Five questions pondering Tucker, Upshaw, Ravens defensive line

On Fridays, I’ll ponder five topics related to the Orioles or Ravens (or a mix of both).
Five questions …
1. Is it just me or are the parameters now in place to work out a Justin Tucker contract extension? New England signed three-time Pro Bowl kicker Stephen Gostkowski to a four-year, $17.2 million contract with a $6 million signing bonus this week, which should provide the framework for general manager Ozzie Newsome to extend Tucker for the long haul. Tucker is six years younger, so he will likely command more money — and perhaps an extra year or two on a deal — the longer the Ravens wait. A deal in the neighborhood of five years and $21 million total with a $7 million signing bonus would seem fair for both sides to continue their relationship.
2. Is it just me or does the hype surrounding Tyrod Taylor in Buffalo make you feel very lucky not to be a Bills fan? Taking nothing away from the former Ravens quarterback who was an acceptable backup and confidant for Joe Flacco, but it’s absurd to continue to see headlines about Taylor possibly becoming the Bills starting quarterback and simply shows how desperate teams without a franchise quarterback can be. With EJ Manuel and Matt Cassel as his only competition, Taylor is deserving of a chance to compete, but nothing about his play in the preseason or in very limited regular-season opportunities over the last four years suggested he has the ability to be a No. 1 quarterback.
3. Is it just me or will it be interesting to see how Courtney Upshaw performs in the final year of his rookie contract? Despite his weight being a sore subject in past summers, the 2012 second-round pick has been a mostly solid but unspectacular contributor for Baltimore in his first three seasons. Upshaw has profiled as a poor man’s Jarret Johnson, setting the edge and playing the run well, but I’m curious to see what kind of market there might be for the Alabama product. Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil are both on the wrong side of 30, but the free-agent loss of Pernell McPhee doesn’t leave the Ravens with any veteran depth behind them other than Upshaw. That said, the Ravens shouldn’t overpay to keep an outside linebacker who offers such little ability to rush the quarterback.
4. Is it just me or are you not buying Reggie Wayne as a good fit for the Ravens? The former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver says he wants to play one more year and has talked with several teams, but I don’t see this as a time when Baltimore needs a veteran receiver with his skill set as some have suggested. At this point in his brilliant career, Wayne profiles similarly to Steve Smith and is coming off a 2014 season in which he caught only 64 passes for 779 yards. If the Ravens are to add a veteran receiver to the picture, they’d be better off adding more speed to the outside in case Breshad Perriman is slow to develop. Wayne isn’t the player to do that.

5. Is it just me or could we see a couple talented defensive linemen left on the outside looking in at the end of the preseason? The Ravens will continue to hear questions about replacing five-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, but there’s no shortage of talent on the defensive line, which could make for some interesting decisions when they trim the roster to 53. It wouldn’t stun me to see a healthy Brent Urban push Chris Canty to the bubble or to see rookie Carl Davis push a veteran backup such as DeAngelo Tyson off the roster at the end of August. With 10 defensive linemen sporting at least a decent chance to make the roster, Baltimore will likely need to part ways with at least a couple quality players from this group.