Signings, Cuts, Trades

[JoeyFlex5]

I think you got it 100% backwards. How awesome does that extra yr of rookie control on day 1 starters like Hamilton/Flowers/Linderbaum look now? Do EXACTLY what you've been doing, take a guy you project as yr 1 major contributor, even at a less than prime position and get those full yrs of control.

You’re not wrong at all. This class in particular though I don’t see a ton of late first rounders that I value much higher than late second and early third guys. So even missing out on that fifth year, it gives you more flexibility by just having more guys on rookie deals. If you steal another 2 guys on day 2 then you just have more cheap talent allowing you to stay flexible in free agency over the next 2-3 years when we will desperately need flexibility.

If it’s another deal like a Hamilton, Wiggins, or flowers, where you have a guy fall WAY beyond where you think they should, then yeah jump on that. I just would be surprised if that happens in this class.

Nick emmanwori and James Pearce are 2 guys that could be in that category, but emmanwori I just don’t see falling, and frankly I don’t see it with Pearce either but I think he’s the most likely. If it’s James Pearce and you think the locker room can straighten him out based on your interviews, jump on it.

Derrick Harmon and Malaki starks are also guys I could certainly justify at 27, but they wouldn’t feel like steals the way those 3 did.

 

[allblackraven]

I know the salary cap is going up tremendously, but the prospect of paying Kyle Hamilton, Tyler Linderbaum, Zay Flowers, etc. $20M+ in the next few years is scary.

We just need to keep drafting well. This makes me less anxious than paying two wideouts 40 and 30 a year.

 

[Simba]

This is why trading back from 27 feels like an almost necessary move. We’re gonna need to take a lot of quality swings in rounds 2-5 if we’re gonna replenish the roster after next season. We’re gonna have to let a lot of depth leave, probably trade a player or two, and make some cuts, because those are three guys you HAVE to retain.

I’m not looking for a home run franchise changer in round 1, we’re kinda loaded with those guys. I’m looking for a handful of starting caliber players across any position groups, so that we can pay our guys and let the rest walk without trotting out camp bodies. Would hate to have a situation like 2019 where half our defense were guys that wouldn’t start on most teams in the league.

I kinda disagree to some extent. I’m still aiming for the best talent I can get. This team has proven they can fill out a roster with veterans where needed for the most part. Give me good players on cheap deals. Makes it easier to move on from guys that are expensive if you have to.

 

[CanadianRavensFan]

Yup, this is the absolute death knell for Cincy going forward. Joe Burrow is your Qb, not your GM. Your OLine still sucks, you have no running and no defense. These kitties will have some bite and win the occasional pinball game v.s a contender but they aren't going anywhere over 17 games. The AFc North is looking more and more like a cake walk by the day. It won't be of course, it's the friggin AFC North, but on paper Baltimore looks several categories better.

Exactly, Cincy needs to have amazing drafts from now on to find cheap players because they won't be able to pay anyone else

 

[RavensMania]

Very unlikely that Henry is ever a Raven if Dobbins had a healthy career.

Not saying you're wrong, but want to know your reasoning why you think that. If Dobbins had a healthy career he very well could be long gone from Baltimore. It's doubtful we would have extended him, so yes Henry still could be a Raven.

 

[rmcjacket23]

Not saying you're wrong, but want to know your reasoning why you think that. If Dobbins had a healthy career he very well could be long gone from Baltimore. It's doubtful we would have extended him, so yes Henry still could be a Raven.

Why do you think we wouldn't have extended him?

 

[RavensMania]

Why do you think we wouldn't have extended him?

I think it would have depended on the price he wanted, not saying we wouldn't have but it's very possible he doesn't get extended because he wants too much money.

 

[rmcjacket23]

I think it would have depended on the price he wanted, not saying we wouldn't have but it's very possible he doesn't get extended because he wants too much money.

Obviously all hypothetical, but assuming he played well for 3-4 years, he would have been extension eligible after 2022 and a UFA last offseason. Those are the two years where RB comp compression was gigantic, meaning his price was lower. It's the reason we got Henry at the price point we did. If he wanted $15M a year, sure, we wouldn't have kept him, but then again, him wanting and getting it are two different things. A lot of RBs, many of which would have had more historical production than him, wanted a lot of $ during those periods, and practically none of them got what they wanted.
We know at least for 2024 that we could have kept him for a little less than $12M on the franchise tag if we wanted, so that's sort of the ceiling.

 

[RavensMania]

Obviously all hypothetical, but assuming he played well for 3-4 years, he would have been extension eligible after 2022 and a UFA last offseason. Those are the two years where RB comp compression was gigantic, meaning his price was lower. It's the reason we got Henry at the price point we did. If he wanted $15M a year, sure, we wouldn't have kept him, but then again, him wanting and getting it are two different things. A lot of RBs, many of which would have had more historical production than him, wanted a lot of $ during those periods, and practically none of them got what they wanted.
We know at least for 2024 that we could have kept him for a little less than $12M on the franchise tag if we wanted, so that's sort of the ceiling.

I do recall him wanting 10m average and this was after his injuries. You may be right, we may have extended him and it's all hypothetical, but I don't think we extend him if he wanted 10m average.

 

[rmcjacket23]

I do recall him wanting 10m average and this was after his injuries. You may be right, we may have extended him and it's all hypothetical, but I don't think we extend him if he wanted 10m average.

IF he didn't have injury history, and he actually produced in the prior 3-4 seasons, I think $10M would have been easy to do. I think we'd have done a little more. We did $8M for Henry, and he'll likely be getting like a 50% raise after one year at some point this offseason.

 

[JAAM]

Really disliked the Nuk signing at first for biased reasons but have warmed up to it since. We can do a lot worse at the #3 position. Still has reliable hands and can create separation. He’s going to be miles better than Nelly was

 

[UPennChem]

Really disliked the Nuk signing at first for biased reasons but have warmed up to it since. We can do a lot worse at the #3 position. Still has reliable hands and can create separation. He’s going to be miles better than Nelly was

Shouldn't be close. Plus the Lamar effect

 

[rossihunter2]

I know the salary cap is going up tremendously, but the prospect of paying Kyle Hamilton, Tyler Linderbaum, Zay Flowers, etc. $20M+ in the next few years is scary.

by the time we get to paying them all 20m that will be a bargain

more worried that kyle might be an even crazier deal

 

[rossihunter2]

I’m not looking for a home run franchise changer in round 1, we’re kinda loaded with those guys. I’m looking for a handful of starting caliber players across any position groups, so that we can pay our guys and let the rest walk without trotting out camp bodies. Would hate to have a situation like 2019 where half our defense were guys that wouldn’t start on most teams in the league.

that's exactly what im looking for in R1
you dont find those guys outside of R1 often so you kind of have to take a swing when you've got the chance when you're at the back end of the 1st round

those guys are force multipliers for the other guys they play with

 

[JAAM]

by the time we get to paying them all 20m that will be a bargain

more worried that kyle might be an even crazier deal

Kyle to me is like Lamar. Give him whatever tf he wants and figure it all out later

 

[QtR Nevermore]

You’re not wrong at all. This class in particular though I don’t see a ton of late first rounders that I value much higher than late second and early third guys. So even missing out on that fifth year, it gives you more flexibility by just having more guys on rookie deals. If you steal another 2 guys on day 2 then you just have more cheap talent allowing you to stay flexible in free agency over the next 2-3 years when we will desperately need flexibility.

If the talent level is pretty flat from the late first to the early third, that's exactly why it will be hard to find a trade back partner. The only hopes are if someone really talented falls - in which case we should just take him - or if someone wants to move up to get a 5th year option on one of the second tier QBs, but even then there will probably be about 10 teams looking to make that trade to pick up another shot in day 2, so the price will be low.

I'm almost certain we'll have to stick and pick, whether we want to or not.

11 draft picks is a pretty nice way to start replenishing the roster anyway.

 

[RavensMania]

IF he didn't have injury history, and he actually produced in the prior 3-4 seasons, I think $10M would have been easy to do. I think we'd have done a little more. We did $8M for Henry, and he'll likely be getting like a 50% raise after one year at some point this offseason.

depends on what you mean in "produced"

Comparing Henry to Dobbins and I'm a Dobbins fan, isn't a fair comp

 

[rmcjacket23]

depends on what you mean in "produced"

Comparing Henry to Dobbins and I'm a Dobbins fan, isn't a fair comp

I agree its not. Henry is also older, which is why he got less than some of his peers who he's outperformed.
Would he performing at the level that, say, Josh Jacobs performed at be an outrageous expectation if he was largely healthy for three or four years? Same age, drafted a year apart.
Jacobs made $26.5M over the last two years. I'm not sure what the basis would be in the Ravens not paying something in the range (but maybe a little less) than that on a long term deal to a player who played well for them.

 

[RavensMania]

I agree its not. Henry is also older, which is why he got less than some of his peers who he's outperformed.
Would he performing at the level that, say, Josh Jacobs performed at be an outrageous expectation if he was largely healthy for three or four years? Same age, drafted a year apart.
Jacobs made $26.5M over the last two years. I'm not sure what the basis would be in the Ravens not paying something in the range (but maybe a little less) than that on a long term deal to a player who played well for them.

it's just a matter of opinion and I don't feel the Ravens would have prioritize signign a RB in 2022 or 2023 at 10m plus. No one is really wrong in this discussion.

 

[rmcjacket23]

it's just a matter of opinion and I don't feel the Ravens would have prioritize signign a RB in 2022 or 2023 at 10m plus. No one is really wrong in this discussion.

OK, and I have no historical or roster construction basis to think they wouldn't.