1 free agent offensive lineman Ravens must avoid at all costs in offseason
By Mike Luciano
The Baltimore Ravens may need to make some massive changes on the offensive line, specifically at the tackle spots. Ronnie Stanley's injury history has impacted his ability to play at an elite level, and veteran Morgan Moses isn't exactly a solid long-term option due to his age.
Stanley faces the very real possibility of being cut in the name of saving money. This would force Baltimore to look to what is already a rapidly thinning free agent class for an answer that could end up being more trouble than they are worth.
Even with the New York Jets needing offensive line help more than any team in the league, it seems like a foregone conclusion that the two parties will separate. Becton is still full of potential, but he hasn't made good on that potential at any point in his four-year career.
While Becton sounds like a fun reclamation project, especially given Baltimore's history with mammoth offensive linemen, but the idea of what he could be is much more appealing than the product he is right now. The Ravens need to stay far away from Becton on the open market.
The Baltimore Ravens need to avoid signing Mekhi Becton
Injuries are the biggest concern with Stanley at this point in his career, so why on Earth would signing a player who missed essentially two entire seasons make any sense whatsoever? Becton is also coming off a poor year from a performance point of view, as no tackle surrendered as many sacks as he did.
Becton supporters will tell you that his raw physical talent, coupled with the fact the Jets were such a mess around him last year it would be hard for any tackle to thrive, make him a perfect bounce-back candidate. The issue for Baltimore is that his floor was so alarmingly low that he could ruin a gameplan with a poor game or misplaced step of his oft-injured feet.
Purely from a production and financial point of view, both Stanley and Moses are better players than Becton. Drafting a rookie in the 2024 NFL Draft would also be preferable here, as Becton is a one-year risk Baltimore can't afford to take.
The ideal landing spot for Becton will give him time to work through his mistakes while also not risking a championship pursuit on him as their left tackle. The Ravens can't do that, which should be more than enough reason for DeCosta to look elsewhere for reinforcements up front.