The Baltimore Ravens are going to make every effort to re-sign Bradley Bozeman this offseason. Perhaps the team’s top unrestricted free agent, Bozeman is set to hit the open market coming off a career year in 2021.
By all accounts, this is a situation where both sides want to get a deal done. But as we’ve seen in the past, it doesn’t always work out how everyone wants it to.
Bozeman spoke to the media earlier in the week and got emotional when discussing his uncertain Ravens future. Although he expressed a clear desire to return, he admitted that some of the contract stuff was out of his hands.
Bozeman wants to return. The Ravens’ coaching staff and players want him back as well. But it’s far from a guarantee that his agent and the team’s front office will reach an agreement on a price point.
The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec implied something similar last month when he suggested that the two sides were still a ways away from reaching an agreement. Per Zrebiec, “there seems to be quite a bit of separation” between what each party wants.
If Bozeman does hit free agency, he’s expected to be one of the more coveted interior offensive linemen on the open market. With the versatility to play either guard or center, Bozeman played like one of the best centers in football in 2021.
But if the Ravens can’t strike a deal with Bozeman, who will? We take a look at five teams that could target Bradley Bozeman this offseason.
5. The Chicago Bears could sign Ravens center Bradley Bozeman
The Chicago Bears are still in the beginning stages of building around quarterback Justin Fields. And with a new general manager and coaching staff coming in, there are likely to be many changes.
One such change will likely come with somewhat of an overhaul of the offensive line. Fields was one of the most sacked quarterbacks in 2021, and while some of that is likely due to his own shortcomings, it’s clear that the Bears need to upgrade their starting five up front.
In particular, their interior offensive line needs a lot of work.
Guard James Daniels is set to be a free agent coming off a pretty good year, and there’s no guarantee Chicago is able to re-sign him, especially if they target Bozeman as an upgrade at center.
Former undrafted free agent Sam Mustipher started all 17 games for the Bears at center this season, but durability doesn’t always equate to performance.
Mustipher was one of the worst centers in football finishing with a woeful Pro Football Focus grade of 51.8 that ranked 34th out of 38 qualified centers. Bozeman would undoubtedly be an upgrade.
Few positions are more important to the life of a young quarterback than center and the new regime will likely look to upgrade at the position.
If Bozeman shakes free, you can bet that they’ll be interested,
4. The Buffalo Bills could sign Ravens center Bradley Bozeman
The Buffalo Bills have one of the most stacked rosters in the NFL, but their offensive line could use some work. Bozeman could be the solution to their problems.
Former first-round pick Cody Ford looks like a total draft bust, veteran Jon Feliciano wasn’t very effective when he played in 2021, and center Mitch Morse was little more than a replacement-level player and is entering the last year of his contract.
The Bills won’t have a ton of needs this offseason, but undoubtedly the biggest one will be improving their offensive line. That’s where Bozeman could come into play.
Morse battled injuries during his time in Kansas City but has been mostly healthy with the Bills. That said, he turns 30 in April and could be cut to save the Bills almost $9 million in cap space.
That’s money they could use to sign his replacement, perhaps in the form of Bozeman. Coming off a career year, Bozeman would absolutely be an upgrade over Morse at center both in the short and long term.
And if Bozeman is open to playing guard, the Bills could even retain Morse for the final year of his contract and sign Bozeman to play at guard for a year.
His versatility presents teams will an abundance of options, something that is much appreciated for a Bills team that’s weak at multiple spots along their interior offensive line.
Of all the contenders Bozeman could sign with, the Bills seem to be the most likely.
3. The Carolina Panthers could sign Ravens center Bradley Bozeman
Perhaps no team is more desperate for offensive line help than the Carolina Panthers. After a failed year of Sam Darnold and Cam Newton at quarterback, the Panthers will be looking to make many changes.
Head coach Matt Rhule is fighting for his job this offseason and he, along with everyone else in that organization, knows that improving the offensive line is the top priority.
Bozeman could be one of the many intriguing players they target in free agency. There’s no telling how monumental of an upgrade he would be for them.
Aside from right tackle Taylor Moton, there isn’t another starting-caliber offensive lineman in that building. Left tackle was a revolving door with veteran Cam Erving starting, although rookie Brady Christensen did look like an upgrade.
The less said about the interior the better. Whether it was Dennis Daley, Michael Jordan, John Miller, Pat Elflein, or Trent Scott starting, the Panthers likely had the worst interior offensive lineman in football.
There’s a good chance that none of those players are back next year. Starting center Matt Paradis played nine games before an injury cut his season short, and he’s set to be a free agent this year.
The Panthers might legitimately have four (at least three) new starting offensive linemen next season with all three interior spots likely to be overhauled. Bozeman could just fill one of those vacancies.
2. The New York Giants could sign Ravens center Bradley Bozeman
If the Panthers aren’t the team most desperate for offensive line help, then the answer has to be the New York Giants. Despite promising to build the offensive line for years, now-former general manager Dave Gettleman failed to do so.
If anything, he consistently tore it down and failed to hit on the vast majority of his draft picks. The Ravens have Gettleman to thank for right guard Kevin Zeitler who put together an excellent season in 2021 after surprisingly being released by New York to make room for Leonard Williams’ $21 million salary.
But with Gettleman gone and a new coaching regime coming in, perhaps the Giants will finally address the offensive line in the way that they should have all along. Bozeman would be a good start.
The Giants took a chance on former Cincinnati Bengals first-round pick Billy Price when they sent backup defensive lineman B.J. Hill to Cincinnati in a late-August swap. That trade went about as well as any other Gettleman transaction has gone.
Price was bad in 2021 posting a below-average 62.3 Pro Football Focus grade that was actually the best of his brief career. Meanwhile, Hill broke out in Cincinnati and finished with 5.5 sacks as a crucial part of their defensive line rotation.
The Giants need help at center, guard, and right tackle. Bozeman could at least help them with the two former positions.
The biggest obstacle to overcome here is cap space with the Giants somehow projected to be over the salary cap when free agency begins. But if they can clear the necessary space, Bozeman would be a major coup for the struggling franchise.
1. The Baltimore Ravens could re-sign Bradley Bozeman
At the end of the day, both the Ravens and Bozeman are eager to get a deal done. That doesn’t mean it’s going to happen, but when both sides want to make something happen, it usually has a way of working itself out.
The Ravens can ill-afford to lose Bozeman this offseason given how good he was in 2021 and the fact that they already have other issues to address on their offensive line.
The right tackle position is a question mark even following Patrick Mekari’s extension. Left tackle is far from a certainty with Ronnie Stanely’s health still in question.
Meanwhile, it’s unclear what the Ravens’ plan is for left guard with the likes of Ben Cleveland, Ben Powers, and Tyre Phillips battling it out this season.
There’s already a good chance the Ravens address the offensive line early in the draft. It would be a near-disaster if they were forced to search for Bozeman’s replacement as well.
After experiencing a few tumultuous seasons at the center position, the Ravens will be motivated to lock Bozeman up long-term. They may have to pay a pretty penny, but I think this one gets done.
Bradley Bozeman will have his options on the open market, but his heart is still in Baltimore. If we’re taking bets, I’d expect him to be back in 2022 and for the foreseeable future.