The Baltimore Ravens have 1 player on their roster who, if he’s healthy, automatically makes them a contender in 2-time NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson.
It’s what the Ravens have built around Jackson — or failed to build — that led Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski to give the franchise 1 of the worst grades for their offseason, tagging Baltimore with a “D” grade after free agency and the NFL draft.
Only 1 team received a worse grade — the Jacksonville Jaguars received the lone “F” on Sobleski’s offseason report card.
“It’s difficult to look at the Baltimore Ravens and say they’re a better team today than they were last season,” Sobleski wrote on Monday. “John Harbaugh was ousted after 18 seasons and 12 postseason appearances. Jesse Minter is an ideal DNA match for the franchise, but he has to prove himself as an NFL head coach and organizational leader. Three-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum left in free agency. Baltimore’s first-round pick of guard Vega Ioane will help offset Linderbaum’s departure, but the rookie’s inclusion doesn’t completely rectify the situation. Outside of Baltimore’s dubious handling of the Maxx Crosby trade, which ultimately led to the signing of Trey Hendrickson, the Ravens did little to seriously upgrade their roster.”
One Non-Move Defined Offseason for Ravens
The sad fact about the Ravens this offseason is that no matter how good they did in free agency or the draft, all of those moves were going to be overshadowed by 1 non-move — the aborted trade for Las Vegas Raiders All-Pro edge rusher Maxx Crosby.
The outside perception of the deal is that the Ravens and general manager Eric DeCosta acted in bad faith when they traded their 2026 and 2027 1st-round picks for Crosby, only to back out of the deal a few days later over medical concerns.
The bad faith aspect comes from the fact that the Ravens already had all the information they needed about Crosby’s knee following surgery for a torn meniscus in January.
The result was signing Hendrickson to a 4-year, $112 million free-agent contract the day after calling off the Crosby trade — and DeCosta becoming the NFL’s most hated general manager.
Fact-Checking Offseason Grade for Ravens
So, was the Ravens’ offseason really as bad as Bleacher Report’s grade makes it out to be? It seems like it might have been.
Hendrickson was their only big splash in free agency for 1st-year head coach Jesse Minter. Signing guard John Simpson (3 years, $30 million) and safety Jalynn Hawkins (2 years, $10 million) were distant seconds.
The draft brought a player who projects as a long-term solution on the interior offensive line with Ioane, but he’s the only 1 of their whopping 11 picks who seems like a plug-and-play starter.
The bigger concern would be the mass exodus of talent that left in free agency. That group was led by Linderbaum, who signed with the Raiders for the biggest contract for a center in NFL history, but also included NFL All-Pro fullback Patrick Ricard (New York Giants), talented tight ends Isaiah Lively (Giants) and Charlie Kolar (Los Angeles Chargers), edge rusher Dre’Mont Jones (New England Patriots), safety Alohi Gilman (Kansas City Chiefs), and punter Jordan Stout (Giants).
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