The Baltimore Ravens will enter an offseason in which more than one-third of their roster could hit the open market. With so many names possibly leaving town in the next few months, Eric DeCosta needs to figure out which players are absolutely indispensable to the team's cause.
The Ravens have one of the best in the game in Lamar Jackson in his prime, and Baltimore shouldn't try to build with too many young draft picks. They have as good a chance as anyone to unseat the mighty Kansas City Chiefs atop the very competitive AFC in the next few years.
The Ravens may have had the most talented roster in the league from top to bottom last year, and it would be doing many of the remaining players a disservice. If there was ever a season for the Ravens to pay at or above market value to keep some of their own, this is the year.
Baltimore needs to identify this trio of standouts as the clear best players available on the market and work towards new contracts that keep them in Ravens purple. These players will get paid no matter what Baltimore does, so being proactive might be a way to make sure they don't end up leaving for a different contender.
3 free agents the Baltimore Ravens must bring back in 2024
3. OG Kevin Zeitler
After a bit of a nomadic career in which he bounced from underperforming team to underperforming team, Zeitler was one of the main cogs in a Ravens offense that led the league in rushing and helped Jackson win an MVP. Baltimore seems willing to let their experienced guard test the open market.
The offensive line is on shaky ground outside of tremendous center Tyler Linderbaum. The oft-injured Ronnie Stanley could be a cap casualty at left tackle, Morgan Moses isn't safe at right tackle, and left guard John Simpson is a free agent. Zeitler coming back, even on a multi-year contract, is worth its weight in gold due to the stability he brings.
The Baltimore Ravens need to sign Kevin Zeitler
Given his age, it will be very unlikely that a one-year deal for Zeitler would cross into eight-figure territory. Still, the fact that Baltimore was unable to get a deal hammered out with him at the same time when they inked Nelson Agholor to a one-year contract shows the state of negotiations between the two parties right now.
In a league where good offensive line play is getting thinner with each passing season, a team that hinges its entire offensive identity on beating the stuffing out of teams with a vicious running game needs to get one of the best road graders in the league back in Baltimore as soon as possible.
2. EDGE Jadeveon Clowney
Clowney may have made three Pro Bowls and an All-Pro team with the Houston Texans, but he seemed to be running out of chances to stick as a starter in the NFL after multiple somewhat uninspiring years in a row. Baltimore gave Clowney the shot in the arm he needed to get his career on track.
Even as Baltimore gets linked to edge rushers like Chase Young while also counting on a breakout season from former first-round pick Odafe Oweh, Clowney's two-way skill and recent improvement in turning pressures into sacks should be more than enough to convince the Ravens he should be back in 2024.
The Baltimore Ravens must agree to a contract with Jadeveon Clowney.
While he's not the same athlete who looked like he came from another planet during his South Carolina and early Texans tenures, the speed-power combination he possesses still far exceeds what most other 31-year-old defensive ends have in their back pocket.
Clowney isn't signing for the $2.5 million chump change he played on last season, but his production was more than good enough to warrant the pay raise. With teams like the Bills or Anthony Weaver-led Dolphins possibly snooping around his camp, the Ravens must make a very compelling offer early in the free agency process.
1. DT Justin Madubuike
Madbuike may have had one of the best contract years in NFL history, as somewhat mixed reviews on the former third-round pick turned into universal acclaim after he recorded 13 sacks. Madubuike is ready to cash in, and he made it clear the Ravens need to pay up if they want him back.
On the open market, Madubuike could easily get a deal similar to what San Francisco's Javon Hargrave earned in the 2023 free agency blitz. Rivals like the Bengals have been projected as a possible fit for his services, underscoring just how seismic a loss he would be for Zach Orr and his defense.
The Baltimore Ravens must sign Justin Madubuike.
The franchise tag is hated by players across the league, and this year's defensive tackle tag will cost Baltimore over $20 million per season if they want to hold on to the former Texas A&M star. Even with all of those factors taken into account, this offseason will be a massive failure if Madubuike is not back for at least the 2024 season.
While some might have doubts about the idea of making a player with exactly one above-average season (an All-Pro one, grated) out of four the most important defensive linemen on the team, interior tackles that can get pressure without forcing the defense to blitz heavily are more critical now than ever.
Even if Madubuike is 75% as good as he was last year, he should be back in the Pro Bowl.