Ravens looking to make a major splash at linebacker

The Baltimore Ravens could be on the verge of making a major addition to their roster in the form of veteran linebacker Blake Martinez.

The Score’s Jordan Schultz is reporting that Martinez is set to visit with the Ravens on Tuesday with the team looking to add to a linebacker room that has underperformed thus far in 2022.

Martinez spent the last two years with the New York Giants where he put together a career-best season in 2020. Unfortunately, a torn ACL cut his 2021 campaign short, and a new, rebuilding Giants regime deemed him expendable this summer.

However, Martinez is about as experienced and accomplished of an option as you’re going to find in mid/late September. This would be a splash signing for the Ravens.

Blake Martinez would upgrade a weak Ravens linebacker room

A fourth-round pick of the Green Back Packers in the 2016 NFL Draft, Martinez spent the first four years of his career in Green Bay before signing a hefty three-year, $30 million deal with the Giants in the 2020 offseason.

The 2020 season was a career year for Martinez who finished with a Pro Football Focus grade of 75.9 that ranked among the best at his position. Most notably, Martinez became a much more well-rounded player.

Once considered to be a liability in coverage, Martinez was excellent in pass defense to go along with his always stout run defense. His play dipped slightly in 2021 prior to his injury, but there’s no reason to believe that Martinez won’t be an upgrade.

The duo of Patrick Queen and Josh Bynes has produced less-than-stellar results so far with Queen, in particular, struggling mightily against the Miami Dolphins in Week 2.

The Ravens just placed undrafted rookie Josh Ross on the injured reserve which explains why the team is in the market for a linebacker. That said, Martinez isn’t just a depth piece.

He’d very likely push Bynes for playing time and could serve as a pretty significant upgrade. It’s rare to find a player of Martinez’s caliber on the open market at this stage of the season.

Don’t expect All-Pro-caliber play from the former Giants linebacker, but Blake Martinez should be an upgrade.