4 underrated moves the Ravens made in the 2022 offseason

1. The Ravens re-sign Josh Bynes

Josh Bynes was perhaps the most underappreciated member of the Ravens’ roster in 2021. Despite not re-joining the team until September, Bynes quickly stepped into a starting role and became a crucial part of the team’s defense.

In many ways, Bynes helped salvage the linebacker position last season.

The Ravens hoped that the young, unproven duo of Patrick Queen and Malik Harrison would be able to hold down the fort in 2021. Unfortunately, it quickly became apparent that wasn’t going to be the case.

Bynes soon took over for Harrison in the starting lineup, and not only did the veteran provide an instant upgrade, but he helped get the best out of Queen as well.

Queen had been inconsistent at best since entering the NFL, but after being paired with Bynes, the former first-round pick finally showed signs of becoming the player the Ravens always hoped he would be.

Queen played his best and most consistent football when paired with Bynes — and that wasn’t a coincidence. As for Bynes, his 74.8 PFF grade was good for 11th among all linebackers in the NFL.

At 32-years-old (turns 33 in August), Bynes clearly isn’t a long-term solution, but he proved his worth last season. The fact that the Ravens were able to re-sign him to a meager one-year, $1.2 million contract is downright remarkable.

Bynes is a darn good player who was willing to sign for virtually nothing. It may not seem like much, but if Bynes plays anywhere close to as well as he played in 2021, this could go down as one of the best moves of the offseason.