Report : Analyzing the improvement or decline of specific units after the waves of free agency and the draft.
The Baltimore Ravens were the best and most complete team in the league last season thanks in large part to their incredible depth and being extremely stout in the the trenches on both sides of the ball. After having numerous starters and key contributors playing either on one-year deals or the final year of their rookie contracts, they were bound to lose a bevy of talent in free agency and the turnover inevitably came to pass.
In the nearly two months since the new league year began, the Ravens watched 15 of their unrestricted free agents sign elsewhere and have brought in a fair amount of talent as well via free agency and the 2024 NFL Draft. Here is a breakdown of which position groups on the team saw the most and least improvement as well as which ones pretty much stayed the same.
Cornerback
Veterans Ronald Darby and Rock Ya-Sin served as the Ravens’ primary backups, stop-gap starters and rotational pieces on the outside last year as three-time Pro Bowler Marlon Humphrey was plagued with injuries for most of the year. Darby signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars during the initial wave of free agency and Ya-Sin signed with the San Francisco 49ers a few weeks later. The only pending free agent defensive back the Ravens re-signed was seven-year veteran Arthur Maulet who had a career year splitting time in the slot with 2023 All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton.
Instead of waiting until after the draft or even as late as August to fortify their cornerback depth chart with veterans on one-year deals as they did last year, the Ravens doubled up at the position in the draft. The additions of Nate Wiggins in the first round out of Clemson and TJ Tampa in the fourth out of Iowa State made cornerback one of their greatest strengths and deepest groups in 2024 while also fortifying it for the future as Humphrey is getting older and Brandon Stephens could very well break the bank elsewhere next offseason after breaking out in 2023.
The Ravens are so deep at cornerback now that third-year pros Damarion ‘Pepe’ Williams and Jalyn Armour-Davis who were both selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft could vying for one of the last spots at the position on the roster.
Running back
The Ravens fielded the league’s top rushing attack by continuing their backfield-by-committee approach and despite losing their most explosive running backs to season-ending injuries. This position group has struggled to stay healthy as a whole dating back to 2021 when its top three players all suffered season-ending injuries just before the regular season got underway. Since the new league opened, the Ravens let both Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins walk in free agency and they both ended up landing with the Los Angeles Chargers where they will be reunited with former offensive coordinator Greg Roman and will be playing under Jim Harbaugh, their now former head coach’s younger brother.
Seeking more durability, stability and proven pedigree at the position, the Ravens brought in the most sturdy and productive running back in the league since 2019 when they signed four-time Pro Bowler and two-time league rushing champion Derrick Henry to a two-year deal in the first wave of free agency.
While he won’t be force-fed the ball in the same way he was with the Tennessee Titans for the past six years, the eight-year veteran will be the clear-cut starter playing in a featured role. The threat Henry presents on his own is as formidable as any player at his position in the entire league but paired with two-time MVP-winning quarterback Lamar Jackson, he’ll be even more dangerous.
In the draft, general manager Eric DeCosta made good on his word about adding a running back in mid-to-later rounds by taking former Marshall standout Rasheen Ali in the fifth. The rookie is currently recovering from a biceps injury he suffered at the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl that likely attributed to him falling a bit because his tape shows an explosive playmaker with a dynamic skill set. He will help five-year veteran Justice Hill offset the absence of second-year pro Keaton Mitchell who was an electrifying sparkplug as a rookie in 2023 before suffering a torn ACL in December which likely caused him to miss some time to open the 2024 season.
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