Projecting the futures of the Ravens’ top 2023 free agents
By Kristen Wong
Ravens OT Ja’Wuan James will go
Baltimore signed offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James to a two-year contract in 2021 despite James coming off an Achilles tear, and we’re betting that the team’s gamble won’t pay off.
We previously wrote about how James should not be considered Ronnie Stanley’s replacement on the offensive line in 2022. Given his streaky injury history and the fact that James hasn’t played a game since 2019, James may never grow into a starting role.
As long as James recovers to full health this offseason, he has, at the very least, backup potential, but he was already a low-risk, low-reward signing to begin with. One snag in his rehab or a few poor performances in training camp and James could end up getting cut in favor of younger and healthier options.
The Ravens would love as many elite tackle options as possible to avoid a repeat of last year’s pitiful offensive line performance, but unfortunately, James may not be the answer.
Expect him out of Baltimore either later this offseason or by next year.