With John Harbaugh meeting with the media on Friday after signing his new four-year contract, Iโve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. Harbaugh confirmed his role hasnโt changed in terms of roster input, noting how the organizationโs brass works together and has never operated with a silo mentality. The thought of Steve Bisciotti suddenly moving the goalposts as Eric DeCosta finally gets his chance as general manager never made much sense.
2. Lamar Jackson plans to throw with his receivers, but Harbaugh avoided specifics when asked if Jackson planned to work with a quarterback guru or coach before the offseason program. He does expect Jackson to work hard and โcome back a better quarterback, skill-wise, than he was when he left.โ
3. The possibility remains of adding an outside assistant to specialize in the passing game, but Harbaugh made clear not to shortchange Greg Romanโs knowledge in that area. One difference with his time as San Franciscoโs coordinator, however, was the presence of Jim Harbaugh, who spent 15 years as an NFL quarterback.
4. Asked which position groups heโd like to improve, Harbaugh said what the Ravens โdonโt want to do is take any steps backโ and have to play catch-up. With tough roster decisions on the defensive side, however, they may need to give a little there to grow this offense meaningfully.
5. Any discussion about Marshal Yandaโs future should only relate to the possibility of him retiring. His $7 million salary and $10.125 million cap figure for 2019 remain more than reasonable for someone whoโs still one of the best guards in football going into his 13th season.
6. Harbaugh didnโt want to entertain the possibility of C.J. Mosley departing while noting โthere are limitations with the money.โ Both sides are interested in a long-term deal, but at what cost? Deals for Luke Kuechly and Bobby Wagner are four years old, so Mosley will โ and should โ be aiming higher.
7. Itโs only logical that Baltimore would want a backup quarterback with a similar skill set to Jackson with Harbaugh calling Robert Griffin III โa great optionโ and also alluding to the media speculation about Tyrod Taylor, whose current contract voids a few days after the Super Bowl.
8. Harbaugh said he expects Eric Weddle to return, but the safety backpedaling this week from his previous comments about not playing for any other team but the Ravens in 2019 leads you to believe his $6.5 million salary and $9.25 million cap figure are possible sticking points for DeCosta.
9. I canโt imagine ZaโDarius Smith was thrilled about his sports hernia surgery coming to light, but that shouldnโt impact his free-agent market anyway. Tavon Young (sports hernia) and Tony Jefferson (ankle) also had minor procedures. Alex Lewis undergoing another shoulder surgery isnโt encouraging, however.
10. Jimmy Smith wasnโt mentioned during Fridayโs press conference, but Harbaugh has long been a strong advocate for the veteran cornerback. Even so, heโll be 31 in July and is scheduled to make $9.5 million with a $15.85 million cap figure. Thatโs not tenable with the many other areas to address.
11. The playoff loss wasnโt a big topic of conversation after the long delay with Harbaughโs season-ending press conference, but the coach reiterated the Ravens were โoutplayedโ and โoutcoachedโ before vowing next yearโs offense will be โvery diverseโ and built โfrom the ground up.โ Itโll definitely be interesting.
12. Asked about Joe Flaccoโs value, Harbaugh said his former quarterback just needs some weapons and pass protection to be โone of the best quarterbacks in the league.โ Harbaugh was being complimentary and hasnโt been the general manager, of course, but the irony of those words couldnโt have been thicker.
Luke Jones
Luke Jones is the Ravens and Orioles beat reporter for WNST BaltimorePositive.com and is a PFWA member. His mind is consumed with useless sports knowledge, pro wrestling promos, and movie quotes, but he often forgets where he put his phone. Luke's favorite sports memories include being one of the thousands of kids who waited for Cal Ripken's autograph after Orioles games in the summer of 1995, attending the Super Bowl XXXV victory parade with his dad in the pouring rain, and watching the Terps advance to the Final Four at the Carrier Dome in 2002. Follow him on social media @BaltimoreLuke or email him at Luke@wnst.net.
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