The Baltimore Ravens have arguably the highest number of quality free agents set to hit the open market. This isn’t too surprising, as the Ravens had arguably the best roster in the league last year. Making it all the way to the AFC Championship Game, the team finished with the best record in football, but now a sizable portion of that talent could leave in free agency.
This is a natural part of the NFL in the salary cap era. The Ravens, like every other team, aren’t going to be able to keep all their free agents, so the roster will probably be weaker in 2024 than it was in 2023. The hard part is deciding who to keep, and Baltimore has plenty of talented players they won’t be able to retain.
Pro Football Focus recently released their list of the best free agents, and the Ravens had six players in their top 100. In order, they are Justin Madubuike (six), Kevin Zeitler (32), Jadeveon Clowney (40), Patrick Queen (45), Geno Stone (52), and Odell Beckham (69).
Ravens Have 6 of PFF’s Top 100 Free Agents
Likely To Stay
One way or another, the Ravens are going to make sure that Justin Madubuike sticks around. Finding interior rushers who can consistently get after the quarterback is no easy feat, and Madubuike is one of the best in the league at that role. The former third-round pick broke out in a big way last year, recording 13 sacks, 56 tackles, 12 tackles-for-loss, and 33 quarterback hits while making the first Pro Bowl of his career. Now entering his age-27 season, he’s easily the best of the Ravens free agents, and the team will use the franchise tag on him if necessary.
It’s also hard to envision a world where Kevin Zeitler leaves in free agency. While he is on the older side, he’s coming off one of the best seasons of his career and should have plenty left in his tank. With very few exceptions, the Ravens have always had a strong offensive line under head coach John Harbaugh, and keeping Zeitler around is crucial to the sustained success of the unit, especially since John Simpson is yet another one of the Ravens free agents.
Probably Gone
The Ravens found a diamond in the rough when they selected Geno Stone in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Starting his career as a backup, Stone bloomed into a reliable ball hawk, but the Ravens have many other reliable safeties already on the roster. Stone wants to start, and some other team will be willing to give more playing time and money to the Ravens free agent.
In a similar vein, Patrick Queen has probably played too well for the Ravens to re-sign him. Queen’s fate was essentially decided when Baltimore chose to trade for star linebacker Roquan Smith back in 2022. Queen and Smith were a formidable duo, but you justify investing top dollar in two separate linebackers.
Ravens Free Agents That Could Stay Or Go
Jadeveon Clowney and Odell Beckham are the two hardest Ravens free agents to figure out. On the one hand, both players had strong seasons and should have a couple more good years in their tank. Clowney had his most efficient season in years, recording 9.5 sacks on this star-studded defensive line. Beckham, meanwhile, took a while to knock off the rust but developed into a reliable receiver down the stretch.
On the other hand, both players are on the wrong side of 30 and are much closer to the end of their careers than the beginning. Seeing as the Ravens are in a bit of a financial pickle, they’ll probably only re-sign these free agents if they don’t get much interest on the open market. There are a lot of good pass rushers and receivers set to get paid, so there’s a decent chance both players come back on relatively cheap contracts.
Main Photo: Stephen Lew – USA Today Sports
