This article sums up the my issue with the Ravens the last few years. They don't draft as well as they did and they bring in WAY too many free agents. There is nothing wrong with bringing in a free agent like Boldin and Birk when your offense drafted Ray Rice, Flacco, Torrey Smith, Oher, Grubbs...etc. High draft picks (rounds 1 and 2) with production. The offense was homegrown and well put together and just needed a veteran or two. Now we don't have any young products offensively at the skill positions. Forsett is a decent back, but not a playmaker like Ray Rice. Perriman is nowhere to be found, Aiken just showed up outta nowhere and he is a 4th receiver at best. The offensive line is in rebuild mode, so are the receivers and the tight end position. We need to draft better at the skill positions.
On defense, it's the same thing. We have so many free agents, I don't know who was drafted on defense. What's worse is that we take free agents from bad teams as if they can be better here. If bad teams don't think they are good, why would we want them. Will Hill can't cover, Kendrick Lewis can't cover or tackle, Arrington and Wright can't cover. Darryl Smith is finished. We should let Elam, Brooks, Arthur Brown and Tray Walker play. I think they can get beat just as much as the others.
My point is to draft the players and let them play. It's okay if they get beat or miss an assignment, that's how you learn, especially this year. We usually wait to play them 1 year before their contract expires and they have a good year and we can't retain them.