OTL: Welcome Back, Co-Cap!

The Baltimore Ravens are in the full swing of the offseason. While there’s one sticky subject I don’t really want to dive into, there is plenty of offseason speculation available for me to offer you.

We turn our attention first to free agency. With Ronnie Stanley going into the offseason as a free agent, the Ravens have to be prepared for the idea of life after number 79 at the left tackle position. Jeremy Brener of Sports Illustrated believes that Zack Martin from the Dallas Cowboys could be the answer to replacing Stanley. 

In his 11 seasons with the Cowboys, Martin has been named First-team All-Pro in seven of those years, including as recently as 2023. Martin has a space in Canton waiting for him once his career is over, but he could have a chance to reach some new professional heights with a Ravens team in need of a veteran offensive lineman. Both parties could benefit each other. Martin could give the Ravens the extra protection needed for Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry while Baltimore gives the long-time Cowboys legend a chance to compete as one of the premier teams in the AFC.

This is a move that would be hard to hate on. The negative aspect of this is that signing Martin would be nothing more than a bandage over the left tackle position. It’s good in 2025 but it leaves questions for the future. Coupling this with an early investment in the 2025 NFL Draft could be an exciting remedy to the left tackle problem this offseason presents. I still think a perfect world would see Stanley come back to the Ravens. It’s not a perfect problem. An article by Mike Moraitis in The Sporting News highlights the downside of the Ravens pursuing Stanley in free agency.

The problem for the Ravens is that they’re going to have limited funds to work with. Per Over the Cap, Baltimore is projected to have just $5.9 million in cap space prior to making cuts and restructures. Even if the Ravens can free up the money necessary to re-sign Stanley, will they want a large chunk of their cap space to be taken up by a soon-to-be 31-year-old tackle who has had a plethora of injury issues over the years? We shall see.

The Ravens understand better than any team that signing Stanley comes with a bit of risk. The long-tenured left tackle has missed a lot of games due to injuries over his career. The story with Stanley is that when he’s on the field he’s a leader and a tone setter for the offensive line, and when he’s hurt he leaves a massive void for the Ravens to fill at one of the most important positions. The Ravens just watched the Chiefs get humanized by the Eagles’ overwhelmingly powerful defensive line. Baltimore has one idea about next season and it’s winning a Super Bowl. They can’t do that without a quality left tackle. Signing a veteran like Martin and drafting the future of the position is a very sensible idea.

The other Ravens legend you have to wider about going into this offseason is Marlon Humphrey. Joe Alfano of Sports Illustrated thinks the Ravens need to find a way to keep their former first round pick cornerback:

Even in that dark period, Humphrey was still making an impact in more ways than one.

First, he could turn the tides instantly with a timely pick, such as when he had two interceptions against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 7 to help the Ravens climb out of an early 10-0 hole. Second, he lit a fire under the Ravens’ defense after they allowed 428 passing yards against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10, including 264 yards and three touchdowns to Ja’Marr Chase alone. Baltimore’s defense improved significantly after that game, with Humphrey’s comments undoubtedly playing a major part. Humphrey is a huge component of the Ravens not only on the field, but in the locker room as well, and they’d dearly miss him in both areas if he leaves. They may have their hand forced due to cap constraints, but if there’s a way to keep their veteran leader around, they should absolutely do so.

This is a take that I agree with wholeheartedly. The Ravens would have had three more losses last season if it weren’t for the timely turnovers from Humphrey. When I think of the idea of “Play like a Raven” Humphrey is one of the players I think of. Leadership counts for a lot but those timely plays speak to more than just leadership. Those fumbles and interceptions in the biggest moments of desperation demonstrate how locked in and committed he is. Humphrey isn’t what he used to be and he’s not a dominant lock down cornerback. Still, he finds ways to make big impacts on the game. He is to the Ravens what cheese is to pizza: he keeps it all together on defense.

I think Kyle Hamilton will be a great leader for many years (assuming the Ravens are wise enough to never let him leave) but Humphrey is the general at the moment. I think bringing back Humphrey will have the same impact he had on the 2024-2025 season, it will amount to a couple wins you wouldn’t have otherwise. One last thing on this subject is that when a game trends badly it tends to go badly even if the Ravens find a way to be competitive. Humphrey is a tide changer of a player. He can lead when things go poorly. The Ravens obviously need more players like this but Humphrey is the perfect example setter.

Mock Drafts

So what about Mock Drafts? Let’s look at a few and then I’ll chime in.

We talked about offensive tackles already but PFF has the Ravens taking a guard, Tyler Booker from Alabama. 

Booker would provide the Ravens with an interior people mover for their potent rushing offense. Baltimore is right at the cusp of winning a Super Bowl, so the front office might as well invest in the team’s biggest strength: running the football.

Chad Rueter of NFL.com has the Ravens taking an offensive tackle. He has the Ravens trading back with the Eagles and taking Josh Conley Jr. from Oregon.

Baltimore trades down in the first round and finds a bargain. Veterans Ronnie Stanley and Patrick Mekari are due to become free agents, so the team must add a starting left tackle

Daniel Jeremiah has the Ravens taking a cornerback though, so the 27th spot in the draft isn’t a big guy only affair. He has the Ravens taking Azareye’h Thomas from Florida State.

The Ravens double dip on drafting big, long corners after selecting Nate Wiggins last year. Thomas is a smooth, fluid athlete.

These are some very interesting options. Obviously the offensive lineman from Alabama idea usually works wonders in the NFL Draft. Josh Conley Jr. sounds intriguing and Oregon has produced some good tackles. The cornerback pick from Jeremiah is one I want to look at a bit more. That is an exciting pick. Being elite at cornerback isn’t a bad idea at all.

Giving back is what we do @MandT_Bank pic.twitter.com/DgjFnk9OmD

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) February 14, 2025

It’s always good to see the Ravens doing their part in the community.

The Ravens are hiring former DB Anthony Levine as their Assistant Special Teams coach, per @mzenitz.

CO-CAP IS BACK. pic.twitter.com/DYFgUda9G6

— Ravens Nation ð™‡ð™„ð™‘𙀠(@LIVERavenNation) February 15, 2025

It’s good to see Anthony Levine back. He was a stud for the Ravens special teams for a long time. He’ll be a great addition to the locker room that connects back to some of the glories of the past.

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