The Ravens offensive line is a position group of general need. That being said, it may not be the best use of free agency spending in Eric DeCosta’s estimation. There are a few main reasons why the Ravens’ decision-maker may end up feeling this way.
The first thing is that the other needs of the Ravens are very expensive. The Ravens need a wide receiver and pass rushers. Those are expensive needs. If the Ravens are planning on making a splash at either of these positions, offensive line signings could get in the way of that.
To get a receiver that’s going to make a difference the Ravens are going to easily spend over $10 million per season. They probably won’t make the kind of splash that costs $17-20 million per season, but they’re going to be stuck at the going rates for pass catchers. Even a solid number X receiver to put opposite Marquise Brown is going to cost them a big chunk of their cap space.
With pass rushers, the Ravens are looking at the same thing. To keep players like Matt Judon or Yannick Ngakoue they would need to spend $16-18 million per season. Upgrades would be in a whole other bracket.
DeCosta has the 27th overall pick to work with for the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He’s not getting a top receiver prospect. A pass rusher may slip to him that’s worth his while, it’s far from a given. Meanwhile, Bradley Bozeman was a sixth-round pick, and he got Ben Powers in the fourth round.
DeCosta found Orlando Brown Jr. in the third round and there’s a chance that Brown Jr. could be traded for a first-round pick. Even if the offensive line is the biggest need for Baltimore, the draft is the more practical way of going about it.
Brandon Scherff was franchise tagged by the Washington Football Team. Joe Thuney is an option to consider though the Ravens have a lot of young options at guard. They need a center, a plan for a post-Orlando Brown Jr. life, and better depth.
Corey Linsley is an option that makes sense. He’s the center of the Green Bay Packers and he would fit right in. Spotrac.com has his estimated market value at just under $10 million per season.
Competition to recruit him as a free agent could easily drive that price up. A draft pick would be more affordable and better team-building if DeCosta gets it right. Moving Bradley Bozeman to the center isn’t the worst backup plan in the world and as I already mentioned there are a lot of young options already in-house at guard.
The Bottom Line:
The Ravens could make a minor or medium-sized signing in free agency for the offensive line to conquer their lack of quality depth. That’s what they did with D.J. Fluker they just got it wrong. There isn’t however an offensive line need that couldn’t wisely be taken care of in the NFL Draft.
The biggest argument for the Ravens signing a big free agent on the offensive line is simply that it’s a proven player. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s an upgrade over a potential draft pick. From a team-building perspective, the most affordable way to build up the offensive line is to keep paying it in mind in the NFL Draft.
The Ravens have expensive things to worry about that could take precedent. It’s not ignoring the offensive line it’s ignoring the least cost-effective way of fixing it.