2021 NFL Offseason: Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore Ravens (Last Year: 11-5)

2021 NFL Season Preview:

Veteran Additions:
WR Sammy Watkins, TE Josh Oliver, OT Alejandro Villanueva, OT Ja’Wuan James, G Kevin Zeitler, G Michael Schofield, OLB Justin Houston.
Early Draft Picks:
WR Rashod Bateman, DE/OLB Jayson Oweh, G Ben Cleveland, CB/S Brandon Stephens, WR Tylan Wallace. Ravens Rookie Forecast
Offseason Losses:
RB Mark Ingram, WR Willie Snead, OT Orlando Brown, OT D.J. Fluker, C Matt Skura, DT Jihad Ward, OLB Yannick Ngakoue, OLB Matthew Judon.

2021 Baltimore Ravens Offense:
Lamar Jackson was the 2019 NFL MVP after a magical season. The passing yardage wasn’t great (3,127), but he threw for 36 touchdowns compared to just six interceptions. More impressively, he broke the single-season quarterback rushing record with 1,206 yards on the ground. Most defenses had no answer for Jackson.

Things changed a bit in 2020. Jackson’s completion percentage dropped nearly two points, and his touchdown-to-interception ratio worsened to 26:9. He also rushed for 200 fewer yards. The big difference was the play of the offensive line. Future Hall of Fame guard Marshal Yanda retired, which severely diminished the interior blocking. Making matters worse, left tackle Ronnie Stanley suffered a season-ending injury at the midway point of the 2020 campaign.

There’s reason to believe the offensive line will be better in 2021, and it goes beyond Stanley’s return from injury. Right tackle Orlando Brown is gone, but the Ravens replaced him with former Steeler Alejandro Villanueva. The difference is in the interior with Kevin Zeitler joining the roster. Zeitler is not the same terrific guard he once was, but he can still play on a high level. Barring huge regression, Zeitler will be an automatic upgrade at the position. He’ll start along with fellow guard Bradley Bozeman and center Patrick Mekari, both of whom are mediocre blockers.

Receiver was another position of weakness this past season, though that was also the case in 2019. The only viable player the Ravens have possessed at the position has been Marquise Brown, and he’s been just an inconsistent deep threat. Given Jackson’s arm strength, Brown should have generated more than 58 catches in 2020. Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews has been Jackson’s sole dependable target.

The Ravens had to give Jackson some more play-makers this offseason, and they did just that by adding two big names. However, it’s not clear if either will help very much. Sammy Watkins, who disappointed with the Chiefs, signed via free agency. Baltimore then used its first-round selection on Rashod Bateman, a prospect who drew some concerns about his ability to separate. The Ravens have a great front office, but they’ve had a blind spot for receivers, as Breshad Perriman was also a first-round bust of theirs.

Finding running backs has been much easier for the Ravens. They spent last year’s second-round pick on J.K. Dobbins, who had some bright moments as a rookie. Dobbins gained 805 yards and nine touchdowns on a 6.0 yards-per-carry average. He didn’t even handle double-digit attempts until Week 8, but with Mark Ingram gone, he’ll shoulder most of the workload. Gus Edwards will be worked in as a change-of-pace back.

2021 Baltimore Ravens Defense:
The Ravens’ elite front office will be put to the test this season. Management has selected multiple edge rushers in recent drafts, and now those players will be asked to step in for departed players. Baltimore lost its top two edge players, Yannick Ngakoue and Matthew Judon. The Ravens still have one veteran at the position in Pernell McPhee, but he’s a rapidly declining athlete nearing 33 years old. Baltimore used its other opening-round selection on Jayson Oweh, a raw player with immense upside. If he ascends to a starting position, he’ll play opposite of either Tyus Bowser or Jaylon Ferguson, two of the aforementioned young edge rushers. They combined for only four sacks in 2020.

The rest of Baltimore’s defense has remained intact. This includes the defensive line, where the trio of starters from last year – Calais Campbell, Brandon Williams, Derek Wolfe – will all be back on the field. Both Campbell and Williams missed time with injuries last year, so having them healthy will be a nice boost. Also, 2020 third-rounder Justin Madubuike could fight for more snaps after flashing upside last year.

Speaking of young Ravens, linebacker Patrick Queen earned a starting job despite being a rookie last year. It could be argued that Queen didn’t deserve to hold on to the job, given how poorly he played. He missed many tackles and was torched constantly in coverage. However, he’s an athletic player with a high ceiling, so he could make a big improvement in 2021. Joining Queen in the linebacking corps will be 2020 third-rounder Malik Harrison, who didn’t do much last year, and L.J. Fort, a solid two-down player who makes an impact in run support.

While linebacker is a concern, the cornerback situation is much more favorable. The Ravens have great depth and talent at the position, possessing a tremendous trio at the top with Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Peters and Jimmy Smith. The latter is entering the twilight of his career, but the other two are still younger than 30. Humphrey, in particular, is a terrific player. Tavon Young, who barely played last year because of an injury, will provide a boost in the slot.

The positive play will continue at safety, with Baltimore returning its two starters from last year, DeShon Elliott and Chuck Clark. Neither is an elite talent, but both are solid starters. Third-round rookie Brandon Stephens can step in if there’s an injury.

2021 Baltimore Ravens Schedule and Intangibles:
John Harbaugh has done a terrific job of maintaining a dominant home-field advantage during his tenure as Baltimore’s head coach. The Ravens are an outstanding 80-29 as hosts since 2008.

Harbaugh used to be a special-teams coach, so it’s not surprising that the Ravens have outgained the opposition on punt and kickoff returns most years. Baltimore scored once on returns last year while allowing no touchdowns.

Justin Tucker is arguably the top kicker in the NFL. He whiffed on just 12 of his 173 attempts in the past five years, drilling a remarkable 24-of-30 tries from 50-plus in that span. Tucker has missed just four extra points in his career.

Sam Koch was No. 1 in net-punting average in 2014, and he almost got there in 2015, ranking second. He dropped to 18th in 2016, and he fell even further in 2017, sliding down to 21st. He improved to 16th in 2018, but plummeted again to 25th in 2019. He rebounded last year, finishing eighth.

Baltimore has a mixed schedule. It’ll have to deal with the difficult AFC West, but it’ll get to beat up on the NFC North.

2021 Baltimore Ravens Rookies:
Go here for the Ravens Rookie Forecast, a page with predictions like which rookie will bust and which rookie will become a solid starter.

2021 Baltimore Ravens Positional Rankings (1-5 stars):

Quarterbacks	Offensive Line	Secondary
Running Backs	Defensive Line	Special Teams
Receivers	Linebackers	Coaching

2021 Baltimore Ravens Analysis: The Ravens will certainly be in the playoff mix this year. Their offense should improve with the blocking getting an upgrade. The defense, however, has some weaknesses – pass rush, linebacking corps – that could prevent the team from once again making a deep push into January.

Projection: 11-6 (2nd in AFC North)

2020 Projection: 12-4. 2020 Actual Result: 11-5.
2019 Projection: 5-11. 2019 Actual Result: 14-2.
2018 Projection: 6-10. 2018 Actual Result: 10-6.
2017 Projection: 7-9. 2017 Actual Result: 9-7.
2016 Projection: 9-7. 2016 Actual Result: 8-8.

NFL Draft Team Grade: B- Grade

Goals Entering the 2021 NFL Draft: Lamar Jackson and the Ravens had an amazing 2019 because of a stellar offensive line. Marshal Yanda retired, and it sounds like Orlando Brown could be traded. Two new offensive linemen will need to be acquired. Baltimore will also have to address their pass rush, which lost Yannick Ngakoue and Matthew Judon this offseason. A receiver is needed as well.

2021 NFL Draft Accomplishments: The Ravens have a great front office, but receiver has been a blind spot for them. They messed up with Breshad Perriman, and it appears as though history has repeated itself with Rashod Bateman. I don’t know why the Ravens used a first-round pick on a wideout who may not be able to separate from defensive backs in the NFL, but Bateman should have been relegated to the middle of the second round or later. The pick is reminiscent of the Patriots’ first-round choice used on N’Keal Harry. New England, of course, is another franchise that typically drafts poorly at receiver.

I was way more of a fan of the Ravens’ other first-round choice, Jayson Oweh, who will be able to serve as a replacement on the edge. However, the Ravens failed to address their other major need, the offensive line. A third-round selection was used on guard Ben Cleveland, but no other blockers were added in the 2021 NFL Draft, which seems like a major blunder.

That said, I loved some of the values the Ravens obtained on Day 3, including Tylan Wallace and Shaun Wade. Those picks certainly helped the overall grade, but I expected Baltimore’s usually excellent front office to piece together a better class.

NFL Draft Individual Grades:

27. Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota – D Grade
I’d suggest asking for Ozzie Newsome to return, but he didn’t have better luck drafting receivers in the first round. Regardless, this doesn’t seem like a good pick. Rashod Bateman runs routes well and possesses great size, but he has poor hands and likely won’t be able to separate from NFL defensive backs. This reminds me of the Patriots selecting N’Keal Harry. He belonged in the second round, just like Bateman.

31. Jayson Oweh, DE/OLB, Penn State – A Grade
This is the opposite of the Bills’ pick of Gregory Rousseau. Jayson Oweh didn’t have Gregory Rousseau’s collegiate production, but he has way more upside and potential. While Rousseau could just be a solid player, Oweh has the ceiling to be a perennial Pro Bowler. He could have easily gone much earlier than this, and he’ll fill a huge need for a Baltimore team that lost multiple edge rushers this offseason.

94. Ben Cleveland, G, Cleveland – B- Grade
This is a wild draft, with the Packers picking an A. Rodgers receiver right before trading A. Rodgers, and now Baltimore picking Cleveland. Ben Cleveland is a tough blocker who might be able to fill a huge need created by Marshal Yanda’s retirement. This is a bit early for Cleveland, but he could definitely end up being a solid starter to help Lamar Jackson.

104. Brandon Stephens, CB/S, SMU – C+ Grade
The Ravens announced Brandon Stephens as a defensive back, which makes sense because he doesn’t have a natural position. He’s still learning how to play defensive back, so the floor on him is very low. He has high potential, and I had him pegged in the fifth round, so I don’t hate this pick.

131. Tylan Wallace, WR, Oklahoma State – A- Grade
Tylan Wallace would have been drafted earlier if he didn’t have a history of knee injuries. He doesn’t have great size and speed, but he runs routes very well. I like the value the Ravens are getting with him as they potentially fill a need.

160. Shaun Wade, CB, Ohio State – A Grade
Wow, this is quite the fall for Shaun Wade. I had him slotted way earlier in my mock draft last summer and the fall, but he got torched mercilessly in 2020. Perhaps he can rebound, so I really like the Ravens buying low on him.

171. Daelin Hayes, DE/OLB, Notre Dame – A Grade
This is Baltimore’s second edge rusher, which can’t be a surprise. The Ravens lost Yannick Ngakoue and Matthew Judon, so they had to replace them. Daelin Hayes is a nice value pick; I’ve had him pegged in the fourth round.

184. Ben Mason, FB, Michigan – B+ Grade
The Ravens are one of the few teams that still use a fullback, so they were able to get the top player at the position in this class. This is fine.

Follow @walterfootball for updates.

Season Summary:
Another year, another early playoff loss for Lamar Jackson. The young quarterback managed to secure a postseason victory this time, but suffered a defeat the following week at Buffalo.

Offseason Moves:

Ravens sign G Michael Schofield

Ravens sign OT Ja’Wuan James

Ravens sign OT Alejandro Villanueva

Ravens sign WR Sammy Watkins

Ravens acquire TE Josh Oliver from Jaguars

Ravens sign G Kevin Zeitler

Ravens cut RB Mark Ingram

Team Needs:

Wide Receiver: The Ravens had a big need at receiver last offseason, which they failed to address. It’s still a huge hole on the roster. Signed Sammy Watkins
Guard: Lamar Jackson regressed in 2020 compared to 2019 because his offensive line was worse. It’ll be impossible to properly replace Marshal Yanda, but the Ravens need to try. Signed Kevin Zeitler
Linebacker: The weakest position on the Ravens’ roster will get better if Patrick Queen improves his game, but another linebacker will be needed. Re-signed L.J. Fort
Two Edge Rushers: Yannick Ngakoue, Matthew Judon, Tyus Bowser and Pernell McPhee are all impending free agents! Re-signed Pernell McPhee and Tyus Bowser
Two Offensive Tackles: Baltimore could pursue a better insurance policy if Ronnie Stanley were to get hurt again. Orlando Brown’s trade also creates a need. Signed Alejandro Villanueva
Backup Quarterback: A backup is needed behind Lamar Jackson with Robert Griffin entering free agency. Griffin should be upgraded anyway.

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.

2021 NFL Free Agent Signings:

Alejandro Villanueva, OT, Steelers. Age: 32.
Signed with Ravens (2 years, $14 million)

Age is becoming a concern for Alejandro Villanueva (32), but he’s still in the upper echelon of starting left tackles in the NFL.
Kevin Zeitler, G, Giants. Age: 31.
Signed with Ravens (3 years, $22 million)

The Giants saved $12 million by cutting Kevin Zeitler, though that still seems like a mistake. Zeitler is coming off a down year, but still played well. He’s 31 now, but interior guards can play well into their mid-30s. Some team may strike gold by buying low.
Sammy Watkins, WR, Chiefs. Age: 28.
Signed with Ravens

Sammy Watkins has lots of ability, but hasn’t ever lived up to it. He shows flashes of brilliance at times, but is invisible on occasion.
Michael Schofield, G, Panthers. Age: 30. — Signed with Ravens

Baltimore Ravens Free Agents:

Salary Cap: TBA.

Yannick Ngakoue, DE/OLB, Ravens. Age: 26.
Signed with Raiders

Yannick Ngakoue is an electric pass rusher with enormous upside. He’s only 26, so there’s still room for growth with him.
Matthew Judon, DE/OLB, Ravens. Age: 29.
Signed with Patriots (4 years, $56 million)

Matthew Judon has never logged double-digit sacks in a season, but he’s always good for anything between six and 9.5 sacks. He’s missed just four games in his career.
Tyus Bowser, DE/OLB, Ravens. Age: 26.
Re-signed with Ravens (4 years, $22 million)

Tyus Bowser has upside as a pass rusher. He’s young and can improve his game, so he should get more of an opportunity in the near future.
Derek Wolfe, DE/DT, Ravens. Age: 31.
Re-signed with Ravens (3 years, $12 million)

Derek Wolfe is a big injury risk, but he’s a terrific run stuffer and is capable of some pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
L.J. Fort, LB, Ravens. Age: 31.
Re-signed with Ravens (1 year)

L.J. Fort is a two-down linebacker who thrives against the run. He’s 31, so regression is coming soon.
Gus Edwards (RFA), RB, Ravens. Age: 26.
Tendered by Ravens (2nd round)

Gus Edwards averaged five yards per carry in 2020 as he rushed for 723 yards and six touchdowns
Matt Skura, C, Ravens. Age: 28. — Signed with Dolphins
Pernell McPhee, DE/OLB, Ravens. Age: 32. — Re-signed with Ravens
D.J. Fluker, OT, Ravens. Age: 30. — Signed with Dolphins
Willie Snead, WR, Ravens. Age: 28. — Signed with Raiders
Jihad Ward, DT, Ravens. Age: 27. — Signed with Jaguars
Justin Ellis, DT, Ravens. Age: 30. — Re-signed with Ravens (1 year)
Mark Ingram, RB, Ravens. Age: 31. — Signed with Texans (1 year, $3 million)
Tramon Williams, CB, Ravens. Age: 38. — Announced retirement
Eric Tomlinson, TE, Ravens. Age: 29. — Re-signed with Ravens
Dez Bryant, WR, Ravens. Age: 32.
Robert Griffin, QB, Ravens. Age: 31.
Jordan Richards, S, Ravens. Age: 28.
Chris Moore, WR, Ravens. Age: 28. — Signed with Texans
Anthony Levine, S, Ravens. Age: 34. — Re-signed with Ravens
DeAndrew White, WR, Ravens. Age: 29.