Signings, Cuts, Trades

[RavensMania]

I think there are a lot of possible reasons, but the main trigger in my head was trying to trade for Howard. Obvioulsy that wouldnt have been a rental as he is on a long term, and we arent ridding of Marlon.
I think Harbs really likes Tavon and AA hasnt been bad outside of communications and that could be seen as an ave to rid of Peters, espically off an injury and somewhat old. Add in that both AA and Tavon are basically FA this year, Jimmy will be gone off age, and it leaves questions.

I think it is fairly known or obvious I would be against this. But it stays as a possability in my mind

AA is a free agent and he is gone. Tavon is still under contract and yes Jimmy will retire. Add in DeShon Elliott as he is a free agent also.

 

[purplepittabread88]

AA is a free agent and he is gone. Tavon is still under contract and yes Jimmy will retire. Add in DeShon Elliott as he is a free agent also.

Tavons contract could be cut this year and save 9/10 million of I am correct, that’s why I was saying he’s essentially a FA in my mind. No way should we pay him that rate.

if you invest mad in corners of all positions they better stay healthy

 

[RavensMania]

Tavons contract could be cut this year and save 9/10 million of I am correct, that’s why I was saying he’s essentially a FA in my mind. No way should we pay him that rate.

if you invest mad in corners of all positions they better stay healthy

We would save 5.845m of cap space while having 3.3m dead cap. Not sure we cut him, but that's a question mark. He's played pretty well once he got his feet wet.

 

[rossihunter2]

Good write up as always Rossi. Makes sense on investment value for sure. We have definitely lacked investment levels at higher picks but have like 4 "meh" starters - or guys who could be starters soon from all the 3rd and 4ths. This is a big reason I was saying I want a play maker saftey or a really good int L at the end of the first this year, I think a game changer in the middle three would do wonders for this team as it can really help out other spots. Obvioulsy our tackles are shot so IDK how possilbe this might be but yea, mekari and even colon in the top 7 helps, but not when they are forced into all starting. It is obviously hard to build a line like that without major sacrifice of capital both in draft and picks, but it definitely pays off.

I think a lot of the moves we have the potenital to make are smaller than what some people think. Maybe a high pick and subbing Bozeman out for Colon is really as good as it can get this offseason. Guys simply need to stay healthy and play better. No reason to have faith in Juan James, but hell that would be an ace up the sleve huh.

like Mekari, Colon and whoever doesn't win the LG job out of Phillips, Powers and Cleveland is a pretty decent set of backups for all 5 positions on the OL

if you can find another tackle - be that a starter who competes with James and Mekari for the RT spot or just an actual legitimate swing tackle - then that makes this unit so much more resilient against injury

i think our interior OL play has been absolutely fine - not spectacular but solid enough - that if we can get good tackle play this OL becomes magically multiple times better - the ideal scenario for me is that Stanley comes back, James comes back, Mekari comes back and we add a high pick to compete for the RT job - whatever your definition of a high pick is - (and hopefully win the job) - that sets us up well in both the short and long term

i just think there's a massive multiplier effect on our OL play if we add just 1 quality talent to the OL... preferably at tackle but if there's a blue-chip C or G then no reason not to take them if they're BPA

 

[rossihunter2]

I think there are a lot of possible reasons, but the main trigger in my head was trying to trade for Howard. Obvioulsy that wouldnt have been a rental as he is on a long term, and we arent ridding of Marlon.
I think Harbs really likes Tavon and AA hasnt been bad outside of communications and that could be seen as an ave to rid of Peters, espically off an injury and somewhat old. Add in that both AA and Tavon are basically FA this year, Jimmy will be gone off age, and it leaves questions.

I think it is fairly known or obvious I would be against this. But it stays as a possability in my mind

i mean sure - that would be a discussion to have (and the answer would probably be fairly obvious) if we actually acquired Howard... but we didn't

and also worth pointing out the point in the season we attempted to make that trade - we were surging and the dolphins at that point seemed out of contention and we thought that defensively we were maybe only 1 player away from becoming dominant again...

i dont think peters was in any way related to that decision beyond just his being unavailable and injured

you could be right of course - i just dont think the howard non-trade has any impact on peters's future - it'll be down to whether we can agree on an extension or not methinks

 

[rossihunter2]

Tavons contract could be cut this year and save 9/10 million of I am correct, that’s why I was saying he’s essentially a FA in my mind. No way should we pay him that rate.

if you invest mad in corners of all positions they better stay healthy

~6m saving by cutting him - not sure how worth it that is

 

[redrum52]

With how the OL has performed, I HIGHLY doubt the FO decides to get cheap with one of its better, healthy players. I don't see Bozeman walking unless his demands are outrageous.

 

[QuothTheRaven]

If a day one stud C fell to us in the draft, I would pull the trigger on that position. Move Bozeman back to guard.

 

[D1City55]

so we're mostly agreeing here
but i think it's actually the opposite with bozeman in terms of his position - i think he was at LG because that allowed us to put the best 5 OL on the field together - there are some things he cannot do at LG that change the types of running plays we run there - now it's been fine because we've been able to run so much power right with bozeman pulling because of the way we've structured the offence... don't get me wrong, the ravens have been a right-handed running team for a long time but there's a reason bozeman was pulling more than any other G in ravens history and it's because that was his specific niche - i think he's better suited to C in the long run and that's where he'll stay - now if they retain Bozeman and then there's a C who's an incredible value in the draft then sure they might move him back but if they retain him, i fully expect it to be with the intent for him to secure the C position for a while

From my perspective, I'm seeing a pretty stark drop-off in LG play and I'm more confident in finding a guy who can at least be solid in the C position then relying on any of the Gs to come back. I mean you did allude to it but the scheme is why he pulls so much, especially considering how much Greg roman loves pulling guards.

Also, in all honesty, C is never a position the Ravens have trouble with finding. Zuttah was a guy who they traded for and he caught way more flack than needed, I don't think he was as bad as the fanbase made him out to be outside of his final year. Jensen was a nice find and Skura played really well in 2019 and only saw his value tank, I think the team is capable of finding a C and didn't get to address that position last year given the needs, I think EDC alluded to that and pretty much left it to internal options at that point, I don't blame him because I certainly wouldn't make a move there if Bozeman is capable of playing the position. Outside of Gino Gradkowski it's never been too much of a problem.

If Colon is capable of stepping up or guy who falls into their lap in the 2nd or 3rd is there then I don't see a problem with pulling the trigger even if they keep Bozeman. As far as his contract goes I think I might have mixed myself up. He's predicted to come in at 9.5M, I wouldn't be surprised if he hits that number but he should easily get more, at 10M+ I'd definitely let him walk.

 

[rossihunter2]

From my perspective, I'm seeing a pretty stark drop-off in LG play and I'm more confident in finding a guy who can at least be solid in the C position then relying on any of the Gs to come back. I mean you did allude to it but the scheme is why he pulls so much, especially considering how much Greg roman loves pulling guards.

Also, in all honesty, C is never a position the Ravens have trouble with finding. Zuttah was a guy who they traded for and he caught way more flack than needed, I don't think he was as bad as the fanbase made him out to be outside of his final year. Jensen was a nice find and Skura played really well in 2019 and only saw his value tank, I think the team is capable of finding a C and didn't get to address that position last year given the needs, I think EDC alluded to that and pretty much left it to internal options at that point, I don't blame him because I certainly wouldn't make a move there if Bozeman is capable of playing the position. Outside of Gino Gradkowski it's never been too much of a problem.

If Colon is capable of stepping up or guy who falls into their lap in the 2nd or 3rd is there then I don't see a problem with pulling the trigger even if they keep Bozeman. As far as his contract goes I think I might have mixed myself up. He's predicted to come in at 9.5M, I wouldn't be surprised if he hits that number but he should easily get more, at 10M+ I'd definitely let him walk.

I mean yes it’s schematic but it’s schemed that way with Bozeman at LG because those are his strengths - I’m not sure what my personal cutoff would be with Bozeman price-wise but if I’m not willing to give him 10m then we might as well say goodbye now because no way he’s getting less than that on the open market...

Very happy to be wrong on his price but I’d be stunned if he didn’t get at least 10/yr

 

[Deebo813]

kevin harlan brought up something about us being close to the maximum number of roster changes or something this season

and i couldnt find anything about that

does anyone know if that's a real thing - like is there a limit to how many players you can play in a season?

Wow.. if thats real let me know

 

[Deebo813]

sure continuity is important - but id say talent and investment is probably even more important

the best OLs in the game right now (for me i think that's clearly the Bucs, Browns, Saints in no particular order) all have multiple high picks and some other big contracts on their OL

Bucs:
Donovan Smith (not a 1st round pick but was taken 34th overall - is being paid a top 10 tackle salary)
Ali Marpet (2nd round pick - is being paid a top 10 guard salary)
Ryan Jensen (reset the market for 2nd contract at C - still a top 5 C salary)
Alex Cappa (3rd round pick)
Tristan Wirfs (top 15 pick)

they have 3 elite players on their OL - Marpet, Jensen and Wirfs

Browns:
Jedrick Wills (top 10 pick)
Joel Bitonio (2nd round pick 35th overall - 2nd highest paid guard in all football)
JC Tretter (4th highest paid C in football)
Wyatt Teller (4th highest paid guard in football)
Jack Conklin (top 10 pick - 6th highest paid RT)

3 of these guys were all-pros in 20202 (the 2 guards were 2nd team but still...) and Wills is a top 10 pick

Saints:
Terron Armstead (3rd round pick - got a 2nd contract - 3 x pro bowler and 2018 2nd team all-pro)
Andrus Peat (top 15 pick - top 10 guard salary)
Erik McCoy (2nd round pick)
Cesar Ruiz (1st round pick)
Ryan Ramczyk (1st round pick)

in the case of the browns and saints, they also have found glue-level backup play when they've lost guys - the browns have blake hance and the saints have james hurst to sew closed the holes at multiple spots on their OL - for us that guy should be pat mekari but he's been entrenched at RT

the browns and saints have managed to make it through periods of disruption because they have high quality talent at multiple spots so their backups are coming into a more friendly situation

im not suggesting we suddenly need to throw money and 1st round picks at every OL position but that talent and investment is far more important than continuity across seasons for good OL play

given how often OL get injured and miss games, chemistry is helpful but not crucial

Kc oline has been playing very good as of late also

 

[rossihunter2]

Kc oline has been playing very good as of late also

KC everything has been playing well lately - including that defence that was a sieve earlier in the season and is now shutting teams down and consistently making big plays

like i don’t get what happened lol

 

[RavensMania]

Wow.. if thats real let me know

I tweeted Ken McKusic @Filmstudy and he heard him say it during the game also, but knows nothing about it. I also tweeted Zrebiec this morning. If I find out anything, I'll post it on the boards.

 

[D1City55]

I mean yes it’s schematic but it’s schemed that way with Bozeman at LG because those are his strengths - I’m not sure what my personal cutoff would be with Bozeman price-wise but if I’m not willing to give him 10m then we might as well say goodbye now because no way he’s getting less than that on the open market...

Very happy to be wrong on his price but I’d be stunned if he didn’t get at least 10/yr

I view it as a mix of scheme and strengths but I think both turned out to work out very well for the Ravens IMO, that's just my observation.

Yeah I think we agree here on price. IMO if he goes beyond the 10M(Which I expect), then no, I would not bring him back. It's just too much for a team that needs to save as much as possible. Some might call me crazy but I would prepare to save for Hollywood. I think he's a potentially elite WR who can be even better but is restricted by poor OL play, currently mid QB play, and a generic passing game. I think he's got a lot of talent and the team should absolutely try to keep him. I would even use that money to sign a FA LB if there's one available or true deep safety.

 

[rossihunter2]

I view it as a mix of scheme and strengths but I think both turned out to work out very well for the Ravens IMO, that's just my observation.

Yeah I think we agree here on price. IMO if he goes beyond the 10M(Which I expect), then no, I would not bring him back. It's just too much for a team that needs to save as much as possible. Some might call me crazy but I would prepare to save for Hollywood. I think he's a potentially elite WR who can be even better but is restricted by poor OL play, currently mid QB play, and a generic passing game. I think he's got a lot of talent and the team should absolutely try to keep him. I would even use that money to sign a FA LB if there's one available or true deep safety.

maybe some will disagree (they probably will) but Hollywood’s been my guy since before we drafted him - I absolutely think he should be in our future plans - keeping this skill position group together for the medium to long-term would be awesome

 

[rmcjacket23]

maybe some will disagree (they probably will) but Hollywood’s been my guy since before we drafted him - I absolutely think he should be in our future plans - keeping this skill position group together for the medium to long-term would be awesome

All the more reason to focus on defense in the draft. Defense doesn't have a lot of expensive players at the moment (except for our Corners). If we can hit on defensive draft picks, it allows more money to lock down our offensive playmakers.

If people want to get out and buy a new Center, new Tackle, etc., well, there's just not going to be any money left for Hollywood and others.

 

[rossihunter2]

All the more reason to focus on defense in the draft. Defense doesn't have a lot of expensive players at the moment (except for our Corners). If we can hit on defensive draft picks, it allows more money to lock down our offensive playmakers.

If people want to get out and buy a new Center, new Tackle, etc., well, there's just not going to be any money left for Hollywood and others.

Which is why I do think tackle will be a fairly high priority this year - inexpensive good play at tackle is probably the 2nd most advantageous position to have it

if we can nail down a tackle then it really truly is defence where we’re looking to inject more youth and talent

 

[RavensMania]

Does anyone know the other offensive tackle we supposedly had interest and a workout on back in April before the draft? I'm trying to find the name for no other reason than just being curious.

 

[Simba]

Does anyone know the other offensive tackle we supposedly had interest and a workout on back in April before the draft? I'm trying to find the name for no other reason than just being curious.

Dennis Kelly. He was coming off of injury at the time though and wasn't fully healthy.