Baltimore Ravens: 3 Rentals who could open Super Bowl window wider
The Baltimore Ravens could get over the hump with these veteran rentals for 2020.
The Baltimore Ravens, despite going on a dominant 14-2 run in the 2019 NFL regular season, they were stunned to go home early in the AFC Divisional Round of the playoffs, where they were bested, 28-12, by the red-hot Tennessee Titans.
Led by second-year quarterback Lamar Jackson, head coach John Harbaugh orchestrated the greatest run-based offense in the decade. In total, the Ravens totaled 596 rushing attempts for 3,296 yards, averaging 5.5 yards per carry and 206 yards per game, leading the league in all of those categories — though having 18 fumbles on the year (22nd).
Though the offense was unstoppable on the ground, they sacrificed having versatility in their offense by ignoring the passing game almost entirely as they ranked 32nd in passing attempts and completions (289-of-440), though still ranked 10th in pass completion percentage at 65.7.
However, it’s mind-boggling considering where Baltimore finished in terms of passing attempts that they threw 37 touchdowns (No. 1), eight interceptions (No. 23) and averaging 7.6 yards per attempt (No. 11), all while Jackson posted the NFL’s third-best quarterback rating of 113.3.
Even the Baltimore Ravens defense performed exceptionally in 2019, with teams averaging just 93.4 rushing yards per game and 207.2 passing yards per game.
Given all of this, how could this team possibly not find any success in the postseason after destroying 14 of the 16 teams they played in 2019? Well, that’s where having a versatile offense comes into play. In order for a team to win the Super Bowl in today’s NFL, they need to have a good running and passing game while having a defense that can force turnovers at key moments. The Ravens, however, only have 1.5 of the these three requirements.
Despite forcing 25 turnovers (No. 7) in the regular season, the Ravens were only able to tally a single sack in their playoff game against the Titans while Jackson had more turnovers than scoring drives. To make matters even worse, Baltimore continuously loses key players on their defense with each passing season. Before, it was linebacker C.J. Mosely and edge rusher Terrell Suggs. Now, it’s nose tackle Michael Pierce and linebacker Patrick Onwoasor.
Luckily for the reigning AFC North Champions, their overwhelming secondary remains intact heading into the 2020 season. On top of that, the Ravens were able to add a couple of shiny new toys to the team this offseason, such as defensive ends Calais Campbell and Derek Wolfe, along with running back J.K. Dobbins and linebacker Patrick Queen, the latter pair via the draft.
With roughly $9.150 million in cap space for the 2020 season, the room for more help at positions of need like defensive tackle, edge rusher and wide receiver is limited. This is especially true given that superstar left tackle Ronnie Stanley is in the midst of contract negotiations as he is set to become a free agent after the 2020 league year.
With such an impressive display of power and protection from the young tackle, he is surely expected to become one of the highest-paid non-quarterbacks in the NFL. Given all of this to consider, there are still three remaining free agents that the Ravens can hone in on to give them the boost needed to finally get over their postseason slump.