have been a big addition to this team.