With Eric DeCosta and John Harbaugh answering questions from the media just days before the open of free agency, I’ve offered a dozen Ravens thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. With the NFL setting the salary cap at $182.5 million — $15.7 million lower than 2020 — you understand DeCosta describing this offseason carrying a “very uneasy feeling” for all parties. Baltimore has roughly $20 million in space before considering contract tenders and eventual draft picks. Patience will likely be rewarded.
2. DeCosta says he always expects the worst and is happy when outcomes exceed that. That means the Baltimore general manager began making plans when the cap floor could have been as low as $175 million. Other organizations were far more optimistic. This offseason will definitely test the mettle of executives.
3. Despite DeCosta’s claim, Dak Prescott’s deal absolutely impacts what Lamar Jackson and other quarterbacks will command in the near future. With the Ravens having less 2021 flexibility than once anticipated and Jackson still able to earn $23 million next year, is either side going to rush into a bad deal?
4. The Patrick Mahomes extension garnered attention for its length and maximum value, but Prescott will make $75 million in the first year of a shorter deal while Dallas will never see the theoretical long-term gain that Kansas City has. Quarterbacks should want as many bites at the apple as possible.
5. You don’t get the sense that DeCosta feels forced to accommodate the trade request of Orlando Brown Jr., saying there’s no timetable to complete a deal. Harbaugh also slyly noted how they have Brown to fill in at left tackle should Ronnie Stanley not be ready to start the season.
6. Harbaugh expects Stanley to be ready for “at least” training camp coming back from an ankle injury that required two surgeries, but that uncertainty and Stanley’s history of never playing a full 16 games should make the Ravens take pause. It’s not as simple as replacing Brown at right tackle.
7. It’s worth noting agents Joe Panos and Justin Schulman represent Brown and Mark Andrews, who is also a free agent after 2021. DeCosta says he’s had preliminary extension talks about the standout tight end, but Andrews and Brown having the same representation makes the latter’s situation a bit more delicate.
8. While acknowledging the challenges stemming from the lower cap, DeCosta said he expects the 2021 Ravens to include Brandon Williams, who is set to make $7.5 million and carry a $14.42 million cap number. A short-term extension or a restructure adding voidable years seems way more likely than releasing him.
9. Harbaugh said he expects Devin Duvernay and James Proche to “make a big jump” in 2021, a sentiment he offers about young receivers virtually every year. That’s not to say they won’t improve, but the issue is having an abundance of slot options and needing more receivers to succeed outside.
10. Credit The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec for making the connection between DeCosta saying coaches have “a really good plan moving forward” at center and Bradley Bozeman potentially moving to that spot. Baltimore has mentioned the idea in the past despite giving starts to three others at center last season.
11. A conventional offseason program again appears in doubt, but Harbaugh said the permanent demise of in-person spring workouts would be “a colossal mistake” that would disproportionately hurt young players. There’s truth to that, but the 2020 season’s success could make a full return to “normal” a tough sell for non-rookies.
12. I’m in favor of the “spot and choose” proposal to revamp overtime, which emphasizes strategy and leaves less to chance. However, a league in which so many coaches still struggle with fourth-down decisions and game theory doesn’t seem quite ready for such an innovation.
