Ravens may set sights on low-key offseason need to stack Jesse Minter's defense

I think almost every Baltimore Ravens fan would agree that the priorities this offseason should be upgrading the trenches and the receiving core. With Kyle Hamilton being a superstar and Malaki Starks entering his second season, Baltimore's safety room isn't seen as a pressing need by any means.

Nevertheless, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN recently noted that Baltimore might be in the market for a safety during free agency. 

"The Ravens could be in the market for a safety in free agency, too, per multiple league executives, despite having one of the league's best in Kyle Hamilton and drafting Malaki Starks in the first round. A growing trend in the league is using three safeties, similar to what Seattle did to great success last season with Nick Emmanwori as a safety/big nickel alongside Julian Love and Coby Bryant. New Ravens coach Jesse Minter was known to experiment with the same setup with the Chargers. I'm not sure how many dollars the Ravens would commit here, but it's worth noting," Fowler wrote. 

Ravens adding another safety could make sense

This report might surprise some Ravens fans, given the undeniable need for pass rush reinforcements. Regardless, as Fowler noted, utilizing three safeties has been a trend around the league. A trend the Ravens started. Considering Hamilton's elite versatility and Jesse Minter's background, this scheme would be ideal for Baltimore. Furthermore, we saw how three safety schemes benefited the Ravens last season after they traded for Alohi Gilman. 

Despite having a fairly talented secondary, the Ravens ranked 30th in opposing passing yards per game. Thus, bolstering the safety room even more would give the Ravens a clear defensive identity, and the logic behind this report is fairly sound. 

After reading this, though, the first thing I thought was, what about Gilman? The 28-year-old safety is entering free agency after a solid second half of the season with Baltimore. Crucially, though, re-signing him should be relatively cheap, per Spotrac; his estimated market value is $4.1 million a year. If the Ravens want to operate with three safeties, simply keeping Gilman seems like an easy path. Additionally, he spent a year and a half with Minter in Los Angeles. 

Of course, Fowler didn't mention that this would spell the end of Gilman's tenure with the Ravens. Nevertheless, if they're searching the open market, that would likely mean they'd be okay letting Gilman walk. I suppose the Ravens could re-sign Gilman and sign a cheaper safety so they can always play with three safeties.

In any event, a reunion with Tony Jefferson could make sense, especially since he played with Minter during the past two seasons and would likely be cost-efficient. 

The Ravens' possible focus on landing another safety in free agency is somewhat logical. However, it shouldn't come at the expense of upgrading their front-seven. Hopefully, Eric DeCosta can balance filling a clear need for pass rush while giving the team some more scheme versatility by adding another safety and/or re-signing Gilman. 

If everything goes smoothly, it's not crazy to suggest that the Ravens can return to their elite defensive standards next season. Another safety could play a role in that renaissance.