The Baltimore Ravens are currently focused on their impending playoff run, but that hasn’t stopped Pro Football Focus from releasing their list of the top 100 free agents of 2024. According to PFF’s Brad Spielberger, a staggering six Ravens have earned a spot on the list, including four players in the top 50.
This should go without saying, but the Ravens currently should not be too worried about their impending free agents. As of this posting, the team is atop the AFC and has sole control of the top seed in the conference. However, the fact that this many players are on the list shows just how talented this roster is, and how crucial it is that the Ravens make the most of this postseason run. Of course, Baltimore could also re-sign any of these players before free agency officially kicks off in March. Without further ado, the following players made the list:
- Justin Madubuike (6)
- Kevin Zeitler (32)
- Jadeveon Clowney (40)
- Patrick Queen (45)
- Odell Beckham (69)
- Michael Pierce (75)
6 Ravens Make PFF’s Top 100 Free Agents
The Players
Ravens star interior defender Justin Madubuike chose a great year to become a free agent. The former third-round pick has always been a solid player, but he is in the midst of a genuinely historical run right now. Chris Jones is also a free agent this year, but considering Madubuike is the younger player, he might earn a bigger contract in free agency.
Kevin Zeitler, Jadeveon Clowney, and Odell Beckham are all on the older side but are still playing well. Zeitler is currently PFF’s 15th-best guard, and while he will be 34 next year, he deserves another short-term payday. Clowney has spent the past few years bouncing from team to team, but he may have found a home in Baltimore. Beckham, meanwhile, got off to a slow start but has started to look more and more like his old self as the season progressed. He’ll probably never rediscover his Giants form, but he and Zay Flowers could be a nice duo for the next few seasons.
Patrick Queen and Michael Pierce, however, are probably on their way out. Queen has improved dramatically since entering the league, but it’s hard to justify investing in the impending free agent when the Ravens already have a big-money linebacker in Roquan Smith. Pierce, meanwhile, is a run-first defensive tackle. Those players don’t have too much value in today’s NFL.
Which Free Agents Can the Ravens Re-Sign?
It should go without saying that the Ravens top priority should be ensuring that Justin Madubuike never becomes a free agent. The Ravens have until the middle of March to come to terms with the interior defender, and if they can’t come to a deal by then, they can use the franchise tag to keep him off the open market. Great pass rushers don’t grow on trees, and the Ravens shouldn’t allow one of the few premium interior pass rushers in the league to slip through their fingers.
Assuming the Ravens keep Madubuike, that might be the end of their big free agent acquisitions. The team currently has just $11.45 million in 2024 cap space, and Madubuike will eat into a lot of that. Chances are, the Ravens will have to start shopping in the bargain bin for the rest of the offseason.
The good news is that a lot of the Ravens other free agents probably won’t break the bank. Zeitler, Clowney, and Beckham are all good players, but they’re all on the wrong side of 30. Chances are, the Ravens could find a way to bring at least one or two of them back for a reasonable salary. The same goes for Pierce, although he’s the lowest priority of the aforementioned players.
Main Photo: Nathan Ray Seebeck – USA Today Sports
