The Baltimore Ravens had to swallow some major subtractions from their roster, as impactful players like Patrick Queen, John Simpson, and Gus Edwards left for greener pastures. Those moves were balanced out by the meteoric signing of running back Derrick Henry.
After the Tennessee Titans came to an agreement with Tony Pollard and the Los Angeles Chargers lured Edwards away, Henry and the Ravens came to an agreement on a two-year contract worth $16 million in base value. The deal could escalate to as much as $20 million in the next two years.
The Ravens will have a competitive team if they were to sit on their hands for the rest of free agency, but Eric DeCosta and John Harbaugh are assuredly not done making moves yet. Baltimore has a few more decisions that need to be made if they want their roster to head into a pivotal campaign with as few holes as possible.
Now that the Henry signing seems to be finalized, the Ravens need to figure out their next steps. Checking these three boxes would be a tremendous way for Baltimore to address areas of weakness without breaking the bank or setting themselves up for tough financial times in the next few years.
3 moves the Baltimore Ravens must make after Derrick Henry signing
3. Add a Geno Stone replacement at safety
If the Ravens are going to play a similar style of defense to what Mike Macdonald deployed last season, they will be putting three safeties on the field semi-regularly. With Geno Stone signing a two-year deal with the hated Cincinnati Bengals, the Ravens might need to go bargain-hunting here.
Stone wouldn't be confused with Ronnie Lott as a run defender, but he showed an exemplary ability to break on the ball and create turnovers. Once the Ravens get done freeing up more cap space, they could look for recently discarded veterans on a one or two-year deal.
The Baltimore Ravens could make a cheap safety addition.
Quandre Diggs was just released by the Seattle Seahawks, and he has some good football left in the tank. The New Orleans Saints cut Marcus Maye loose, and Jordan Whitehead could be an interesting reclamation project after an up-and-down tenure with the New York Jets.
The Ravens already got career years out of Kyle Van Noy and Jadeveon Clowney last season, and the hiring of internal replacement Zach Orr as defensive coordinator is a sign they will likely keep the structure in place. After seeing what happened to Stone last year, veterans could become very entranced by the idea of playing in Baltimore.
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2. Sign Jadeveon Clowney
Clowney could capitalize this offseason, as the market for pass rushers is starting to explode. While the former No. 1 pick has typically waited until the wee hours before the season to pick a team over the last few years, the mutual interest between him and the Ravens might help get a deal done.
Even after he made three Pro Bowls and an All-Pro team with the Houston Texans, Clowney's 9.5 sacks were the most he ever had in a season. The pressure rate is still quality, and Clowney's rare athletic ability remains in tact as he crosses the 30-year-old Meridian line. A return makes too much sense.
The Baltimore Ravens need to keep Jadeveon Clowney
While Kyle Van Noy was also excellent last season, it seems unlikely that Baltimore could keep both of them and fix up their offensive line in a meaningful way. Given his ability to still stuff the run and his revitalized pass rush skill, Clowney is clearly the better signing of the two players.
Possible contenders like the Texans and Dolphins invested a ton of money into their defensive lines, which may have inadvertently narrowed the possible landing spots for Clowney on the open market. If both parties want this to get done, they need to lock things down as soon as possible.
1. Cut Ronnie Stanley
While it might sound trite to keep banging the Stanley drum, it seems very unlikely to imagine a scenario where the Ravens can either build a deep team with his big contract in the fold or free up extra cap space in 2024 without cutting him. Last year was not how the former All-Pro wanted his season to go.
Stanley was one of the most penalized tackles in the league last year, and his pass blocking started to fall off just a tad as he started to see injury problems have started to catch up with him. Both parties might need a fresh start, as Stanley will likely find some team that will take a chance on him.
The Baltimore Ravens need to cut Ronnie Stanley
The Ravens could take advantage of a very deep offensive tackle class in the 2024 NFL Draft, or they could turn around and add another veteran with a more stable lower body and a cheaper contract. Stanley getting hurt again in 2024 could be enough to decimate what is already a thin offensive line.
Remaking the entire left side of the offensive line in a year that could be considered Super Bowl or Bust by many is quite a risk, but so is trusting Stanley to suddenly turn back the clock. It's sad to see his career degrade like this, but the Ravens can't keep replaying his old highlights to justify keeping him.