Ravens interested in re-signing these 3 defensive free agents

The Baltimore Ravens may have missed out on signing Bobby Wagner, but they’re not done making moves in free agency just yet. Those moves may not be external additions, however.

The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec reported on Thursday that the Ravens are interested in re-signing at least three defensive players who remain free agents. Those players are defensive lineman Calais Campbell, linebacker Josh Bynes, and edge rusher Justin Houston.

All three held down starting roles for a large portion of last season, but given their collective ages, it isn’t a surprise to see them still on the market in April.

Still, the Ravens still have plenty of work to do on defense, and bringing any of these three players back would certainly be helpful.

The Ravens are looking to re-sign Calais Campbell, Josh Bynes, and Justin Houston

Campbell would no doubt provide the greatest boost to the Ravens’ defense. The six-time Pro Bowler has spent the last two seasons in Baltimore, and even at 35-years-old, he’s still playing at a very high level.

The Ravens want Campbell back, especially given their lack of defensive line depth, but he’s still weighing his options. There’s a very good chance that the 2022 season is his final in the NFL and he presumably wants the best opportunity to compete for a Super Bowl.

The Ravens could be that team, but it’s far from a guarantee.

As for Bynes, the 32-year-old linebacker rejoined the Ravens for his third stint with the organization in 2021. And much like he had done in the past, he soon stepped into a starting role and helped solidify the linebacker position.

Bynes more than held his own in the starting lineup and even took some of the pressure off of young linebacker Patrick Queen. It’s no coincidence that Queen played the best football of his NFL career when paired with Bynes.

Again, the Ravens do want Bynes back, at the very least for depth purposes. After striking out on Bobby Wagner, perhaps a reunion could happen in the coming days.

Finally, we have Justin Houston. The Ravens signed Houston to a one-year deal last summer, and he went on to serve an important role as a veteran presence in the team’s pass-rush rotation.

At 33-years-old, Houston isn’t the player he used to be, but he’s still an effective player who could absolutely contribute for the Ravens in 2022.

The Ravens have been very active in the free-agent market in search of a pass rusher, but after missing out on both Za’Darius Smith and Emmanuel Ogbah, they’ll likely have to settle if they plan to address the position in free agency.

A reunion with Houston makes sense and it wouldn’t prevent the team from addressing edge rusher in the draft.

The Ravens remain interested in keeping their own. Expect at least one of these deals to get done in the near future.