The Baltimore Ravens have put themselves in a position to be Super Bowl contenders with the moves that were made this offseason. The most important one was locking Lamar Jackson into a long-term deal. The Ravens made him the richest man in NFL history, putting an end to the back-and-forth contract negotiations that led to him requesting a trade at one point in time.
Along with Jackson, Eric DeCosta made some necessary upgrades to the offense. After essentially ignoring the wide receiver position for years, Baltimore made some serious upgrades to their passing game.
In free agency, Nelson Agholor and Odell Beckham Jr. were both signed. With their first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Ravens selected wide receiver Zay Flowers out of Boston College. Those are major weapons upgrades for Jackson, who has Rashod Bateman, Devin Duvernay and tight end Mark Andrews also returning.
With the offense in great shape, some attention could turn to the defensive side of the ball for the rest of the offseason. There have been wholesale changes on that side of the ball this offseason with some veterans not returning, such as Calais Campbell and Marcus Peters.
In need of a little more depth up front, there are a few serviceable veterans that remain available. One of them is Jadeveon Clowney, whom Matt Bowen of ESPN believes the Ravens would be the best fit for.
“Clowney is a straight-line power rusher who can set a hard edge versus the run game, and he would fit in coordinator Mike Macdonald’s defensive scheme in Baltimore. Yes, his production declined in Cleveland last season — he had just two sacks — but the 30-year-old can still create disruption in both the run and pass game. Clowney can play off the edge or align inside as a stand-up defensive tackle in the Ravens’ multiple fronts.
Baltimore turned over its front seven, and I see a part-time role for Clowney there.”
Clowney’s numbers weren’t great in 2022 with the Cleveland Browns, but some philosophical differences with defensive coordinator Joe Woods could have led to his lack of production. He is only one season removed from a 9.0-sack season and as Bowen pointed out, remains a disruptive force.
The No. 1 pick from the 2014 NFL Draft would also bring some experience to a defensive front that will be relying on some young players to step up this season. He will provide insurance in case they struggle but also some leadership for them to learn from.
