Breaking: Ravens Closing In On A Deal To Sign $18.78 Million All-Pro As Third Safety
The Ravens are looking for a third safety, as demonstrated by Jamal Adams’ visit last week. According to David Latham of Last Word on Sports, a different athlete would be an excellent fit. Justin Simmons has been named a second-team All-Pro four times.
“Justin Simmons is looking for the perfect fit from both a scheme and financial standpoint, and the Baltimore Ravens might be the ideal landing spot,” Latham stated. “The team already has two above-average starters in Kyle Hamilton and Marcus Williams, but they should find a proper replacement for Geno Stone.”
Latham believes Simmons is a better replacement for Stone than Adams because Simmons’ skill set is more oriented toward traditional safety coverage. He also has a tendency for generating takeaways, having made 30 career interceptions, 14 of which came in the last three seasons.
The difficulty may be affording Simmons, who is coming off his third consecutive All-Pro season. He’ll be 31 in November and could be hoping to cash in on a lucrative contract. Overthecap.com reports that the Ravens have $5.7 million in cap space, perhaps putting them out of contention.
However, if Simmons’ ambitions include contending for a championship, the Ravens could be at the top of the list.
Jalyn Armour-Davis Shouldn’t Be Forgotten in Cornerback Equation
While the Ravens will never have enough cornerbacks, they are approaching an upper limit after selecting Nate Wiggins and T.J. Tampa in the first and fourth rounds of the 2024 draft, respectively. However, during the first week of OTAs, The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec reported that Jalyn Armour-Davis was getting extensive playing time.
“There’s a long way to go, and as usual for Armour-Davis, staying healthy will be critical. However, Armour-Davis appeared to be in fine shape this week. Zrebiec wrote, “He moves well and plays with confidence.” “He had an interception on Thursday and provided tight coverage on several other plays while getting a ton of reps with Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Stephens and [Arthur] Maulet all not practicing.”
And while the workouts in May aren’t make-or-break, Zrebiec sees Armour-Davis starting off on the right foot.
“In general, what happens in OTAs is largely overblown,” Zrebiec wrote. “However, for a guy like Armour-Davis, who has had a hard-luck tenure with the Ravens, stringing together a few strong practices is notable as he accelerates a roster push.”
O-Line Named Reason Ravens Could Lose AFC North Division Race
Until proven otherwise, which won’t occur until August or later, pundits will continue haranguing the Ravens’ offensive line. The losses were known commodities; the current replacements are young and unknown talents, leaving Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton to cite pass protection as the “x-factor” in whether the Ravens will win or lose the AFC North this season.
“Jackson has the playmakers in All-Pro/Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews and electric wide receiver Zay Flowers, but the Baltimore Ravens offensive line will feature three new starters,” Moton stated. Baltimore could use inexperienced replacements to fill those vacancies. Andrew Vorhees and Ben Cleveland will battle for the open guard positions. Vorhees missed his whole rookie season while recovering from a broken ACL, and Cleveland has started only seven games in three seasons. Roger Rosengarten, a rookie second-round pick, will likely fight alongside Daniel Faalele for the right tackle position. “The latter has started in one NFL game.”
Moton also questions veteran left tackle Ronnie Stanley, noting his injury history. He paired these concerns with viral news about Lamar Jackson’s weight.
“Jackson slimmed down to his rookie weight of 205 pounds, which should make the coaching staff a bit uneasy with a makeshift offensive line,” Moton stated. “If the Ravens struggle to protect him, the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers could dominate Baltimore with defenses that finished within the top 11 in pressure rate last season.”
NFL.com’s Kevin Patra shares similar concerns, but believes it’s too early to make a judgment.
“It’s foolhardy to judge a Ravens roster until much closer to the start of the season. No one does a better job of continuing to find cheap, capable talent deep into the process than Baltimore’s front office,” Patra wrote. “If one area stands out as a question mark at this stage, it’s the offensive line, where the right tackle job and both guard spots appear up for grabs. Andrew Vorhees, who sat out his rookie season with an injury, and Ben Cleveland (seven starts in three years) are currently in line for the guard spots. Second-round pick Roger Rosengarten could start at right tackle. Josh Jones, who can play guard and tackle, could swipe one of the starting spots or play a swing role. Even if some of these options prove viable, the depth is a concern. If Ronnie Stanley, who hasn’t played more than 13 games in a season since 2019, goes down, things could get dire. GM Eric DeCosta should add veteran help before Week 1.”
Early Predictions Have Ravens Exercising Fifth-Year Options on Both 2022 First-Round Picks
The Ravens landed not one, but two first-round picks in 2022: safety Kyle Hamilton and center Tyler Linderbaum.
Matt Verderame of Sports Illustrated predicts that teams will be able to activate their fifth-year options on first-round draft picks next May. In total, Verderame anticipates 19 players receiving the fully guaranteed fifth year of their contracts, including both Ravens picks.
“The Ravens had a pair of first-round picks in the 2022 draft, and they didn’t waste them,” Verderame stated. “Hamilton has a strong argument as the league’s best safety having earned first-team All-Pro honors last season, while Linderbaum was named to the Pro Bowl in ’23.”
The amount both players would receive if the Ravens exercised their fifth-year option depends on their performance in 2024. Hamilton and Linderbaum were both elected to the 2023 Pro Bowl, advancing their contracts to the second-highest tier and making them eligible for a fifth-year base salary equivalent to the transition tender at their position. If they repeat as original ballot Pro Bowlers in 2024, they will be eligible for the highest tier, equivalent to the franchise tender at their position, according to overthecap.com.
For Hamilton, early 2025 projections for the transition (current tier) and franchise tag (possible tier) at safety are $15 million and $18.78 million, respectively. For Linderbaum, it’s $22.35 million and $24.72 million, respectively, as tags for offensive line are under a single umbrella rather than five separate positions.
