Baltimore Ravens: Time to prepare for life without Kelechi Osemele?
The Baltimore Ravens already elected to use their franchise tag on kicker Justin Tucker, who just might be the best in the business, leaving Kelechi Osemele‘s future with the team in even more doubt.
Whether it’s edge rusher Olivier Vernon, beastly interior star Malik Jackson, 1,400-yard rusher Doug Martin, or shutdown corner Sean Smith, there could be plenty of talent for teams to choose from this March. The Baltimore Ravens have one of the best impending free agents around, and if the Buffalo Bills don’t keep Cordy Glenn, guard/tackle Kelechi Osemele will be hands-down the best free agent offensive lineman available.
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Over the past few seasons, Osemele has been one of the NFL’s elite guards, and you won’t find any analyst out there questioning his credentials as a top-quality starter. Osemele plays with a mean streak that rivals his teammate- and future Hall of Famer- Marshal Yanda‘s, as he’s a bulldozing presence in the running game.
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However, what would make Osemele so valuable on the open market is the fact that he’s also one of the safest pass blocking guards around, to the point where he’s managed to hold his own at tackle. In fact, some say the Ravens could view Osemele as a left tackle, which would allow them to justifiably swallow up Eugene Monroe‘s dead cap and save $2.1 million by cutting him. Many see him as a candidate to be released, and while I think the dead cap is too much to swallow for a team with serious depth concerns at tackle, I wouldn’t exactly be surprised if he’s cut either.
The problem is that Monroe is more than just insurance at this point, since the 28-year-old and current Ravens starting tackle is the only team’s valid option at the position with Osemele still yet to be signed.
Hurting the Ravens chances of keeping Osemele is the fact that the former Iowa State standout is poised to earn at least $10 million per season, as per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The most expensive deals signed by guards were $8.5 million per year (Logan Mankins) and $8 million per season (Mike Iupati), and while $10 million is a huge jump, it’s money Osemele clearly deserves for three reasons.
- He’s better than those two.
- There’s more money floating around in free agency now than ever before.
- He can play tackle, too, so teams in need of a new starting tackle could see him as a potential option, especially if the Bills keep Glenn, which is fully expected to happen via the franchise tag.
The Ravens, unlike the Bills, opted to use their franchise tag on Tucker, but, of course, Buffalo didn’t have two players worth tagging.
Baltimore made its choice, and they have to do whatever they can to make sure Osemele doesn’t hit the open market. But since he is poised to rake in dough a la Vernon or Jackson (should those two defensive linemen hit free agency), he’s probably looking to do whatever it takes to make sure he can hit the open market and be the subject of a massive bidding war.
In 2014, the Ravens offense was fully healthy and clicking, and they gave Joe Flacco one of the NFL’s better offensive lines. He had plenty of time to throw it to the explosive WR duo of Torrey Smith and Steve Smith Sr., and breakout running back Justin Forsett had plenty of room to work with, too. The year before, however, the Ravens were a disaster, as they had no running game, just one wide receiver worth mentioning (T. Smith, who, to his credit, balled out), and allowed their QB to take repeated beatings behind an awful offensive line.
The difference between the success the Ravens had in 2013 and 2014 is a big reason why they have to value offensive line play as much as any team in this league, and while injuries were the main culprit in their nightmare of a 2015 season, we saw the same OT and overall OL issues creep up again last season.
Ronnie Stanley would be a huge upgrade with the sixth overall pick, but losing Osemele could open up another hole if John Urschel isn’t as good of a left guard as some are hoping he is. But at this point, the Ravens have to prepare for life without Osemele, because it’s hard to see him remaining with the team.
What should give Ravens fans optimism, though, is the fact that the Baltimore Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec reported that the team views him as a left tackle and made him an “aggressive offer”.
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The thing is, he’d probably get an even more aggressive offer in free agency, since other OL-needy teams will view him as a left tackle after watching his four games of tape last season, and there are plenty of teams with money to spend who want to help their skill position players by making the biggest OL upgrade possibility.