There is no need to hide this because it's been the talk around Baltimore all summer long: the Ravens are all-in for a Super Bowl run in 2023 and they have built one of the most expensive, and maybe strongest, offensive units ever put together.
First of all, the Ravens added veteran Odell Beckham Jr. to the fold signing the former Super Bowl champ to a hefty one-year, $15 million deal early in the spring. Then, they pointed up more than $3 million to land veteran pass-catcher Nelson Agholor. Later, they added "Most Impressive Rookie" Zay Flowers with a first-round draft pick this spring.
And of course... do I need to mention Lamar Jackson was re-signed to a humongous five-year, $260 million deal?
According to Jamison Hensley of ESPN, researching through ESPN's Roster Management System, the Ravens are spending "$169,221,003 in cash (salaries and signing bonuses) on their offense this year." Sheesh, that figure.
Hensley went on to point out how Baltimore is $11 million above the next biggest spender in the NFL on the offensive side of the ball.
That's ridiculous. Excluding quarterbacks, only 17 individual offensive players are earning more than $11 million per year on average. On the other hand, 790 players are earning fewer than that across the NFL, per Over The Cap. Straight offensive.
Not only did the Ravens spend a lot of money in re-signing their quarterback ($135 million guaranteed) and adding new toys to the offense, but they are also paying a ridiculous $4.3 million to their sixth-string wide receiver. Yes, that's WR6 I wrote right there.
Now, of course, you get why we have been singing the song of cutting a bunch of ancillary members of the offensive unit (as sad and heartbreaking as that might be) whose money could be better used in bolstering positions of need--read: cornerback for one, linebacker for two.
For now, though, we will have to wait and see how the offense does on the field once all starters share the gridiron for the first time on Sunday.
The preseason has been one full of promise and hype, but until we see everybody clicking at the same time it'd be hard to answer the question of whether or not the investment was worth it.