Ravens2343

Looking at that chart I could see us parting with Pitta, Webb, Daryl Smith, Arrington, Lewis and Levine. SSS will retire coupled with our releases and we could free up quite a bit of cap room. The only problem is we would push some dead money into 2017 and that could cripple us again, but the rising cap should help mitigate some of that burden

I may be in the minority but I would be disappointed if we were to get a top 5 pick and we took a LT. Our offensive line last year was excellent, probably top 5 in the league and we still failed to advance to the AFCG. We failed to advance because we had a below average secondary which was decimated by injuries yes, but Stewart was not a very good FS. If we were to get say pick #4 and Bosa, Goff and Nkemdiche were to go then I would rather see us take someone like Hargreaves, Ramsey, Floyd or Treadwell. Those are positions that we absolutely need to improve on immediately if we have any thoughts on returning to the playoffs in 2016. Just my thoughts but I think we can wait until later in the draft for O-line help, we did it with Wagner and Urschel. Heck the Steelers got Kelvin Beachum in the 7th round. Just my thoughts but I think we HAVE to go defense in round 1 unless we get Treadwell

If we designate Pitta as a post-June 1st cut then we would save 5 million in cap space and incur 2.2 million in "dead money". Brian McFarland posted an article detailing all the cap information and it is really helpful in determining the outcome of such moves. Here is a chart he posted detailing what will happen if we release a player or they retire. Here is the link to the entire article, its a great read! http://russellstreetreport.com/2015/10/22/baltimore-ravens-salary-cap/ravens-2016-salary-cap-preview/

I agree that changing positions for Pitta will not make a difference whatsoever in regards to him getting injured again. It pains me to say it because he is one of my favorite players, but it is highly unlikely he is on the 53 man roster come next season. Even if he returns healthy this season and plays well we will almost certainly look to trade him or even release him. We have invested draft picks and valuable snaps into Gilmore, Williams and Boyle to where these guys are our future at tight end. IF some how Pitta convinces this FO to keep him, then I think Juice would be looking at possibly losing his roster spot.

I apologize then I read it wrong. Nonetheless I don't think we have any use for Dwayne Bowe this year or next year. Now is the time we stop signing/trading for players and play who we have in hopes we find out who deserves a spot next year. We need all the draft picks and cap space we can get for next year. I just wish we would play Ross, Givens and Waller more. It wouldn't hurt to bring Jeremy Butler up as well.

I agree that we should definitely have a new D-coordinator this offseason. The right hire could really turn this defense around in a hurry, but we still need to add talent. I would rather draft or sign a high caliber secondary player and pass rusher instead of leaving it to the new coordinator to put them in better spots. We should draft someone with the idea that they will replace Suggs sooner rather then later

Flacco finally admitted today that he is not as comfortable in the offense as he would like due to personnel and loss of targets. It is time this offseason the FO helps him out the right way and they not only sign a veteran wideout but draft another one high in the draft. We cannot continue to give him guys like Marlon Brown and Kamar Aiken and expect him to win a bunch of games

With all of our projected picks this year I am excited to see who we bring in to fill these holes and add depth. I think this offseason we should really consider signing Gipson or a good free agent corner/receiver. Its not something we normally do, but with our projected cap room I think it is a must. We should have 10-12 picks this year so I hope we don't have to rely on any undrafted guys to step up next year. Guys like Brooks, Z-Smith, Jernigan, Guy, Will Davis, Maxx Williams, Aiken and Buck Allen are all getting good reps this year, but could very well be our depth next year. This offseason will be a big one in our transition from an older super bowl team in 2012 to one of the youngest teams in 2016.

I dream of us adding guys like Hargreaves in round 1 and Ogbah in round 2 then signing Tashaun Gipson in free agency. That dream is getting me through this depressing season lol

I agree and I hope Brooks gets that opportunity, but he is currently on the shelf with a thumb/hand injury and did not practice today either.

No that's my point, we have a better receiving corps when healthy then they do. Bowe cannot even get on the field over a guy like Hartline, we would have no use for him here. A lot of our problems on offense center around our lack of explosive players, Bowe is exactly what we don't want/need. If anything Ross and Givens should be given more time this season and next year we will have new draft pick(s) and probably a veteran wideout like V-Jax or Garcon to go along with Perriman, Campanaro, Waller and whoever else

I agree Waller is one of our best special team players as a gunner. Bowe looks finished in the NFL. I don't know to what extent his injuries have been, but whatever it is they sapped him of what explosion and athleticism he had. If the Browns cant get him on the field how would we?

Williams and Boyle are here to stay regardless if Pitta comes back and tears it up. The most likely scenario in this whole situation is we release, he retires or we trade Pitta. IF, and that's a big IF, he comes back healthy and produces then I believe Juice would be on the hot seat. Williams and Boyle both took snaps in an H-back role in the preseason, something both look capable of filling.

It would be nice to keep him on as a coach, but that would probably be entirely up to him. I don't think Angulo deserves to be fired, but maybe we could bring Pitta on as an offensive coaching intern. Promoting a former player to a position coach immediately after he retires is probably farfetched to say the least. All I know is Gilmore, Williams and Boyle are not going anywhere no matter what happens to Pitta, the FO operated last offseason as if Pitta would never play again. I believe that's how we should operate as along Pitta is under contract for the Ravens

I think we are getting far ahead of ourselves with Pitta. To answer your question though, I think there is a good chance that we would keep 4 TE's or we would trade/release Pitta. Another thought would be that Williams, Boyle and Juice would be competing for 2 spots. I don't believe Juice's spot is safe next year, especially if Pitta comes back and we have 4 capable tight ends. No way we get rid of Maxx Williams, he is a second round pick and tight ends usually don't produce until year 2 or 3

I would take Hargreaves over everyone but Bosa and Nkemdiche to be honest, only because he is the top player at his position and that position happens to be one of our biggest needs. I strongly believe we go defense in the first round and pass on an OT or wide receiver unless we trade back

Starting today he has a 3 week window where he either has to be added to the 53 man roster or put on IR. I would bet he has a higher chance of being shut down then activated, but we will atleast know soon.

There are reports that Dennis Pitta will begin practicing today, but he is not expected to play Monday night. I guess he was cleared at some point and looks like he wants to play. I don't know how I feel about it, but it shows that he is dedicated to this team and to football, probably to a fault. I just wish he was returning to a winning team, it would be a real boost to this team if he was.

It would be nice for Ozzie to bring in a couple playmakers from this upcoming draft. We need guys with speed and explosiveness, something the Steelers seem to really target in their wide receivers. Their wideout coach deserves a ton of credit, but so does Roethlisberger, Haley and Arians. Their two O-coordinators put those guys in positions to catch the ball in space and rely on their speed and vision to make plays. Kubiak did it a little last year with TE screens, quick crossing routes and play action. I have faith that Trestman will adjust his play calling accordingly, but it time to replace guys like Marlon Brown and Kamar Aiken with faster, explosive young guys who can create separation.

I went back and watch some of Oregon's game this year and last year and a guy I really like that I think we could get in round 3-4 is Bralon Addison. He is explosive and gets in and out of his breaks quickly. He is not the most polished receiver but we could use him the same way the Steelers use Antonio Brown. Move him around the formation, hand it off to him on jet-sweeps, bubble screens and crossing routes. We need explosive playmakers on offense and he looks fully recovered from his acl injury in 2014, I think he would be a good mid round addition. What do you guys think?

I wouldn't cut Forsett, he has looked pretty good this year. Webb will be replaced by a free agent and a high draft pick most likely. Daryl Smith would be the hardest to replace, but maybe a cheap aging free agent like Derrick Johnson would work while we work in a young draft pick or Arthur Brown. A lot of tough decisions are going to have to be made this offseason, but with a potentially high draft pick and cap room I am excited for the changes.

Second worst in the league in 3rd down conversions tells pretty much the whole story. We cannot get off the field and our players get worn down which leads to injuries and poor play. To make matters worse we have depth issues on defense due to injuries and guys not developing like we had hoped. Nothing is going to change unless we replace Pees and bring in young talent from the draft and look into adding a piece or two in free agency

Its one thing if our corners get beat while jamming or having safety help, but I doubt anyone can defend Pees when he puts our guys in positions like he did with Wright on Torrey. Having to rush 5 or 6 to get sacks is not ideal, but our pass rush numbers are pretty consistent with last year. Our defensive problems are not being able to get off the field and getting beat for big plays, something Pees has to adjust for. We saw it with Cooper beating Jimmy in week 2, no jam and Cooper was able to run freely for 8-10 yards before he even had to put a move on Smith. I cannot place all the blame on Pees because he is not out on the field, but like you said as coaches they have put the players In positions to succeed and Pees simply has not done that enough.

As a team we have 18 sacks, which is good for 5th or 6th in the league. Now if we rush 4 guys then we typically are not getting the sacks, but nonetheless we have been able to pressure Qb's from time to time. I would agree with you that long bombs could happen if you jam and don't have a pass rush, but the long bombs are happening now anyways without jamming. Jamming and being physical is Jimmy's strong suit and would probably help him out a lot. Not having Lewis or Hill help out Wright on that Torrey TD will always confuse me, I know the niners could have ran the ball but giving that TD up was the worst possible scenario

I agree with you that injuries have hurt this defense, but Pees is still to blame for a lot of these problems. Jimmy Smith is still playing 8-10 yards off a lot and receivers are running right past him. Pees does not give Wright safety help when he clearly needs it. The only reason our defense looked great Week 1 was because Manning is all but finished. Pees had the same mediocre game plan then as he does now and I wont go as far to say its all his fault, but we have seen enough where a new voice is needed. Id rather see our secondary get beat by playing aggressive and physical rather then playing soft and off coverage with no safety help, he fails to adjust when things go poorly.