Jan 12, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos defensive end Elvis Dumervil (92) during the overtime period of the AFC divisional round playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens at Sports Authority Field. The Ravens won 38-35. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
This off-season for the Ravens, has been a rather painful one to watch as their Super Bowl caliber defense suffered a few critical losses. Ray Lewis announced his retirement, and no fewer than 4 starters (Paul Kruger, Ed Reed, Bernard Pollard, Dannell Ellerbe) signed new contracts with different teams. Their LB corps in particular, is a position that requires the most attention, as both of their starting ILBs are now gone, and the only starter left was OLB Terrell Suggs. Well, the Baltimore Ravens made a serious addition in the form of Broncos LB/DE Elvis Dumervil. With the financial details now set, the Ravens have added a huge threat to their defense. As described by Adam Schefter:
Ravens are giving former Broncos DE Elvis Dumervil a five-year deal worth up to $35 million, including $8.5 million in year one.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 24, 2013
Not only does he fill the void left by Paul Kruger’s departure, he’s an immediate upgrade to that position, and now their defense features 2 dangerous pass rushers that can really do some serious damage to opposing teams’s offenses this next season. With the development of versatile DL/LB Courtney Upshaw, the Ravens could be in position to dictate the flow of the passing game, given the sheer amount of disruption they are now capable of creating from the edge. Provided the Ravens manage to fill in the remaining holes on defense, they could easily maintain and even improve on one of the top defenses in the NFL.
Meanwhile, this now pushes the Denver Broncos to finding a suitable replacement, both short and long term for Elvis Dumervil. One popular belief, is the Broncos could be looking to add Dwight Freeney, in an effort designed to boost their pass-rush. The entire situation that started from a mistake made in filing paperwork, has now resulted in the Broncos losing one of their best players on defense. However, it is also believed at one point the Broncos were prepared to cut Dumervil if he refused to take a pay-cut, which he did initially. So, have no fear Broncos fans, John Elway surely has a plan in place to fix this mistake.