Ravens free agency guide: Prepare for limited action as focus remains on QB Lamar Jackson and his potential suitors

The Ravens are headed for perhaps the most unusual free agent shopping period in their history.

Usually, fans obsess over which players general manager Eric DeCosta might target to fortify weak areas on the team’s roster, with wide receiver, cornerback and left guard topping the list for 2023. But such questions will be afterthoughts compared with the ongoing intrigue around quarterback Lamar Jackson, who will be free to sign an offer sheet with another team starting Wednesday.

Will such an offer materialize? Would the Ravens match it within five days and finally lock in their most important player? Or will a resolution remain elusive, creating uncertainty around every other move DeCosta would like to make?

The Ravens cannot, however, afford to treat Jackson’s contract as the only issue at hand. They still have to build a playoff-caliber team for next season, and they will have to do it with a budget pinched by the $32.4 million allotted to Jackson under the nonexclusive franchise tag.

“It’s not going to be a situation where the market’s open, and we’re just going and signing guys left and right,” DeCosta said at his season-ending news conference in January. “That’s not going to happen in any way — there’s really no scenario [where] that’s probably going to be the case. We’ll be selective, we’ll be targeted, and we’ll find guys like we always do that we think can build this team and help us be the best we can be.”

With that in mind, here’s a look at the talent available at positions of need for the Ravens and at the players who might fit them best:

Wide receiver

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said this will likely be the position group overhauled most after another unproductive, injury-marred season in 2023. This is not a strong free agent class, so if the Ravens are to make a splash, the draft might be a more likely avenue.

Best player available: Jakobi Meyers is no one’s idea of a prototypical No. 1 wide receiver, but he’s an excellent technician with a 6-foot-2 frame, reliable hands and a record of consistent production for the New England Patriots. He would help the Ravens but will almost certainly fall outside their price range.

Best fit for Ravens: Allen Lazard is built like a tight end and grades as one of the best run blockers at his position, so he would fit seamlessly with the way the Ravens have played in recent years. New offensive coordinator Todd Monken used large pass catchers creatively at Georgia. Could he turn Lazard into the physical red-zone threat the Ravens have lacked at wide receiver since they traded Anquan Boldin a decade ago? They would have to look elsewhere for a deep threat to spread the field along with 2021 first-round pick Rashod Bateman. But Lazard might be the right player at a reasonable price.

Cornerback

Marcus Peters played almost every defensive snap when he was healthy last season, but he’s a free agent, and none of the Ravens’ young cornerbacks seized the title of heir apparent. DeCosta will almost certainly draft a cornerback, but the Ravens need depth at this premium position, so look for him to sign one as well.

Best player available: Jamel Dean is a tough, 6-foot-1 corner whose aggressive style would fit the way the Ravens have always liked to play. He’s not a turnover machine, but Pro Football Focus graded him as a top-10 cornerback in the league for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season. He’s one of the top free agents available at any position, so the Ravens probably won’t be in the running.

Best fit for Ravens: Peters did not regain his vintage form after he returned from a torn ACL early last season, but coaches and teammates still revere his football acumen and gift for creating turnovers. He has said he would like to stay in Baltimore. DeCosta has talked to Peters and his agent, Doug Hendrickson, about that possibility. He would be an easy fit on a one-year deal and a potential mentor to whichever cornerback the Ravens select from a deep draft class.

Guard

The Ravens’ starting left guard from last season, Ben Powers, is one of the top free agents at the position. They would prefer to replace Powers with an internal candidate — hello, Ben Cleveland — or a draft pick rather than spend at a position that has traditionally been up for grabs in training camp.

Best player available: Isaac Seumalo was durable and good as both a run and pass blocker for the Philadelphia Eagles last season. But he missed significant time the previous two seasons, and it’s difficult to envision the Ravens giving him a long-term deal when they have greater needs elsewhere.

Best fit for Ravens: In an ideal world, they would have loved to sign Powers to an extension after he improved as much as any player on the team last season. But DeCosta has acknowledged that Powers probably played his way out of the Ravens’ price range, and they’re unlikely to pay up for a different veteran starter such as Nate Davis or Dalton Risner. So the reality is there might not be a great free agent fit.

Defensive line

The Ravens have plenty of young talent here with Justin Madubuike, Broderick Washington and Travis Jones all expected to play prominent roles in 2023. But Madubuike and Washington are headed into the final years of their rookie deals, and veteran defensive end Calais Campbell could be cut or have his contract restructured to clear salary cap room. So they’ll be open to adding more interior talent.

Best player available: Javon Hargrave might be the best defender available at any position after he rolled up a career-high 11 sacks for the Philadelphia Eagles last season. Such production from an interior lineman is a rare treasure. The former Pittsburgh Steelers is going to be paid handsomely, by a team other than the Ravens.

Best fit for Ravens: A’Shawn Robinson isn’t going to pile up sacks from the interior, but the 6-foot-4, 330-pound veteran can occupy multiple blockers and make plays against the run. He finished with 42 tackles in just 10 games for the Los Angeles Rams last season. The Ravens might be satisfied with Campbell and nose tackle Michael Pierce, who took a pay cut to help them clear cap space. But Robinson could give them experienced ballast on a modest, one-year deal.

Edge rusher

The Ravens will hope for significant leaps from their young outside linebackers, Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo, after they relied heavily on veterans Justin Houston and Jason Pierre-Paul in 2022. They’re not going to engage in a bidding war at one of the most sought-after positions in the league, but they could use a veteran to balance out Oweh and Ojabo.

Best player available: Marcus Davenport has difficulty staying on the field, and his sack production plummeted in 2022, but he’s in his physical prime and has the highest upside in an unremarkable class of edge rushers. The Ravens have rarely bid on top players at this position, and Davenport does not seem the candidate to change their ways.

Best fit for Ravens: Arden Key is long, young and versatile, and he visited with the Ravens last spring before he ended up with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Perhaps they would give him another look if his market does not take off. A return engagement with Houston might be more likely, though DeCosta said it would probably have to happen later in the free agent cycle. Houston led the team with 9 1/2 sacks last year, he’s beloved by the team’s young pass rushers and he’s willing to play on a one-year deal.

()