The Ravens might have the best defense in the nation but they could find themselves in a very different situation by this time next year. In fact, it might not take that much time with many different playmakers hitting free agency as soon as March.
One of those players, defensive end Justin Madubuike, is having a breakout season leading the first level of Baltimore's defense. So much so, that ESPN has ranked Madubuike as the 13th-best pending free agency for the upcoming 2024 offseason.
"Justin Madubuike has already recorded a career-high 8.5 sacks this season after posting 5.5 in 2022. The foot quickness jumps on the tape, as does the short-area juice, which allows Madubuike to leverage blockers and create interior pressure. The arrow is pointing up on him; he can win one-on-one or push the pocket in schemed fronts."Matt Bowen, ESPN
Madubuike, who is currently earning a meager $2.7 million from Baltimore, will be 26 years old by the time the ball gets rolling next September. As Matt Bowens smartly pointed out in his blurb about the Ravens lineman, Madubuike "has already recorded a career-high 8.5 sacks this season after posting 5.5 in 2022."
That bump up in production, as well as his steadiness (he's racked up at least half a sack for weeks on end), is putting Madubuike in a prime position to fill his bag next March, whether that's in Baltimore or elsewhere.
Yes, I wrote "or elsewhere." And that's because Baltimore is expected to have a little over $13 million of cap space next offseason while having to extend Madubuike as well as NFL-interception.leading Geno Stone and linebacker Patrick Queen.
"While Chris Jones and Christian Wilkins are the more well-known names at interior defensive line, Madubuike is also in line to earn big dollars in March. Like Robert Hunt, he's in the category of "he'll make more money than people think." He's a major disruptor in the Ravens' 3-4 scheme. The Giants need a Leonard Williams replacement, and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale could tap into his old team's current roster for help."Jeremy Fowler, ESPN
Jeremy Fowler touched on this in his own blurb, highlighting the New York Giants as a franchise potentially willing to pay Madubuike all the money he wants.
"The Giants need a Leonard Williams replacement, wrote Fowler, "and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale could tap into his old team's current roster for help."
It will be a hard pill to swallow losing any/multiple of Queen, Madubuike, and Stone, but that's sadly looking like the most probable scenario at this point.
The most optimistic outlook, all things considered, would go through Baltimore bringing back two of those three pending free agents. The two names that are seemingly closer to staying put are Madubuike and Stone, with Queen probably deemed a bit of a surplus asset since the arrival (and extension) of Roquan Smith last season.