Ravens News 2/28: Luxury Shopping

Justin Madubuike Will Probably Get Franchise Tag If No Deal Is Reached

Ryan Mink, BaltimoreRavens.com

Ravens General Manager Eric DeCosta said he plans to place the franchise tag on the pending free agent defensive tackle if a long-term deal isn’t reached before March 5, the deadline to apply the tag.

“We probably will, yes,” DeCosta said during his Tuesday press conference at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.

The franchise tag would cost the Ravens $22.1 million against the salary cap, which would require more cap-clearing moves. The Ravens currently have $16.6 million in salary-cap space, per Over The Cap.

The preference would be to strike a deal, which would come with a small Year 1 salary-cap hit and mean less money shuffling and more ability to retain or bring in other free agents. DeCosta said the two sides are working on that, and negotiations could take place at the Combine.

2024 NFL free agency: Baker Mayfield, Derrick Henry among 15 boom-or-bust players on the market

Matt Okada, NFL.com

Derrick Henry

Tennessee Titans · RB · Age: 30

King Henry needs little introduction. He’s been one of the best and most productive running backs of the last decade, arguably of all time. But Father Time is undefeated, and Henry is now 30 years old. He posted a career-low 4.2 yards per carry last season (which is still quite good for what it’s worth) and only managed five carries of 20-plus yards, his lowest total in a full season since 2018.

While he may not be as explosive, Henry is still an absolute wrecking ball capable of shouldering a true bell-cow workload. In a more productive offense, Henry has enough juice to be one of the league’s best backs. The obvious team to pair him with is Baltimore, though I could also see the Jets signing him as thunder to Breece Hall’s lightning or the rival Texans picking him up to take pressure off C.J. Stroud. But if he ends up in another plodding system where defenses can stack the box with impunity, we could finally see Henry hit a wall he can’t demolish.

I Want To Be On Board With Ravens Signing A Significant Running Back, But …

Glenn Clark, PressBox

It’s not so much that I’m opposed to the idea of Henry or Barkley. (I also happen to love Josh Jacobs AND just so happen to know that he’d truly love to be a Baltimore Raven.) I’m not. It’s just that my gut tells me that the Ravens are better suited spending the money in … any other way.

They need edge rushers. Badly. They struck gold with Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy this past season but are right back in the same bind this year. They need to keep Justin Madubuike, and that might require a $22 million franchise tag. They need at least a right guard on their offensive line and perhaps more than that. They probably still need one more wide receiver. And we still don’t know who else they might part ways with, although last week’s salary cap boost might limit the damage.

Other issues require necessary fixes. Running back remains a luxury.

I just can’t fathom watching the Ravens in the AFC championship game and thinking, “What they really need is an upgrade at running back.” The personnel was fine. The usage was the problem. You might think that spending money on a back will demand a certain amount of usage but I assure you that you don’t really want that, either.

2024 NFL scouting combine: Everything Ravens fans need to know

Brian Wacker, The Baltimore Sun

Possible Ravens targets to watch

Defensive ends — Missouri’s Darius Robinson, UCLA’s Laiatu Latu: At 6 feet, 5 inches and 286 pounds, Robinson fits the mold of Ravens pass rushers. Latu could be gone by the time Baltimore picks at No. 30 after being one of the better pass rushers in the country last season with 13 sacks and 49 tackles, 21 1/2 of which were for a loss.

Offensive tackles — Georgia’s Amarius Mims, Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton, Arizona’s Jordan Morgan: With Ronnie Stanley and Morgan Moses plagued by injuries last season and both getting older, it would be a good idea to draft their tackle(s) of the future. Mims and Guyton are physical freaks, while Morgan, who could play guard or tackle, boasts the kind of versatility the Ravens crave.

Cornerbacks — Georgia’s Kamari Lassiter, Missouri’s Ennis Rakestraw Jr.: DeCosta is fond of saying the Ravens can never have too many cornerbacks. It’s also a position with a lot of uncertainty and lack of depth, given a handful of free agents on the Ravens roster. At 6 feet and 180 pounds, Lassiter has excellent size along with strong ball skills, and Rakestraw (6 feet, 188 pounds) is similar along with featuring excellent speed.

Wide receivers — Oregon’s Troy Franklin, Florida State’s Keon Coleman: At 6-3 and 6-4, respectively, either player would give quarterback Lamar Jackson big targets opposite Zay Flowers. Franklin is explosive, while Coleman could play in a variety of positions given he is 215 pounds.

2024 NFL Scouting Combine: One prospect at every position with the most to gain

Gordon McGuinness, PFF

OFFENSIVE LINE: KINGSLEY SUAMATAIA, BYU

The consensus on Suamataia seems to be that he would benefit from a season to sit and learn in the NFL. The 6-foot-6, 315-pounder earned just a 66.4 PFF grade in 2023, which is why he is generally viewed as a second-round prospect.

He can open a lot of eyes at the combine, though. A big performance in drills could see him vault himself into the discussion toward the end of the first round — where multiple teams could be looking for a left tackle of the future.

SAFETY: JAVON BULLARD, GEORGIA

The battle for S1 is pretty crowded at this point, but Bullard has the record of production to hear his name called first.

The 5-foot-11, 195-pound safety produced an 88.4 PFF coverage grade and a 26.9% forced incompletion rate in 2023. He has the versatility to cover in the slot, too, and if he can open some eyes by testing better than expected, he could be a highly coveted player heading into the draft.