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The 2021 Offseason Thread

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
Sad that it goes up today but at least we came out with the playoff win against the Titans. If you'd told me that 5-6 weeks ago I'd have been ecstatic. The way we lost was tough but it's onto the offseason.

Obviously the 2 key ways to improve personnel are free agency and the draft.

Free agency won't open up until the new league year (not sure when yet but probably sometime around the beginning of March). Some key decisions to be made especially at Edge Rusher but also other potential contract work to be done with some of the bottom end of the 53 contributors who I'm assuming we'll want to keep around.

The 2021 Draft is currently scheduled for the 29th April-1st May. The status of the NFL Combine is up in the air but the senior bowl is just around the corner with practices starting on the 26th January - with the combine potentially not happening, the importance of the senior bowl only grows in importance. Nearly 100 players from the 2020 draft attended the senior bowl including 4 1st round picks. The roster looks pretty stacked at this year's event.

The other way to improve/change is obviously with coaching and scheme. It looks like we might be losing 2 defensive assistants. It will be interesting to see what's said (if anything) about the coaching staff and whether there's any self-evaluation (publicly) about changing or evolving the staff and their schemes. But I can't imagine there'll be major personnel change at the top of the coaching roster.
 

Simba

Staff Member
Moderator
I’ll do a full rundown tomorrow, but our impending FA class didn’t turn out as I thought a few weeks back

Need to figure out the edge situation obviously and it’d be great to retain 2 or 3 of Judon, Ngakoue, Bowser, McPhee, and Ward.

Derek Wolfe also remains a priority and wouldn’t be surprised if this one gets done in the coming weeks.

Otherwise, you might try to keep some cheap depth like Eric Tomlinson and Justin Ellis.

The rest? Not seeing any real reason to keep them. Some STere that might remain too but time to move on from some of the middling talent with no future.
 

Simba

Staff Member
Moderator
I’m generally against trading high picks for expensive players, but I’d be willing to do it for a stud WR at this point if I had to. Don’t trust our evaluation or development and we really need to fix the passing game. Not sure this year is the year with the decreased salary cap, but wouldn’t be mad either. Such a shame we couldn’t make that Hopkins trade happen.
 

LSURavenFan

Veteran
I’m generally against trading high picks for expensive players, but I’d be willing to do it for a stud WR at this point if I had to. Don’t trust our evaluation or development and we really need to fix the passing game. Not sure this year is the year with the decreased salary cap, but wouldn’t be mad either. Such a shame we couldn’t make that Hopkins trade happen.


I am just absolutely baffled how the Ravens couldn’t outbid the Cardinals. Unless, they didn’t wanna trade him to an AFC team.

The Texans were excited to get David Johnson, imagine how happy they’d have been to get Mark Ingram, coming off a 1000yd season lol
 

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
I am just absolutely baffled how the Ravens couldn’t outbid the Cardinals. Unless, they didn’t wanna trade him to an AFC team.

The Texans were excited to get David Johnson, imagine how happy they’d have been to get Mark Ingram, coming off a 1000yd season lol

i mean that seems pretty likely that they just didnt want to keep him in the AFC - same way Bellicheck didn't want jimmy G in the AFC
 

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
I think this team needs to be busy at the beginning of free agency to sign ourselves a #1 WR and a good center.

i mean maybe a WR (although not sure what free agent WR wants to come here because of the statistical fall-off they'll have here)

but not sure there's a C better than Mekari going to hit the market this offseason looking at who's slated to hit free agency - we're looking at david andrews or some guys who might be retiring...

and we're not going to win any bidding war on Andrews - if we want to upgrade C that will almost certainly have to come via the draft
 

JAAM

Hall of Famer
Ready to start the #SIIE ritual for Allen Robinson, @Dom McRaven ?
 

A1A

Veteran
This one stings just as much as last year cause we had the better team....yall making excuses but I'm crushed and feel bad for the fellas... u gotta coach man... u can't just expect these dudes to just make random big plays when the moral is down...u got to put them in position to win and do so.

Last year I even broke down the way to beat the Titans and we ended up beating them the SAME EXACT WAY this year. Look it up. U telling me I could take this squad to the SB??? Wow I need to take an internship asap.
 

JAAM

Hall of Famer
This one stings just as much as last year cause we had the better team....yall making excuses but I'm crushed and feel bad for the fellas... u gotta coach man... u can't just expect these dudes to just make random big plays when the moral is down...u got to put them in position to win and do so.

Last year I even broke down the way to beat the Titans and we ended up beating them the SAME EXACT WAY this year. Look it up. U telling me I could take this squad to the SB??? Wow I need to take an internship asap.
Curious; who would be your picks for head coach and OC if you could choose anyone that’s available?
 

JAAM

Hall of Famer
Honestly, if you would have told me we were going to the divisional game without Ronnie, a makeshift offensive line, Snead, Boykin and Dez as your options opposite Hollywood and no Boyle before the season started, I would’ve laughed and said onto the 2021 offseason. Lots of changes to be made, but pretty dope to at least see us overcome all of that and COVID.
 

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
Honestly, if you would have told me we were going to the divisional game without Ronnie, a makeshift offensive line, Snead, Boykin and Dez as your options opposite Hollywood and no Boyle before the season started, I would’ve laughed and said onto the 2021 offseason. Lots of changes to be made, but pretty dope to at least see us overcome all of that and COVID.

100% - it just sucks given the way the game played out
 

JO_75

Hall of Famer
Steve Smith Sr. telling it like it is. It certainly reminds me of Cam Cameron and how Flacco was handcuffed for far too long and I think Lamar is going through the same with Roman.

 
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RL52TheGreatest

Ravens Ring of Honor
Steve Smith Sr. telling it like it is. It certainly reminds me of Cam Cameron and how Flacco was handcuffed for far too long and I think Lamar is going through the same with Roman.



I was just thinking about this earlier how it reminds me of Cam's time here. Started out great the first few years to develop Flacco, but it was very clear that we had reached a peak in that system that would not allow Flacco to reach his full potential.

We're seeing the same thing now with Roman because the way this offense is right now, there's no way that Lamar is going to develop into the type of passer that we need come playoff time. Takes an entire half of playoff football to even open up the offense and actually call some "decent" (I use that term lightly since our WR routes have been ass all season) passing plays? I don't even care that we've been running the ball at an historic level; it's time to open up the offense and let Lamar do more than just hand the ball off most of the game.
 

CanadianRavensFan

Practice Squad
i mean maybe a WR (although not sure what free agent WR wants to come here because of the statistical fall-off they'll have here)

but not sure there's a C better than Mekari going to hit the market this offseason looking at who's slated to hit free agency - we're looking at david andrews or some guys who might be retiring...

and we're not going to win any bidding war on Andrews - if we want to upgrade C that will almost certainly have to come via the draft
If we can draft a C that can start for us then I'm all for it. I just don't trust the C's on our team to not get Lamar killed with bad snaps. And is the drop off from coming here going to be that much greater than the drop off that a WR will experience going to the jets or Miami?
 

purplepittabread88

Staff Member
Administrator
I am kinda shocked about what went with our center tonight. Do they all have twitchs or some shit? Patrick’s been pretty good all year. Sucks that had to happen.
 

Sandtown

Pro Bowler
Steve Smith Sr. telling it like it is. It certainly reminds me of Cam Cameron and how Flacco was handcuffed for far too long and I think Lamar is going through the same with Roman.



I don't think Roman is as stubborn as Cam Cameron. Roman is probably the most creative offensive coordinator The Ravens have ever had.
 
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