Baltimore Ravens: Sneaky Good in Free Agency
By David Mamola
There haven’t been a ton of accolades thrown at the Baltimore Ravens for their free-agent moves. But take another look and you’ll see that there should be.
The Baltimore Ravens’ offseason couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start.
Just moments after the new league year opened on March 9th, four-year pro and versatile offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele left for the Oakland Raiders. Just like that, one of the premier players at his position walked out the door.
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The Ravens have always gone about free agency in a calculated way, so it wasn’t a surprise when the Ravens didn’t panic.
Instead, they calmly went about with their business, looking for free agent steals. They happened to find one in 35-year old tight end Ben Watson.
Watson, a Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee last season, had a bounce back year in 2015 with the Saints, finishing with 74 catches, 825 yards, and 6 touchdowns—all career highs or tied for such.
At first glance, this appeared to be a strange signing for the Ravens, since after all, they do have two young tight ends (Crockett Gillmore and Maxx Williams) already on board. But looking deeper, this was an excellent move for Baltimore.
Watson is a twelve year veteran who has basically seen it all. On the field, he’ll serve as a crafty weapon for quarterback Joe Flacco in the red zone and on third down. Off the field, he’ll help mentor Gillmore and Williams to reach their full potential, while also serving as a respected locker room leader and voice.
A few days after signing Watson, the Ravens added another respected veteran in safety Eric Weddle.
Weddle, who spent his first nine NFL seasons with the Chargers, adds some much needed playmaking ability to the Ravens’ secondary. Last year’s starting safeties—Will Hill and Kendrick Lewis—were both in the bottom half of Pro Football Focus’s rankings, while Weddle was ranked seventh out of all safeties in pass coverage.
At 31 years old, Weddle has been the model of consistency, missing just seven career games and recording at least 75 tackles in all but one season (his rookie year). In addition, Weddle has 19 career interceptions, three Pro Bowl appearances, and two All-Pros.
He also is a phenomenal field general, oftentimes calling out audibles and helping teammates line-up. His presence alone will elevate the players around him and make the Ravens’ defense much more formidable.
The latest move the Ravens made was bringing in veteran wide receiver Mike Wallace.
Wallace, 29, has speed to burn and once averaged a mind-blowing 21 yards per catch in 2010. He, like Weddle, was one of the most consistent players in the league, gaining at least 750 yards in every season.
That changed though last season, as Wallace struggled in Minnesota’s run-first offense and had a career low 473 yards and two touchdowns. A lot of people are throwing in the towel with Wallace, but let’s pump the brakes on that one.
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Remember, Wallace is only two years removed from an 862 yard, 10 touchdown season with the Dolphins, and last season, he was playing with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who has one of the weakest arms in the league.
Next season, however, Wallace will be catching passes from Joe Flacco, who has one of the strongest arms in the league. Flacco simply has the throw the ball a mile and watch Wallace race past the defenders to get it. It’s a perfect match.
Wallace’s ability to stretch the field will also open up things for the entire offense. Defenses will have to keep a safety deep, thus creating running lanes for the backs and open-territory over the middle for guys like Watson and Steve Smith to operate.
The Ravens aren’t nearly getting the amount of attention other free agent-darlings are (i.e. Jacksonville, Oakland, etc.), but in reality, they should be.
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Don’t get me wrong, the Ravens are not a championship team yet, and they still have holes on the roster to fill. But there’s no doubt that the moves made so far in free agency have propelled the Ravens one-step closer to competing for the AFC North title.