At The Bye: Offseason Needs

[Bhcforlife]

I think you keep Bynes and/or Fort who know the system in and out, which is their greatest asset.

That may be what they end up doing, especially if Bynes continues to play as well as he has the remainder of the season, but any of these veteran players should be able to pick up the defense and have a more than solid understanding of it between the time they were signed and when games start.

[BcRaven]

You guys will bounce back. Keep your heads up.

Gj85, thanks for the encouraging words, but my head is rarely down, unless the Ravens don't make the playoffs that is. In 2011 we lost out on a Super Bowl berth by a "dropped" pass, then Joe Flacco had an historic run in 2012 culminating in an NFL Championship. Perhaps this was a demoralizing loss, but I still see a team @ 5- 2, resting/healing on our BYE week, and will hopefully come out fresh in two weeks.

Meanwhile, kudos to your 6 - 1 Packers, who were disappointed last year, but could see a Flacco-like run in this one... Bc

[Jfoh]

They will bring both Fort and Bynes back to camp next year, to keep the best one and stash the spare on the PS. Queen looked better with Bynes just like he did when Fort was beside him last year. People need to remember he played 10 games at safety at LSU. His true position might be strong safety not ILB. Think Levine with more speed but less savvy. I agree we need a vet in the middle so drafting another lb is unlikely to improve things.

[pslholder96]

First two bullet points are definitely top priority in the offseason, either via free agency or the draft. We are long in the tooth along the DL and need to bolster our depth and talent level along the OL.

[rhapsody]

Love these threads.

A lot depends on who EDC manages to re-sign before FA, so a number of assumptions in my reasoning. But also worth remembering we have 15+ guys on IR:

Tier 1

DL. BWill is either gone or on a vet contract because we are finally over the costly re-structures to his contract. I'd do my best to get another year out of Calais at a reduced salary. Wolfe's back issues scare the shit out of me if I have to count on him regularly and Madubuike is still growing. Washington, Crawford are depth.

Tier 2

OL. Specifically OT. So why Tier 2? Because I'm assuming Stanley will be ready to go for next seson. That means you need a RT and a swing tackle, and both could very well be already in the team in Ja'Wuan and Mekari. But still, draft another guy in Day 1 or Day 2 for the love of god!
I'm also assuming Bozeman is back because we desperately need to have as much continuity as we can in the OLine. Otherwise you are going into the Draft with center need and it's Linderbaum or bust (as in, lets pray the guy they pick is ready week 1) Sure, Trystan Colon could be the answer, but I don't want to need him to be the answer.

Safety. I'm assuming the Joker is gone and I'm ok with it, if I'm being honest. I know he is a fan favorite around here but 1 jarring tackle every 5 games (and yeah, 2 out of those 5 games he's injured) doesn't do it for me. Washington, Stone or Smith are depth, they need a third guy. One who can cover the deep end, because the current crop is great at blitzing, good at the LOS, average at the intermediate level and simply useless at the back end.

CB. Averett is also gone. Got a feeling Marcus Peters will be a Raven for longer than most people expect, but you can never have too many DBs, so there.

Tier 3

ILB & OLB. It all depends on the veterans, Bynes and LJ Fort on the interior and Houston at OLB. But pretty sure they can find and lure these kind of veterans anyway. They still need to draft one guy at each position or at least at OLB. Last chance saloon for Ferguson, too. But I'm ok with Bynes/LJ Fort + Queen + Harrison + drafted guy and Houston + Oweh + Bowser + drafted guy when comparing with other positions' needs.

All in all, with the IR guys coming back and even after irremediably losing guys on FA, I can't imagine where would you use 10 draft picks, to be honest.

NFL GM’s have “liars’ season”, as we know, but also a time when they are relatively candid and forthcoming. One of those latter times is right after the draft, if the GM senses that the pundits and fan forums are perplexed and dismayed over one or more of his picks. And the GM then feels the strong need to justify to some degree what he has done. Well, that happened big-time on May 1 after having picked Oweh (“No Sacks- how stupid- a Project!”), Stephens (“a converted RB in the 3rd round – who is this guy?”), and Mason (“an FB – what for?”).

About Stephens, EDC said “I think he has the potential to be a really, really good FS”. Based on what EDC said and all we have seen of Stephens since training camp, I would bet Stephens will get a long look at FS. People should start factoring that into their expectations.

Having said that, I would not disagree with drafting an S with a 3rd or 4th round pick – your Tier 2. Washington and Stone and are not full service Safeties, and who knows how Jimmy's body will be (Warrior – where are you?). And even if we can re-sign Elliott (whose career availability is ca half the time - 27 out of 55 games – which could drive down his marketability, and make him affordable), I would welcome a good all-around S draft prospect.

Not just for depth, but in case Stephens is on occasion more urgently needed to help out at SCB/in packages defending against TEs and RBs ravaging the middle.

Stephens, 17 snaps, should have been used more against Cincy.

[rhapsody]

I think you keep Bynes and/or Fort who know the system in and out, which is their greatest asset.

Bring them back, sure, but neither is particularly athletic. Who knows whether they will have enough juice left. I hope EDC adds a vet to the mix.

[FruitPunch]

Bring them back, sure, but neither is particularly athletic. Who knows whether they will have enough juice left. I hope EDC adds a vet to the mix.

Agree. It helps that ILB is one of the cheapest positions to get a free agent. Better to spend draft capital on oline, pass rush, etc.

[Bhcforlife]

Bring them back, sure, but neither is particularly athletic. Who knows whether they will have enough juice left. I hope EDC adds a vet to the mix.

That's where I'm at. Bring them back but look outside too. Bynes is going to be 33 next year. Fort is 32 coming off a knee injury. You are taking a risk if those two are your plan A and Queen/etc. are still incapable of playing by themselves, without someone out there guiding them.

[mikezpen]

This isn't a popular idea, but I'd plan on the assumption that the Ravens will be out of contention this year. What's more, by the deadline, I'd look to unload some veterans' salaries for draft picks. You'll have to drop people for nothing next year anyway because of Lamar's contract. Why not get something-even low-round picks-now? You mite get 2 or 3 more picks added to the 10 we have. The absolute LAST thing I 'd do is trade valuable draft picks in a desperate effort to fill the numerous gaps on this team. There are simply too many-both lines and running back at minimum.And, their chances of going deep into the playoffs aren't that good from what they've shown so far, even if they manage to beef up a few positions at a big cost in draft picks.

Next year you mite get some of the injured players back, and you'll have a better idea of what you really need. Plus trading some people mite give younger players a chance. You could find that they can do the job and there will be no need to draft or sign a free agent replacement.

Having extra draft picks is always a bonus. Next year you could address a lot of positions with the 12 or 13 picks the team could have.

[Captain Silver]

This isn't a popular idea, but I'd plan on the assumption that the Ravens will be out of contention this year. What's more, by the deadline, I'd look to unload some veterans' salaries for draft picks. You'll have to drop people for nothing next year anyway because of Lamar's contract. Why not get something-even low-round picks-now? You mite get 2 or 3 more picks added to the 10 we have. The absolute LAST thing I 'd do is trade valuable draft picks in a desperate effort to fill the numerous gaps on this team. There are simply too many-both lines and running back at minimum.And, their chances of going deep into the playoffs aren't that good from what they've shown so far, even if they manage to beef up a few positions at a big cost in draft picks.

Next year you mite get some of the injured players back, and you'll have a better idea of what you really need.Plus, the having extra draft picks is always a bonus. Next year you could address a lot of positions with the 12 or 13 picks the team could have.

Never going to happen. Harbaugh and Biscuit be like:

[BcRaven]

This isn't a popular idea, but I'd plan on the assumption that the Ravens will be out of contention this year. What's more, by the deadline, I'd look to unload some veterans' salaries for draft picks. You'll have to drop people for nothing next year anyway because of Lamar's contract. Why not get something-even low-round picks-now? You mite get 2 or 3 more picks added to the 10 we have. The absolute LAST thing I 'd do is trade valuable draft picks in a desperate effort to fill the numerous gaps on this team. There are simply too many-both lines and running back at minimum. And, their chances of going deep into the playoffs aren't that good from what they've shown so far, even if they manage to beef up a few positions at a big cost in draft picks.

Next year you mite get some of the injured players back, and you'll have a better idea of what you really need.Plus, the having extra draft picks is always a bonus. Next year you could address a lot of positions with the 12 or 13 picks the team could have.

mike, I'm glad you're not the Ravens GM. BTW, did you feel this way after we demolished the Chargers? I thought not. The Ravens are a banged-up bunch, but still sit @ 5 - 2. Hypothetically, what if we come out the BYE and beat the Vikings, Dolphins, and Bears, before the Browns visit Baltimore. Think you'd change your tune? ... Bc

[Bhcforlife]

The trade deadline is in 7 days. They don't even play again before it. No way they are going to be sellers at 5-2, nor should, especially when they *should* be 8-2 after their next 3. This is till a team that has a chance at HFA in the playoffs. Not sure I get that post at all.