Steelers Rivals Report: How Will Ravens Replace Hollywood?

Story by Yinzer Crazy Contributor Anthony DiCerbo. Follow him on Twitter @snarfvenom

In football, scouting your opponent is an important aspect of the game. To beat your enemy, you need to know them. In an offseason that saw the Steelers making big changes to their team, it is important to know that they weren’t the only team making moves. All the teams in the AFC North made significant efforts to improve this offseason, but with all the news coming out of Pittsburgh you may have missed it. It’s time to check in on the rest of the AFC North and see what they’ve been up to this offseason. 

In this article, we’ll take a look at the Ravens and what their offseason included, what to look out for, and what they might look like when it comes time for them to play the Steelers. 

2021-2022 Season Results: 8-9 (Missed Playoffs), 4th in AFC North, 1-5 against the division

Additions: Kyle Fuller, Vince Biegel, Marcus Williams, Morgan Moses, Michael Pierce, Mike Macdonald (DC)

Departures: Sam Koch, Alejandro Villanueva, Don Martindale (DC), Anthony Levine, Tavon Young, Hollywood Brown, Sammy Watkins, DeShon Elliott, Bradley Bozeman, Anthony Averett

Resigned: Patrick Ricard, Josh Bynes, Calais Campbell

Extended: John Harbaugh (HC)

Last season was a strange one for the Ravens. Coming into the season many thought they would be competing in the AFC, yet by the season's end, they found themselves in last place in the division. 

A large part of their collapse can be attributed to injuries. They saw unusually high numbers of their better players succumb to injury at one or more points during the season. JK Dobbins, Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Peters, Ronnie Stanley, and Lamar Jackson all missed significant time last year.

At one point the Ravens were using a running back group of Ty’Son Williams, Devonta Freeman, Latavius Murray, and Le’Veon Bell. 

Coming into this year, the Ravens are banking on that being a one-time issue. They have shown their faith in this iteration of the team by spending significant money in free agency to try and win now in a crowded AFC. 

Their free-agent class is highlighted by safety Marcus Williams who signed a 5 year $70 million deal with Baltimore. Williams played last season for the Saints on the franchise tag. 

Baltimore also brought in tackle Morgan Moses on a 3-year $15 million deal to hold down a starting spot on their line. They also brought back defensive tackle Michael Pierce, who had previously played for the Ravens but had left for the Vikings. 

The Ravens are also going to look quite different because of the players that won’t be there next season. Punter Sam Koch, tackle Alejandro Villanueva, and safety Anthony Levine all announced their retirement at some point in the offseason. Marquise Brown was traded on draft night to the Cardinals, and several other players were allowed to sign elsewhere. 

The Ravens also shook up their coaching staff, bringing in Mike Macdonald to coordinate their defense. Macdonald had previously coached with the Ravens but swapped to the other brother at the University of Michigan to coordinate their defense. After one year he was promoted and came back to Baltimore to take the job. 

Even with all the changes, the Ravens will mostly be hoping to get better by simply staying healthy this year. 

Draft Class: S Kyle Hamilton (Pick 14), C Tyler Linderbaum (Pick 25), Edge David Ojabo (Pick 45), DT Travis Jones (Pick 76), T Daniel Faalele (Pick 110), CB Jalyn Armour-Davis (Pick 119), TE Charlie Kolar (Pick 128), P Jordan Stout (Pick 130), TE Isaiah Likely (Pick 139), CB Damarion Williams (Pick 141), RB Tyler Badie (Pick 196)

The Ravens also got a lot better through the draft this year. They managed to get the top safety in the class, as well as the top center. They paired those top two picks with a top edge rusher in David Ojabo, though he may not see the field this season due to injury. 

The Ravens also have a knack for drafting players the Steelers are seemingly interested in, and that trend continued this year. With the Steelers showing interest in Kyle Hamilton, David Ojabo, and Daniel Faalele at one point or another. The Steelers did manage a little bit of revenge, drafting Calvin Austin just one pick before Baltimore would have taken him.

On paper, the Ravens had one of the better draft classes this year, but we have yet to see them all in action at the NFL level, so we’ll hold off our judgment until then. 

Storylines to Watch:

Can the Ravens stay healthy?

Last season, the answer to that question was a strong no. We saw them finish last in the division, which was surely not where they thought they would end up. This year we have to ask the same question. 

If they can stay healthy there is a pretty good chance that they’ll wind up having a much better season. On paper, the Ravens profile as a good team. But they have struggled to stay together for long stretches. 

Last year the Ravens finished second in the league for cumulative lost games due to injury, falling only behind the Giants. The striking thing is that these were not role players getting injured, it was repeatedly the best that the Ravens had. 

If the Ravens are similarly decimated by injuries this year there is something seriously wrong in Baltimore, and they are hoping that they got all of their bad luck out of the way last year, but if that is true or not, remains to be seen. 

Does Lamar Jackson get paid?

This next crop of quarterback contracts is shaping up to be an interesting one, and one of the names at the top of the discussion is Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson. 

Since entering the NFL, Lamar Jackson has been one of the more polarizing players, but it's hard to deny how exciting of a player he is when he is at his peak. When he's there, he can be one of the most difficult players to stop, and can single-handedly beat an entire defense.

There are other times when he can be a little reckless, and times when it looks like the defense has him figured out. More times than not, Lamar Jackson appears to be a good starting quarterback. 

The issue for Baltimore to figure out though, is how they should be paying him on his next contract. Jackson is going to want to be paid, and he deserves a pay raise, and I’m sure the Ravens are going to want to keep him, but there are going to be some things that need to be navigated in negotiations. 

Since becoming a starter the Ravens have made the playoffs in all but one season, that one being this past year’s injury-plagued disaster. Yet, they only have one playoff win with Jackson under center, and his playoff performances have not been anything exceptional. 

In all their playoff games with Lamar Jackson, the Ravens have not scored more than 20 points in a game. The Ravens are likely going to point to these results in an effort to drive his price down. 

I do think that an extension will eventually get done in Baltimore, it may be a little rocky in the negotiation process, but I think that Jackson and the Ravens are a good fit for each other. I don’t think this deal will set the quarterback market on fire though. I don’t see him reaching a contract like Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, or Deshaun Watson. He will probably end up slightly above the Derek Carr number, and will probably end up making just a little more than whatever Arizona signs Kyler Murray for. Though, I do think that those deals will end up impacting each other. 

Conclusion

The Ravens should be a better team this year. The level of bad injury luck they had last year was a little insane, and the roster they have put together looks like a competitive one. They went out and got good players through free agency and the draft, but they will still have to put it all together.  It is impossible to know what a healthy Ravens team can do because it has been so long since we’ve seen one, but I imagine they will be doing everything in their power to avoid another last-place finish in the division.