Limited space under the salary cap means the Baltimore Ravens won’t have the pick of elite players in 2025 NFL free agency, but if money was no object, their dream would surely be to sign Kansas City Chiefs Pro Bowl guard Trey Smith to replace Patrick Mekari.
Smith is the player the Ravens should want to sign, according to USA Today’s Glenn Erby of Ravens Wire. He pointed out how “the Ravens have several needs and little salary cap space to continue improving on an offensive line that was middle of the pack despite having Ronnie Stanley and Roger Rosengarten on the outside at offensive tackle. Stanley and Patrick Mekari are free agents, and the 25-year-old Smith could slide in as a left guard while Baltimore continues to add young talent via the NFL draft.”
While he may be out of their price range, it’s okay for the Ravens to dream about signing Smith. Especially since his “78.8 PFF overall grade in the regular season ranked 11th among all guards, and more importantly, he’s missed just one start in four NFL seasons and made his first Pro Bowl in 2024 after being tied for the most pass-block snaps without a sack (665).”
Numbers like those are a great advertisement for Smith’s skills. The problem is they are also reason why the 25-year-old is likely to command top dollar on the veteran market.
Trey Smith Can Expect Bumper Payday
Smith will get paid big because he’s a force at his position. Somebody who graded fifth in pass-blocking last season, per Pro Football Focus.
His confidence subduing pass-rushers is why the Ravens should want to put Smith in front of franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson. The two-time NFL MVP would surely appreciate blocks like these delivered by Smith against the New Orleans Saints in Week 5.
Not only did Smith “play through the whistle,” he also showed good vision and agility to react to a stunt. This was premium pass-blocking, but it’s only one phase of Smith’s dominant game.
He’s also a force against the run, something the Ravens and nose tackle Travis Jones discovered the hard way in Week 1. Smith displaced Jones with “a perfect representation of a ‘big boy block,’” according to Bleacher Report’s Brandon Thorn.
Not many interior offensive linemen can reset the line of scrimmage against 6-foot-4, 338-pound Jones, but Smith is a formidable powerhouse, as well as a refined technician. Those things make the 6-foot-6, 321-pounder one of the biggest prizes in this year’s free-agent class.
It’s why Spotrac.com projects him to have a market value of $19.7 million annually over four years. Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta would need to get creative with $8,728,872 worth of cap space to make any deal for Smith happen.
That may not be worth the effort when Smith played all 1,115 snaps in 2024 at right guard. Paying over the odds for a player to have to switch sides is a risk.
Doubly so when Mekari performed well last season.
Patrick Mekari No Weak Link for Ravens
Mekari went from undrafted free agent to accomplished starting left guard by allowing just one sack in 2024. He handled 822 snaps with a mix of intensity in one-on-one battles and composure in clutch moments.
Yet, for how well he played, Mekari is becoming a popular candidate to be replaced this offseason. At least among sports scribes.
Aside from signing Smith, the Ravens have been recommended to shuffle Mekari out of the way for a five-time Pro Bowler. The latter is a more affordable option for DeCosta, but the question remains should he be looking to replace Mekari at all?
Perhaps the greater priority is deciding the future of Mekari’s fellow lineman and free agent Ronnie Stanley. The left tackle plays arguably the second-most important position on the team as Jackson’s blindside protector.
Stanley’s also somebody the Ravens may not be able to afford, but they have alternatives. Both on the roster and via this year’s draft.
Exploring those options represent a more realistic pursuit than trying to find the money to sign Smith.
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