Ravens Offseason Needs

[coordinator0]

Now that the season has (sadly) come to an end, it's time to start thinking about what we will need for next season. There's a lot of confusion about the uncapped free-agent rules, so I'll try to not get into that. Here's a list from NFL.com on who will be RFAs instead of UFAs because of the uncapped season :

BALTIMORE RAVENS: Chris Chester, G; Mark Clayton, WR; Billy Cundiff, K; Sam Koch, P; Dawan Landry, S; Tony Moll, T; Quinn Sypniewski, TE; Adam Terry, T; Fabian Washington, CB; Demetrius Williams, WR.

Don't quote me on it, but I'm pretty sure that LeRon McClain, Derrick Mason, Troy Smith, John Beck, L.J. Smith, Edgar Jones, Kelley Washington, David Tyree, Marshal Yanda, Corey Ivy, Cary Williams, Frank Walker, Dwan Edwards, Justin Bannan, Antwan Barnes, Prescott Burgess, Jameel McClain, and Dannell Ellerbe will also be some type of free agent.

Who would you guys like to bring back, let go, or bring in?

I think that our needs are WR (clearly), TE, inside pass rusher (whether it be a 5-technique or an UT), and corner. When the official list of 2010 FAs comes out I'll name some specific guys to target, but what I listed above stands out to me.

[EdReedUnstoppable]

Chris Chester (No)
Mark Clayton (HELL NO!)
Billy Cundiff (Yes, but also bring in competition for him)
Sam Koch (HELL YES!)
Dawan Landry (If he is willing to come dirt cheap then yes otherwise No)
Tony Moll (Why?)
Quinn Sypniewski (I like Quinn but No)
Adam Terry (If he is willing to comeback dirt cheap then yes otherwise no)
Fabian Washington (No)
Demetrius Williams (My favorite player, but I'd rather see him go somewhere and get used appropriately)
LeRon McClain (Yes, and sign him long-term)
Derrick Mason (NO!!! HELL NO!!! NO 1,000,000,000 times!)
Troy Smith (Sure, why not)
John Beck (Absolutely not)
L.J. Smith (NO NO NO!!!)
Edgar Jones (No)
Kelley Washington (Sadly No, he's our most dependable WR and Joe wont throw him te ball)
David Tyree (No, Marcus Smith is a better special teams gunner)
Marshal Yanda (Yes)
Corey Ivy (**** NO!, he should have never been brought back in the first place)
Cary William (Bring him back to give him a shot to compete to be our nickel or dime)
Frank Walker (NO!!!!! NO!!!!!! NEVERMORE!!!!!!)
Dwan Edwards (Yes for the right price)
Justin Bannan (Yes for the right price)
Antwan Barnes (No, he made a couple nice plays late in the season but he doesnt bring it every week)
Prescott Burgess (Yes he is one of our best special teams players)
Jameel McClain (No!)
Dannell Ellerbe (YES YES YES!!!! 10 Year deal!!! obviously im kidding about the 10 year thing but a 3 year deal would be nice to see)

[Ravens1991]

Chris Chester (I wouldnt mind, obviously it won't be a big deal but he may be the C after Birk. And he can be used on overload lines)
Mark Clayton (Might be a bigger bust then Travis Taylor, if he wants to be a #4 he can come back IDC but I wouldnt trust him at anything else)
Billy Cundiff (Yes, but also bring in competition for him)
Sam Koch (HELL YES! he is an elite P, hopefuflly he stays here for the rest of his career)
Dawan Landry (He has looked good this year, and horrible as well, I say a 1 year deal to see if he can get back on track. Maybe that injury messed with him this season)
Tony Moll (Why?)
Quinn Sypniewski (No, Heap might be back, we draft Drew as a project and we never used our #2 TE )
Adam Terry (If he is willing to comeback dirt cheap then yes otherwise no)
Fabian Washington (I would like him if he will come back as our nickel)
Demetrius Williams (He is a solid vertical threat, but it seems like our coaching staff hates this guy. He probably won't be back)
LeRon McClain (Yes, and sign him long-term)
Derrick Mason (No, this guy will probably demand a lot more then he is worth, plus whenever there is a questionable penalty he flips the **** out and is a 15 yard penalty waiting to happen)
Troy Smith (I liked him in college wouldnt mind his as our backup but he wants a shot to start)
John Beck (He looked good in pre-season game #4, but as a #3 QB IDC what happens)
L.J. Smith (Never really understood this signing, I guess he was brought in to push heap, don't want him back at all)
Edgar Jones (IDC honestly, he can come back be a special teamer)
Kelley Washington (This guy should have been starting all year, I love WAshington I want him back)
David Tyree (No, this guy offers nothing at WR, he is still milking it off of that fluke catch. I wouldnt mind bringing up Eron Riley from the PS, he was a gunner in college and offers young potential at WR)
Marshal Yanda (Yes)
Corey Ivy (No, I would have rathered Pacman Jones over him when we picked Ivy up. He was brought in due to injurys, dont want him back)
Cary William (give him a shot see if he can be a special teamer and a low depth chart CB)
Frank Walker (I think he will be back, the coaching staff seems to really like this guy for whatever reason)
Dwan Edwards (Yes for the right price)
Justin Bannan (Yes for the right price)
Antwan Barnes (No, for a small deal, he offers special teams talent and a speed rusher)
Prescott Burgess (Yes he is one of our best special teams players)
Jameel McClain (No, I see this guy being a solid 34 OLB, but he is worthless in Mattison D)
Dannell Ellerbe (YES, I love this guy, he is a beast)



I would love for us to somehow trade 4 Marshall and keep our 1st. Then pick up Floyd in FA. and hopefully draft Greshman. Since Cameron is so hell bent on having a pass happy offense we gotta assemble a wr corp that isnt the worst in the NFL like it was this season. Realistically we would lose our 1st trading for marshall so we can still pick up Floyd


I am nervous that due to the salary cap bringing in marshall would lead to Gaither or Ngata walking. I dont have a clue about hour cap situation is there anyway we can pull it off where we can sign all 3 long term,?

[Hound]

Chris Chester (Yes, good depth and will be cheap)
Mark Clayton (No. Absolutely Not)
Billy Cundiff (Yes, but also bring in competition for him)
Sam Koch (Absolutely)
Dawan Landry (Cheap? Maybe, I still would rather see Zbikowski start)
Tony Moll (Meh, whatever)
Quinn Sypniewski (Yes. Unless we sign another TE)
Adam Terry (Yes, good depth)
Fabian Washington (Yes, l like our CB situation with Webb, Foxworth, Fabs and Carr)
Demetrius Williams (Very split. I think he will be gone due to the coaching staff. Hes had a couple good games and shown encouraging signs. But hes also had a few dropped passes in the last few games. Undecided)
LeRon McClain (Yes, and sign him long-term)
Derrick Mason (Yes, as long as it doesnt deter Ozzie from finding a true Number One. I think Mason would make a great no 2)
Troy Smith (Dont care if he wants to start, too bad. Bring him back)
John Beck (Why Not)
L.J. Smith (God No)
Edgar Jones (Sure)
Kelley Washington (Yep)
David Tyree (Good Special Teamer, but whatever, dont care either way)
Marshal Yanda (LOCK HIM UP LONG TERM! SERIOUSLY, BEFORE HE GETS TOO EXPENSIVE)
Corey Ivy (Im still pretending they didnt sign him)
Cary William (Sure)
Frank Walker (God No)
Dwan Edwards (Yes, great run stopping end/tackle)
Justin Bannan (Yes)
Antwan Barnes (Yes)
Prescott Burgess (Yes he is one of our best special teams players)
Jameel McClain (Dont care, Id guess hes gone)
Dannell Ellerbe (Hell Yes)

As much as ERU would like to get rid of half the team, they are only a couple pieces away from getting a good shot at a title

[GoRavens]

..all that being said. Baltimore needs a true #1 receiver, aka
BRANDON MARSHALL

[coordinator0]

Here's the list of our UFA and RFA taken from the Ravens website (look on the roster page):

RFA:

Antwan Barnes (Yes)
John Beck (No)
Prescott Burgess (Yes)
Chris Chester (Yes)
Mark Clayton (No)
Billy Cundiff (Yes)
Jared Gaither (Yes)
Edgar Jones (No)
Sam Koch (Yes)
Dawan Landry (Yes)
LeRon McClain (Yes)
Tony Moll (No)
Troy Smith (Yes)
Quinn Sypniewski (No)
Adam Terry (No)
Fabian Washington (Yes)
Demetrius Williams (No)
Marshal Yanda (Yes)

UFA:

Justin Bannan (Yes)
Dwan Edwards (Yes)
Corey Ivy (No)
Derrick Mason (Yes)
L.J. Smith (No)
David Tyree (No)
Frank Walker (No)
Kelley Washington (Yes)

I bracketed my response after the player's name for who I want the Ravens to bring back.

EDIT: I'm liking the idea of bringing back Mason/Washington and also signing Antonio Bryant out of free agency while still taking a first round receiver more and more. Mason wouldn't be double covered on every play and we would actually have a bigger receiver on the outside who can be a deep threat, while still having a young receiver for the future. I'd like our depth chart to look something like this:

Bryant
Mason
*Rookie*
Washington
Smith

Not the greatest, but surely a step up from past seasons.

[GoRavens]

I'd rather have Kevin Walter or Malcolm Floyd. Bryant is getting old, we need youth, and explosion.

[coordinator0]

Originally Posted by GoRavens

I'd rather have Kevin Walter or Malcolm Floyd. Bryant is getting old, we need youth, and explosion.

Kevin Walter is neither youth nor explosion, and I believe Floyd will be a RFA. I don't think we're going to have that many options realistically.

[GoRavens]

Jason Avant?
Steve Breaston?

[Ravens1991]

they all will be helpful to this WR corp.


now this is a question about TE. We drafted Davon Drew in the 5th round. He was thought of as a project w/ large upside to become a nice recieving TE. You think we will jump or Greshman if he is there? Drew was on the PS this year which is disapointing from a 5th round pick but we never used LJ smith who was our #2 TE. So there would have been no point to keep a 3rd TE on board who offers nothing at special teams. Personally I am interested in Drews potential but have you guys totally given up on him and heap?

[coordinator0]

Originally Posted by GoRavens

Jason Avant?
Steve Breaston?

Yep, both still RFA. Most of the younger receivers are.

[GoRavens]

(RE-SIGN)
Antwan Barnes
Chris Chester
Billy Cundiff
Jared Gaither
Sam Koch
Dawan Landry
LeRon McClain
Quinn Sypniewski
Fabian Washington
Demetrius Williams
Marshal Yanda
Dwan Edwards
Derrick Mason
Kelley Washington

[America]

Ellerbe will be brought back. He's better than Gooden at this point.

[GoRavens]

Originally Posted by America

Ellerbe will be brought back. He's better than Gooden at this point.

agree 100%.

Here's how I see the offseason needs.
1) Wide Receiver - Clearly.
2) D-Line
3) Cornerback
4) Free Safety
5) Backup QB - Since Troy wants out.
6) Backup Center - Birk is almost 40.

[Ravens1991]

i think we may have the back up C in Chester or Hale. We will see how they do at preseason. and I dont think we need a FS. Zbi played very well w/ Reed was out and then we got Nakamura to back him up

[ChefMike]

Who are the big names in DB's that will be available?

Does anyone think Rolle will be back next year?

[GoRavens]

Top 5 Cornerbacks Available this OffSeason
1. Terrence Newman
2. Corey Webster
3. Marlin Jackson
4. Richard Marshall
5. Leigh Bodden

- Adding 1 of these corners would be so clutch for Baltimore's secondary. Corey Webster is a special player, but will definitely get re-signed by the Giants IMO. Terrence Newman is the most talented out of the group, but also the most expensive. Dallas has Scandrick, and Jenkins so it's a possibility they might have to let Newman go. Bodden is getting old, and Marlin Jackson is average at best, so the smartest choice at strengthening this secondary is signing Richard Marshall. He's young, a great cover man, and a complete playmaker.
- I'd much rather have our secondary be:
CB- Richard Marshall
CB - Ladarius Webb
3CB - Dominique Foxworth
4TH - Chris Carr
- Fabian Washington should be cut; he hasn't done much of anything to impress so far...

[America]

I really doubt Marshall gets out of Carolina and if he does, it's going to be a huge payday for him.

[ChefMike]

Newman I don't think will cost as much as you might think. But the question is do you pay him or Fabian Washington? Both are going to cost about the same... for the money I would take Washington back before I sign a Neuman.

Marshall sounds like the hot pick this off season but we have no reason to over pay for anyone. With Foxworth and Webb (provided he recovers in time) we just need to draft a good DB in the 1st day.

[EdReedUnstoppable]

This makes me sick but I believe as long as Cam is here John Beck will be the backup.......God help us.

[GoRavens]

not if we sign my boy Ryan Perrilloux (who definitely won't get drafted)

[ChefMike]

Originally Posted by GoRavens

not if we sign my boy Ryan Perrilloux (who definitely won't get drafted)

Thats not that bad of an idea. I mean he has the body and big game experience. Just need to work out his work ethic and he could be a great back up that could one day be a good player.

[dcarey20]

Richard Marshall is going to get a huge contract this offseason. If we're committing any sort of money to a FA, it needs to be an offensive playmaker.

[BmoreBlackByrdz]

Originally Posted by dcarey20

Richard Marshall is going to get a huge contract this offseason. If we're committing any sort of money to a FA, it needs to be an offensive playmaker.

THIS.

we should not commit any FA signings to defense. The Ravens can build up there defense through the late rounds of the draft.

Eric DeCosta and Co. have a great eye for defensive talent. (i.e Jarret Johnson, Lardarius Webb, Bart Scott, Dannell Ellerbe, Tom Zbikowski, etc.) list goes on and on.

But I definitely agree w/ Dcarey here. We need to put big money towards an explosive playmaker in the passing game. Defense can easily be taken care of through the draft.

[BmoreBlackByrdz]

Hey guys, what do you think about this - I thought of this when I heard L.T. isn't sure about returning to San Deigo.

We trade Willis McGahhe and Troy Smith for Malcom Floyd? Maybe get a draft pick as well or instead just do McGahee for Floyd straight up and keep Smith for another trade?

Cause, I doubt Darren Sproles can carry the full time load for the Chargers, but a split of Sproles and McGahee sounds kinda nice. I think Willis has some value in the market after a year with 500+ yards and 14 total touchdowns as a backup.