Baltimore Ravens: Grading big free agent additions so far

Derek Wolfe, DE (Baltimore Ravens)

Grade: C+

The Ravens brought back one of their veteran players as Derek Wolfe signed a three-year, $12 million deal that keeps him in Baltimore through 2023 at least. The Ravens do have a cheap out after 2022 with a dead cap hit of just $1.8 million where Wolfe will be 33 by then.

Wolfe was a solid contributor for the Ravens as a rotational end is just a year removed from a seven sack season though he struggled to make an impact as a pass rusher with just one sack in 2020. At best, Wolfe is an impact player that is strong against the run and can make big plays as a pass rusher. At worst, he is a rotational player who provides a veteran presence and leadership to a younger unit.

There is some concern that Wolfe would get in the way of Justin Madubuike’s development who showed some promise after being selected in the second round of the 2020 draft. This concern is overblown of course as the Ravens will need to play the Madubuike more than 2020 after they lost two edge defenders in Yannick Ngakoue and Matt Judon.

Wolfe returning to the Ravens doesn’t move the needle but it gives them a good player at an affordable price.