Ravens News 2/26: Critical Combine

With Madubuike decision looming for Ravens, salary cap set at $255.4 million for 2024 season

Luke Jones, Baltimore Positive

On Friday, the NFL announced an unprecedented increase of just over $30 million to $255.4 million, which was markedly higher than most cap projections ahead of the new league year, which officially begins on March 13. The 2023 salary cap was $224.8 million.

According to OverTheCap.com, the Ravens rank 20th in cap space at roughly $18.5 million, but that’s before accounting for the contract structure of wide receiver Nelson Agholor, who signed a one-year deal earlier this week. That amount looks much better on paper than previous projections, but a higher cap benefits all 32 teams and will only drive up the market cost for free agents, which is why expectations should be tempered. In other words, Baltimore is still going to be dealing with a tight salary cap even with Friday’s dose of good news.

The biggest takeaway could be the cap increase making the use of the franchise tag on Pro Bowl defensive tackle Justin Madubuike less prohibitive. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the cost of the non-exclusive franchise tag for a defensive tackle will be $22.102 million.

The salary cap being set also meant the cost of the fifth-year options for 2021 first-round picks Rashod Bateman and Odafe Oweh being finalized. The extra year would cost $14.345 million for Bateman and $13.251 million for Oweh. Teams have until May 2 to decide on those fifth-year options, which are fully guaranteed if exercised.

50 Words or Less: Why This Is a Critical Combine for Ravens

Ryan Mink, BaltimoreRavens.com

Maybe the Ravens restructure Lamar Jackson’s contract to free up salary-cap space, but either way, it’s going to get expensive ($32.4 million projected for 2024). That means less space to add ancillary pieces or shop the free-agency market. Baltimore will need cheap, young talent to keep the window open.

The Chiefs won back-to-back championships because of Patrick Mahomes and a bunch of major contributors on their rookie contracts (Rashee Rice, Trent McDuffie, George Karlaftis, Isiah Pacheco, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, L’Jarius Sneed and more). That’s the model. Baltimore has a strong foundation of such players and will need more.

After the Ravens won Super Bowl XLVII and paid Joe Flacco his big deal, they made the playoffs one of the following five years until Jackson arrived in 2018. There are many reasons for that, but looming large among them is early-round draft misses during that era.

Perhaps the most important order of business in Indy is progress with Justin Madubuike. A long-term deal would give the Ravens significantly more flexibility to make additions, cut/restructure fewer contracts. If he’s on the franchise tag, suck that stomach in because it’s time to tighten the belt.

2024 NFL offseason: Bold moves, trades in free agency, draft for all 32 teams

Aaron Schatz, ESPN

Baltimore Ravens

Cut OT Ronnie Stanley

Once upon a time, Stanley was a first-team All-Pro, one of the best left tackles in the league. But that was five years ago. Stanley struggled last season for the Ravens, and they rotated him with Patrick Mekari. Stanley hasn’t played a full season since that 2019 All-Pro year, and he ranked 38th in pass block win rate (87.2%) among tackles in 2023.

Cutting Stanley before June 1 would save $8.3 million on the salary cap but would leave $17.8 million in dead money for 2024. A post-June 1 cut would save $15 million with $11.2 million in dead money for 2024 and additional dead money in 2025.

There’s no clear replacement for Stanley on this roster. Mekari is considered more of a swing tackle, a stellar backup but not a starter capable of protecting Lamar Jackson’s blind side for 17 games. But the Ravens are probably going to need to find a replacement for Stanley this offseason, so they might as well get some cap relief while finding a more trustworthy left tackle.

2024 NFL free agency mock draft: Kirk Cousins to Patriots, Mike Evans to Bears and 30 other big-name moves

Cody Benjamin, CBS Sports

20. Ravens: CB Stephon Gilmore

Patrick Queen is on the board here, but having already paid big bucks to Roquan Smith, Baltimore instead looks for a more affordable defensive upgrade, adding the seasoned Gilmore opposite Marlon Humphrey in the secondary.

AFC North Whiparound: Offseason priorities, rival free-agent targets and more

Jeff Zrebiec, The Athletic

All four teams have made coaching staff changes. Will the team you cover be drastically different with those changes? Or will things mostly seem the same on the outside?

The Ravens’ defensive staff was hit hard. They lost guys on the offensive and special teams sides, too. However, it’s hard to focus on anything but the loss of your defensive coordinator, defensive line/assistant head coach and defensive backs coach, particularly with how well the Ravens played on that side of the ball. With the promotion of inside linebackers coach Zach Orr to defensive coordinator, there will obviously be some changes. He will have some wrinkles. But Orr both played and coached under former defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald. He played his entire NFL career in Baltimore. It’s not like the Ravens brought in a complete outsider with his own established system. Plus, this is still John Harbaugh’s defense in a lot of ways. Macdonald said that on many occasions. This was a defense redesigned several years ago in Harbaugh’s vision.

Is there a pending free agent from another AFC North team that the team you cover should try to steal away? Is there a semi-wild March prediction you’d like to make?

If we’re playing fantasy football, sure, Higgins would look nice catching passes from Lamar Jackson and heading a wide receiver group that also includes Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor. When the Ravens were on the clock at No. 28 in the 2020 NFL Draft, their decision pretty much came down to Queen or Higgins. Their team has been far better equipped these past years to take advantage of the skill set of a playmaking inside linebacker than a big-play receiver, so it would be tough to quibble with their choice. Maybe this isn’t semi-wild because it’s been speculated, but the Ravens are going to add a big-name running back this offseason. I don’t know whether it will be Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, Austin Ekeler or Josh Jacobs, but I foresee them adding a bell-cow back.