Ravens rumors: Saquon Barkley links keeps growing amid Giants departure buzz

The Baltimore Ravens are expected by many to go hunting for some of the big-name running backs available on the market, with Tennessee Titans great Derrick Henry and New York Giants star Saquon Barkley standing out as two more transformative talents.

The Ravens need to make some other cap moves before they can get under the salary cap. Once that box gets checked, the Ravens should be all over a talent like Barkley as they try to beef up the offense.

According to ESPN's Jordan Raanan, Barkley's salary demands will likely be somewhere in the $8 million-$12 million range, which isn't far off from what Henry will likely earn on the open market. Even with Henry being linked to Baltimore so strongly, Barkley might be firmly in the Ravens' crosshairs.

Raanan linked the Ravens, Chicago Bears, and Los Angeles Chargers to Barkley, as all three of them could use upgrades at running back. He won't come super cheap for a running back, but the Ravens might need a difference-maker if they want to be more dangerous in the postseason.

Ravens rumors: Saquon Barkley linked to Baltimore once again

Eric DeCosta has said in the past that he wants to retain their two internal free agents back in Gus Edwards and JK Dobbins. While both of them had great individual moments with Baltimore, Barkley is very clearly an upgrade as a big-play threat and a receiving threat.

Barkley is likely going to head to whomever the highest bidder is, but the Ravens will present him a very unique opportunity to compete for a championship while also performing in a situation much more conducive to gaudy numbers than a Giants team that was playing with an XFL offensive line.

Playing next to Lamar Jackson will lead to less stacked boxes than what Barkley had to face in New York. With 20 touchdowns and more than 1,000 yards in each of his last two seasons with the Giants, Barkley is still a viable red zone weapon and threat to bust a big one when he gets a full head of steam.

Barkley has been stuck on some bad Giants teams for most of his tenure, which could make the idea of playing for a contender like Baltimore even more enticing. The Ravens may not have unlimited money to entice him with, but it seems hard to imagine a world where he doesn't at least make Baltimore one of his finalists if they pursue the former Penn State star.