In this part four of the Ravens roster construction for 2022 (see part one here, part two here and part three here) I delve deeper into the expected free agency list. Who should be the Ravens free agent targets? Positions of critical need are revisited, and I take a look at other positions where there are potential good fits. I also explore some potential cap casualty cuts from elsewhere around the league
There’s actually quite a bit to look at here, particularly among so-called second and third tier free agents.
Nose Tackles and Defensive Lineman
As of now, the Ravens have Justin Madubuike, Broderick Washington, Isaiah Mack, and Derek Wolfe under contract. Calais Campbell, Brandon Williams, and Justin Ellis are all free agents. There’s a huge need here: two starters and a reserve. I believe four pending unrestricted free agents deserve serious consideration as Ravens free agent targets:
| Sebastien Joseph-Day | Rams | 27 |
| D.J. Jones | 49ers | 27 |
| Foley Fatukasi | Jets | 27 |
| B.J. Hill | Bengals | 27 |
All of these guys would be significant contributors to the Ravens’ 2022 defensive front. And all of them are in the primes of their careers.
Sebastien Joseph Day, Rams
Joseph-Day is coming off a pectoral injury in 2021 and started only seven games after not missing any games the prior two seasons. His tackle rate against the run last year led the entire NFL among defensive linemen. He is a space eater and is the perfect kind of player to help keep Patrick Queen running free to the ball. Joseph-Day has a good combination of power and speed on the interior and has the ability to push the pocket on first and second down.
We remind ourselves that Joseph-Day played with Aaron Donald, so without a deep study of the tape one wonders the degree to which he benefitted. But he presents much like the old days of Brandon Williams with a better ability to penetrate into the backfield.
What might a year one cap number look like for him? Last year Dalvin Tomlinson (26 at the time) of the Vikings signed a two-year deal with a year one cap number of $6 million that grows to $7.5 million in year two. In 2020 Grover Stewart (27 at the time) of the Colts signed a three year deal with a $3.5 million year one number, which grew to $8.2 million in year two and $10.6 million in year 3.
D.J. Jones, 49ers
Jones is an intriguing player. In 2021 he was first in the league in run stop win rate according to ESPN. Jones is a run penetrator who has had some issues with double teams. He is not a “pure” nose tackle and the 49ers typically deployed him in the A gap or B gap. I view Jones as a one-dimensional run stuffer, but a very good one at that.
Last year, Davon Godchaux (26 at the time) signed a two year deal with the Patriots with a year one cap number of $4 million and year two of $10.2 million. Michael Brockers (30 at the time) signed a three year deal with a year one cap number of $3 million and year two at $8.9 million.
Foley Fatukasi, Jets
Fatukasi is another typical run stuffer who you will not count on getting to the quarterback. He had two excellent run defending years in 2019 and 2020 but tailed off a bit last year. Fatukasi is powerful. He will shed blocks. But he is only a two-down guy.
BJ Hill, Bengals
Hill is another pure run stuffer who has spent his career in a rotational role with that focus. He also will not produce much in the pass rushing game. A very good tackler, Hill, like the others in this group, would fill the role formerly occupied by Brandon Williams.
Summary
I tend to prefer these guys in the order in which they were presented. Joseph-Day, then Jones, then Fatukasi, then Hill. Each would be an upgrade over Brandon Williams/Justin Ellis. Neither is the type of penetrator that Campbell used to be. But we’re talking a year one cap hit for any of these guys of a likely max of $4 million. So, take your pick of the four. And maybe two.
Receiving Tight End
The Ravens have needed a second tight end who could threaten as a receiver ever since the trade of Hayden Hurst. Josh Oliver didn’t show much to recommend. Two possible candidates are among the 2022 free agents, but I’m not sure the Ravens can afford either of them. I preface all of this by noting that the Ravens already have a sizable amount of cap space allocated to Andrews and Boyle ($16.7 million), so it’s fairly unlikely they will allocate any more. And there are draft day candidates. But . . .
The most intriguing of the two is David Njoku of the Browns. 
At 26 (younger than Mark Andrews), Njoku has generally been a very talented under-achiever who brings tremendous athleticism to the position. He caught only 36 balls last year. Although he’s not a stellar run blocker he has improved. Njoku is a tough guy to project on the free agent market in terms of what he might command. Jonnu Smith signed last year with the Patriots for a year one cap figure of $5.6 million, and that’s likely too much for the Ravens. If the market headed more towards $4 million would the Ravens entertain that? Njoku would be intriguing.
Then there’s C.J. Uzomah (29) of the Bengals. As Ravens fans know, Uzomah is a big, tough to tackle tight end who can definitely work the middle of the field. He’s been inconsistent for the Bengals, but his good games have been really good. Uzomah, however, may be damaged goods, as he had MCL troubles in the playoffs and I don’t know his current status. If the medicals work out, Uzomah could be attractive to the Ravens at something near a $3 million cap number next year.
In all, I don’t expect the Ravens to shop here, but Njoku in particular would be an interesting fit.
Edge Rusher
I previously reviewed the top-end edge rushers, and believe the Ravens should shop at the top of this position. Nevertheless, there is one situational edge rusher who could bring some value to the Ravens.
Charles Harris
Charles Harris (27) of the Lions was a former first round pick of the Dolphins. Until last season he had never played more than 48% of his team’s snaps. In 2021 he was on the field for 81% of the Lions’ snaps recording 7.5 sacks and 34 solo tackles. He had a PFF 78.7 pass rush grade on a Lions defense riddled with lineman injuries.
Harris is a guy who wins as a pass rusher on the outside. He offers a superior spin move. He is not the type of guy who will hold the edge as the Ravens typically demand. I see him as a third-down pass rush specialist who will threaten off the edge from a wide alignment, where he doesn’t have to worry about clamping down the run. There is some value here. Could he be signed for a year one cap number of $3 million?
Za’Darius Smith
Then there’s the likely cap casualty cut of former Raven Za’Darius Smith. Rumors abound that the Packers, who need to create all kinds of cap space, will likely cut Smith, who played only one game in 2021 due to a back injury that required surgery. Smith fully blossomed as a pass rusher after leaving the Ravens (13.5 sacks in 2019 and 12.5 in 2020). We know Smith can hold the edge.
If Smith’s medicals check out (he played 37% of the snaps in the Packers’ playoff loss) he is bound to have a bevy of suitors. He is 29 years old. No doubt the Ravens would be interested in Smith, who (if healthy) is a better pass rusher than Harold Landry, though older. Would it take more or less money to sign Smith than Reddick or Landry? I wouldn’t pay more for Smith, given the injury and age.
Smith made quite a bit of noise last year in the pre-season, pushing the Packers to re-do his contract. This implies that Smith will not be an easy signing and, to my mind, makes a second tour with the Ravens less likely.
On the other hand, given the Ravens philosophy Smith offers an advantage over Reddick and Landry in one respect. His signing would not count against the compensatory draft pick formula. And the Ravens love to sign cap casualty hits.
Ravens Free Agent Targets – Offensive Tackle
I considered the list of free agent offensive tackles in part one of this review. But I neglected to mention one player who may actually be interesting. He is Joseph Noteboom (27) of the Rams. Noteboom was stuck behind Andrew Whitworth for several years. But when he played, he was a very effective pass blocker. He earned a 77.8 pass blocking grade over the last two years from Pro Football Focus. He played three games at left tackle for Whitworth in 2021, allowing a total of only four pressures. 
Now Noteboom has not played a great deal in his career because of Whitworth and there’s clearly a bit of projection here. But he could be signable on a one or two year deal, and I think the Ravens should take a hard look. In the end, Noteboom could be a more viable, and better, tackle candidate than Ja’Wuan James.
Free Safety
In part one of this review the three top safeties in this year’s group were reviewed. Each of them could make a significant impact. As noted, I prefer, Williams, Mathieu, and Bates, in that order. Signs are clearly pointing to Bates returning to the Bengals.
One other free safety to consider, is Quandre Diggs (29) of the Seahawks. Diggs doesn’t offer the type of transformational impact that the big three could bring. But since 2019 his interception rate leads the league among safeties. Could Diggs be had for a year one cap hit of $3.5-$4 million?
Cornerback
I don’t see the Ravens pursuing any of the top free agent cornerbacks. They have invested a ton of cap space in Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey. Forget about signing J.C. Jackson, Stephon Gilmore, Carlton Davis, and Darious Williams. I’m not a big fan of Steven Nelson.
But one guy I would take a look at is Charvarius Ward (27 years old) of the Chiefs. Admittedly, this is a highly unlikely scenario, as Ward at 6’1 and 200 pounds has proven he can play outside man coverage in this league. And he’s a great tackler. I expect a serious market to develop for Ward. But if, for some reason, the market develops such that the Ravens wind up fishing in the cornerback waters, he’s my man. We are probably looking at a year one cap number of $8-$10 million.
Ravens Free Agent Targets – Inside Linebacker
Let’s take a harder look at where the Ravens stand at the inside linebacker slots. Patrick Queen has not shown any ability to cover anyone. He just has not put it together, athleticism notwithstanding. As Pro Football Focus notes: “Queen has earned some of the lowest grades in the PFF system since he entered the league in 2020 due to poor play.” That’s a bitter bill to swallow. It’s hard to imagine that the Ravens will rely on him on passing downs as anything other than an occasional blitzer. This is a principal reason I believe the Ravens will re-sign Chris Board. But Board is not enough.
Queen did make progress in 2021 in the running game, though he remains far from a finished product there too. When he reads the guards and backs properly and is decisive, he makes an impact. Yet, his tackling technique remains a disappointment as he often attacks too hot, leaving his center of gravity too high. This leads to weak arm tackle attempts. In effect, once Queen processes what he sees his body immediately hits warp speed – he’s out of control. This leads to poor results – missed tackles and longer runs.
Josh Bynes had a wonderful 2021. Frankly, he played much better than anyone likely anticipated. I like what Bynes brings to the table, which is decisive run defense and a good knowledge in the passing game. But Bynes lacks the athletic ability to run with backs and tight ends on a consistent basis.
In all, the Ravens could upgrade at inside linebacker in two ways. First, by finding (if they can) a three-down backer who can cover. Queen is a huge liability in coverage and though he will get further attempts in 2022 to show improvement, he just can’t be relied upon. Second, by finding a younger version of Bynes who can offer more against the pass.
Targets
Even with these needs, it’s hard to imagine the Ravens spend big 2022 cap dollars on these interior linebacker positions given their other needs. I don’t see them, for example, pursuing De’Vondre Campbell of the Packers, who had a huge 2021 in both the run game and the passing game. And the balance of the inside linebacker free agent class just isn’t alluring.
On the other hand, there are several potential salary cap casualty cuts that would be interesting. We could easily see some or all of Myles Jack (27), Eric Kendricks (29) and Blake Martinez (28) on the market come March. Kendricks is the gem in this group. He is an excellent (if not the best in the league) cover guy who can pretty much do it all. If he becomes free, could he be had for, say, a $6 million year one cap figure?
Jack is a player I’ve always liked in the run game. He’s turned out to be a strong run defender and would be an upgrade over Josh Bynes. That would clearly be his role with the Ravens as I don’t see him offering much in pass defense schemes. Though he came into the league with knee issues, he has missed only eight games. For the Ravens, will they invest much cap space on someone who doesn’t offer much on third down? Spend a little bit more than Bynes, but not much more. And I don’t see that being enough to get Jack to Baltimore. Blake Martinez, similar to Jack, would be an upgrade over Bynes. But like Jack, the price has to be low enough.
Part Five is Coming!
In the final part of this Ravens pre-draft roster reconstruction analysis, I take an updated and expanded look at where the Ravens cap space could be going into the free agency period. There are places that they could create additional cap space that I’ll review. And, I reach final conclusions as to where I would spend that cap space.
