The Baltimore Ravens need to focus on the trenches this offseason
By Andrew Kim
The Ravens finished the 2021 season at 8-9. Injuries aside, Baltimore needs to address their depth and add more talent at several positions this offseason.
2021 was a year full of injuries for the Baltimore Ravens, yet somehow, it felt like they overachieved while falling short at the same time. Heading into the 2022 offseason, some key moves will have to be made so that next season isn’t like the last.
After winning 11 games in 2020 and getting that playoff victory out of the way, this year’s hopes in 2021 came to a halt when they had position groups decimated by injuries to the point where it started before the season began but didn’t stop till the last regular-season game.
Their whole running back core was gone before the regular season and a secondary group, which was previously praised with depth, was rapidly depleted till they simply ran out of capable guys. This included J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, and Justice Hill at running back. Especially at cornerback, Baltimore had to patchwork starters most weeks but the Ravens were still in it for the most part, until the Lamar Jackson injury and it went downhill from there.
Tyler Huntley was a good enough backup quarterback, but even that wasn’t enough to earn a playoff push. A few risks that ended close games were either not in their favor or the playcalling was not optimal, plummeting their chances to make it in the postseason in the end.
With that in mind, Baltimore needs to address a few positions this offseason, whether it is in free agency or the draft. The Ravens have a few free-agent starters that need to be replaced and/or improved upon if they want to make it back to the playoffs next season.
According to the Russell Street Report, the Ravens will have around $7.2 million dollars in salary cap for 2022 but if a few moves are made, it could free up cap space to give them more breathing room. Baltimore has double-digit picks again this year, with 10 selections total, and has the 14th pick in the first round of the upcoming NFL Draft.