6 players the Ravens were right to move on from in 2022
By Justin Fried
5/4. Latavius Murray/Devonta Freeman, RB, Ravens
It never seemed likely that the Ravens would look to re-sign either Devonta Freeman or Latavius Murray this offseason. Both well-traveled veterans were signed as injury replacements after the Ravens’ entire running back depth chart was decimated before the season even started.
But with those players — J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, and Justice Hill — returning from injury, there just wasn’t a need to bring them back.
On top of that, the Ravens went out and signed veteran Mike Davis and drafted Tyler Badie in the sixth round. Both players could very well be upgrades over the underwhelming veteran duo the team had last year.
Freeman had his moments and was honestly more effective than expected, but the Ravens made the right decision here. It’ll be nice to have some explosiveness back at the position again.
3. Brandon Williams, DT, Ravens
Brandon Williams has been a key part of the Ravens’ defense for the better part of the last decade, but it became increasingly clear that he was well past his prime.
The 33-year-old put together the worst season of his career in 2021 finishing with a Pro Football Focus grade of 49.1 that ranked 85th out of 109 qualified interior defensive linemen.
The Ravens realized this and opted to let Williams walk in favor of former (and now current) nose tackle Michael Pierce. If healthy, Pierce should serve as an immediate upgrade over the declining Williams.
The team also added Connecticut’s Travis Jones in the draft, another player who should be more effective than Williams at this stage. Ultimately, the Ravens got younger and upgrade at the position.
Can’t argue with that roster-building philosophy.