Free agency is about to begin, and the folks at Pro Football Focus believe that the Baltimore Ravens are going to be active. According to a recent article, the team believes that the Ravens will sign Jonathan Jones, a versatile cornerback that can play multiple spots in the secondary.
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PFF: Baltimore Ravens Could Sign Free Agent Jonathan Jones
How He Could Fit
The Ravens love versatile defenders, which makes Jones a perfect fit for this secondary. The former undrafted free agent spent the majority of his early career working out of the slot, but that was mostly due to New England’s insane amount of talent at the cornerback position. However, with Stephon Gilmore, JC Jackson, and Jason McCourty all gone, Jones spent more time lined up wide over the past two seasons. Basically, he can fit multiple schemes and can follow receivers across the field, whether lined up inside or outside.
Jonathan Jones is a playmaker. #Patriots pic.twitter.com/s3iaR7Tjv8
— Pats Buzz (@PatsBuzz) November 25, 2022
This versatility is always valuable, but it’s especially useful for the Ravens. Baltimore has one of the more creative defenses in the league when they have the players to execute their scheme, and Jones’ ability to play anywhere on the field will allow the coaching staff to create more creative coverage concepts.
Additionally, while the Ravens wide receiver need has received more attention, Baltimore could also use another cornerback or two. Marcus Peters is headed for free agency, and there is a very real chance the team does not bring him back. Jonathan Jones is not the same type of player at Peters, but he’d be a great replacement – if the Ravens can afford him.
What A Jonathan Jones Contract Could Look Like
It should go without saying that there is no way to determine what contract Jonathan Jones will actually get until the free agent actually signs. However, we can use projections across the web to get a rough idea of Jones’ market.
According to Spotrac, Jones will likely receive something in the range of a two-year, $24.9 million contract, but their methods don’t exactly check out. Spotrac determines a player’s projected contract using comparable players, which works most of the time, but doesn’t make too much sense when those comparable players are Darius Slay, Bradley Roby, Stephon Gilmore, and James Bradberry.
It’s highly unlikely Jones matches any of those contracts, and Pro Football Focus seems to agree. In a separate article, the site projected that Jones will receive a two-year, $11 million deal. This seems low for a player of Jones’ caliber, so let’s assume the real number lies somewhere in between those two at two years and $18 million.
If that is the final price, then it’s one the Ravens should consider paying. You can never have too many good cornerbacks, especially when you share a division with Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Amari Cooper, and Diontae Johnson. The Ravens currently have nearly $26 million in cap space, but that number will go down when Lamar Jackson receives the franchise tag. That being said, the team can still find spending money by cutting a few players.
Main Photo: Brian Fluharty – USA Today Sports
