[News] 2014 Ravens Free Agency Rumor Mill

[purplejay91]

some of the scenario's being mentioned here you couldn't even pull off in madden.haha. come on, Revis? really...

[balfan23]

OK - it is 2 PM. I'm ready for the announcement that we've come to terms with Monroe

[MadStorkSociety]

If Indy offers A. Jones $6mil, couldn't we do the same? We know he's good and apparently now he has the Pagano stamp of approval.

[RavenManiac20]

Realistically... here is what I hope happens in free agency. Sign Monroe, get a veteran center for cheap, resign Daryl Smith, grab a cheap veteran WR for the slot (Steve Smith if he wants to take a cheap contract to play for a winner, maybe Holmes but he seems to always be hurt, or someone else), grab maybe Owen Daniels or another backup tight end for cheap. And that seems like it would most definitely take all of our cap space. Hopefully Ngata and/or Yanda will extend like Suggs to give us more breathing room. If that happened a solid veteran corner wouldn't be a bad idea such as Champ, Cromartie, Rogers or whoever else is out there. Aside from that, I hope for Calvin Pryor in the first round to sure up the secondary and defense and a Right tackle or a WR in the 2nd round. Excuse me for playing Ozzie Newsome for a second there but I think that would be a great offseason.

[Stephenjr]

Steve Smith may be a decent 1 year guy to let our draft WR grow a bit. I live in Carolina, and must say that Smith constantly is doubled, but still makes plays at his age. He is a leader and would allow Torrey to start seeing some single coverage again.

[Stephenjr]

No way we could offer Mack more then the Browns! They have a ton of cap space.

[metalraven]

Steve Smith may be a decent 1 year guy to let our draft WR grow a bit. I live in Carolina, and must say that Smith constantly is doubled, but still makes plays at his age. He is a leader and would allow Torrey to start seeing some single coverage again.

Agreed. But the only issue I have is that if he did sign a one year deal, it'd just be another new guy that Flacco has to develop chemistry with, and by the time they start to click, he'll be gone. But he def would help for that short time. But it'd be nice to land a true #1 WR that'll STAY a Raven.

[ittwasntme]

Realistically... here is what I hope happens in free agency. Sign Monroe, get a veteran center for cheap, resign Daryl Smith, grab a cheap veteran WR for the slot (Steve Smith if he wants to take a cheap contract to play for a winner, maybe Holmes but he seems to always be hurt, or someone else), grab maybe Owen Daniels or another backup tight end for cheap. And that seems like it would most definitely take all of our cap space. Hopefully Ngata and/or Yanda will extend like Suggs to give us more breathing room. If that happened a solid veteran corner wouldn't be a bad idea such as Champ, Cromartie, Rogers or whoever else is out there. Aside from that, I hope for Calvin Pryor in the first round to sure up the secondary and defense and a Right tackle or a WR in the 2nd round. Excuse me for playing Ozzie Newsome for a second there but I think that would be a great offseason.

Realistically we dont need a corner if we just keep graham, or ANOTHER STRONG SS. you picking Calvin Pryor in the draft is a horrible choice. why would you decide to go 2 strong safeties in the back field? if your going to use the draft for a safety you pick Ha Ha Clinton Dix, the actual true Free Safety, or you dont pick at all.

[feartheflock]

Yes, but any receiver we get is coming in as a slot type WR to make tough. Think of it this way... they want to find a younger Boldin.

So if Boldin was on the team in 2013, what percentage of the time do you think Marlon Brown would have been on the field? Its entirely conceivable that he would have been a gameday inactive for the majority of the season.

I agree that everybody plays a role, which is why I identified Brown as a "role player". His role will be situational, and in particular, probably as a depth player with upside in the red zone.

That's not the kind of description you give to a #2 WR. That's the kind of description you give to a #3 or 4 WR.

Why not put Torrey more in the slot? Make him, as you say, our younger Boldin. I remember last season when he played in the slot or ran across the middle of the field like a slot WR he usually was open. And with his speed he could rack up the YAC going up against LBs. Than maybe Brown could turn into our main big guy outside with possibly Jacoby or a rookie/FA. Brown did have a similar season to Torrey's rookie year despite being undrafted, so I assume he could turn out to be better than Torrey(just an assumption).

[regz1997]

Please resign Daryl Smith!!!! Such a great leader!

[metalraven]

No way we could offer Mack more then the Browns! They have a ton of cap space.

Yup. And if making a ton of money is more important that winning AND making great money, he'll stay with the Browns. And he'll never taste success for the entire time he is a Brown.

[Stephenjr]

Pettigrew is a slower Ed Dickson! He blocks better then Dickson, but both of them couldn't catch a cold! Hope we don't over pay Miles! He was Putrid to me, except for the one game against his former team, the Bengals!

[ittwasntme]

No way we could offer Mack more then the Browns! They have a ton of cap space.

We dont have to offer him more, just offer him more then what the browns see his value at, if you are deciding to go that route. Also consider the fact browns might be taking on revis here shortly as thats the talk of most the sports websites

[Mystigo_Dragon]

Steve Smith would be an expensive waste here!

 

First off, Joe doesn't get comfortable with 1st year FA guys regularly! It took him 3 years to find out how to target Q and Smith would only have a year!

 

Secondly, why? We have Aaron Mellette and there are more guys much younger who wouldn't hit the Cap like Smith would!

[rmcjacket23]

We dont have to offer him more, just offer him more then what the browns see his value at, if you are deciding to go that route. Also consider the fact browns might be taking on revis here shortly as thats the talk of most the sports websites

True, but the Browns have essentially already acknowledged that they are willing to pay Mack $10m for this season, as thats the cost of their transition tag at the moment. So that money is already earmarked, and they are still considering Revis, Whitner, Dansby, etc., even knowing they are paying that.

I'd expect to have to pay Mack Monroe type money in order to get him, and I don't think thats a very good use of our cap space. I think its a classic overreaction by our fans. We don't need the best center in the league. Matt Birk was an average center in this league when he was a Raven.

We just need a better one, not the best one.

[BrianRandolph011]

Yes, but any receiver we get is coming in as a slot type WR to make tough. Think of it this way... they want to find a younger Boldin.

So if Boldin was on the team in 2013, what percentage of the time do you think Marlon Brown would have been on the field? Its entirely conceivable that he would have been a gameday inactive for the majority of the season.

I agree that everybody plays a role, which is why I identified Brown as a "role player". His role will be situational, and in particular, probably as a depth player with upside in the red zone.

That's not the kind of description you give to a #2 WR. That's the kind of description you give to a #3 or 4 WR.

Dude you got it all wrong.. Marlon Brown, as an undrafted rookie free agent steps on the field with the defending super bowl champions after a summer of turmoil and records 50 catches for 524 yards and 7 touchdowns (Ravens Franchise Records for a rookie) & did so in 14 games.. on an offense that rushed for 1328 yards all season (30th in the NFL). So its quite apparent that with better surrounding talent Marlon would be even more effective.. To put into comparison, we all love Torrey Smith who was supposed to run the show with the departure of Boldin.. Yeah well as our #1 WR he only snagged 65 balls for 1128 yards and 4 TDs.. Very mediocre (In my best Richard Sherman voice) numbers for a teams #1 WR in todays NFL.. My point is every player in a ravens uniform last year can play better and those who worked their tail off and gave us the best they could with the little we had deserve another shot with our reformed team on the field next year.. I stand by my word Brown is your guy at #2. Save the money Ozzie we got bigger problems.. O-Line , Safety , and I'll give another one that everyone is turning their cheek too.. RB!.. We could use another RB asap.. Id address all of those before I thought about finding some expensive WR to take Brown off the field.

[ittwasntme]

if you want a splash in free agency i think this could be a possible and think about how low of a cap hit dumervil was to us before you just this statement

Byrd

Monroe

WR (tate, sidney, smith, etc)

Center (any of the suggested)

Resign Smith/Graham

McCluster (play same role as Jacoby did for us)

TE (daniels prob as familiar as he is with kubiaks offense)

if we cant get graham, another nickel corner then in FA

Rebuild rest in Draft

if anything we saw the cap jump 10 million this year who says it wont keep at that pace?

if you want a splash, that would be a splash.

and just like dumervils contract we can get it so it doesnt put a big blow on us all at once, but figure out the numbers to ease as the cap goes up, remember Ngatas is in his final year after this next year, he can free up alot of cap, going forward in being cut, or restructured.

IMO

[rmcjacket23]

Steve Smith would be an expensive waste here!

 

First off, Joe doesn't get comfortable with 1st year FA guys regularly! It took him 3 years to find out how to target Q and Smith would only have a year!

 

Secondly, why? We have Aaron Mellette and there are more guys much younger who wouldn't hit the Cap like Smith would!

I think people need to get off the Mellette train... and for one main reason that I don't think anybody is considering...

Are you people aware that there is only one football? As the depth chart is currently assembled, Torrey Smith, Dennis Pitta, and Marlon Brown would be the top 3 options in the passing game. Thus, Mellette is the #4 option in the passing game, and the #3 WR. In a Kubiak offense, where TEs are utilized more and we run the ball a lot, what kind of value does the #4 receiver in an offense have?

And remember... that's assuming we add NO WRs in the draft, which seems unlikely.

I'd expect Aaron Mellette to spend the entire 2014 season on the practice squad.

[Mystigo_Dragon]

some of the scenario's being mentioned here you couldn't even pull off in madden.haha. come on, Revis? really...

 

 

Watching the speculation on NFL AM is almost as ridiculous and chaotic as reading some 'wish list' comments here!

The only thing they've said that gives me hope is that Monroe's main "suitor", Miami, is prepared to pay KC's Albert $9.5 Mil.

That's good for us on both the money and the serious team levels! Chucky P wants Art Jones and not much talk about Daryl Smith,... so, we'll see at 4:30!

[Stephenjr]

Yup. And if making a ton of money is more important that winning AND making great money, he'll stay with the Browns. And he'll never taste success for the entire time he is a Brown.

Does he have a choice? I thought the transition tag means, that the Browns can match any offer if they choose, and Mack would not have a say. Is that incorrect?

[Stephenjr]

We dont have to offer him more, just offer him more then what the browns see his value at, if you are deciding to go that route. Also consider the fact browns might be taking on revis here shortly as thats the talk of most the sports websites

Ozzie isn't stupid, if anything they will drive his price up so Browns can't make moves like Byrd, or Revis. We won't over pay any player. We can't.

[rmcjacket23]

Dude you got it all wrong.. Marlon Brown, as an undrafted rookie free agent steps on the field with the defending super bowl champions after a summer of turmoil and records 50 catches for 524 yards and 7 touchdowns (Ravens Franchise Records for a rookie) & did so in 14 games.. on an offense that rushed for 1328 yards all season (30th in the NFL). So its quite apparent that with better surrounding talent Marlon would be even more effective.. To put into comparison, we all love Torrey Smith who was supposed to run the show with the departure of Boldin.. Yeah well as our #1 WR he only snagged 65 balls for 1128 yards and 4 TDs.. Very mediocre (In my best Richard Sherman voice) numbers for a teams #1 WR in todays NFL.. My point is every player in a ravens uniform last year can play better and those who worked their tail off and gave us the best they could with the little we had deserve another shot with our reformed team on the field next year.. I stand by my word Brown is your guy at #2. Save the money Ozzie we got bigger problems.. O-Line , Safety , and I'll give another one that everyone is turning their cheek too.. RB!.. We could use another RB asap.. Id address all of those before I thought about finding some expensive WR to take Brown off the field.

Umm no, you are looking at it all wrong. Lets analyze a couple things...

1. In 2013, we couldn't run the ball, and we stopped trying to run the ball late in the season.

2. Marlon Brown faced very little-to-no competition for his spot on the roster, considering Pitta missed half the season and the people he was competing with were Jacoby Jones and a bunch of mostly talentless players.

3.. So, in an offense that threw the ball a ton and was unsuccessful running the ball, and in an offense where he faced essentially no competition for targets, Marlon Brown was a 3-4 catch, 38 yard per game guy, who's 7 TDs were reflective of a player who is a red zone target (as I've said 20 times already)

Yet, according to you, when we bring in a new OC who likes to run the ball and use TEs more, and we bring in competition for Marlon Brown's position, he's going to perform better? Ummmm... no. We will likely throw the ball far less than last season, and Brown will likely face stiff competition for snaps from the likes of a draft pick, FA signing, or even an Aaron Mellette (unlikely in my opinion)... all of that just to be the #3 option in an offense that will likely run the ball at least 50% of the time and doesn't utilize 3 WR packages that often.

Bottom line... I don't see it. If he produces at the exact same numbers he produced at in 2013, I'd consider that a pretty impressive feat.

[HazDaGeneral]

Everybody talking about how Steve Smith won't be useful here because of his age, but something he has that our other receivers don't is attitude on the field that fiery leadership, and besides the dude can still play ball. Here is just a snippet of attitude i'm talking about http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-total-access/0ap2000000284439/Smith-to-Talib-Ice-up-son

[BrianRandolph011]

Umm no, you are looking at it all wrong. Lets analyze a couple things...

1. In 2013, we couldn't run the ball, and we stopped trying to run the ball late in the season.

2. Marlon Brown faced very little-to-no competition for his spot on the roster, considering Pitta missed half the season and the people he was competing with were Jacoby Jones and a bunch of mostly talentless players.

3.. So, in an offense that threw the ball a ton and was unsuccessful running the ball, and in an offense where he faced essentially no competition for targets, Marlon Brown was a 3-4 catch, 38 yard per game guy, who's 7 TDs were reflective of a player who is a red zone target (as I've said 20 times already)

Yet, according to you, when we bring in a new OC who likes to run the ball and use TEs more, and we bring in competition for Marlon Brown's position, he's going to perform better? Ummmm... no. We will likely throw the ball far less than last season, and Brown will likely face stiff competition for snaps from the likes of a draft pick, FA signing, or even an Aaron Mellette (unlikely in my opinion)... all of that just to be the #3 option in an offense that will likely run the ball at least 50% of the time and doesn't utilize 3 WR packages that often.

Bottom line... I don't see it. If he produces at the exact same numbers he produced at in 2013, I'd consider that a pretty impressive feat.

What about the 30 interceptions our QB threw when were doing all that throwing and no running. or all those sacks that our offensive line or a lack thereof gave up. We had not one stand out super star last year. for christ sake our best player was Legatron. Give Marlon a break.. My daughter was born December 8th 2013. and as I sat in the hospital cutting cords and changing diapers.. I saw Marlon perform extremely well in a blizzard.. and it wasnt all in the red zone. the dude averages 11 yds a catch which is a first down in the NFL that I watch

[JamesA119]

"Yes, I was able to do this in Madden also.

Where it belongs."

......

LOL!!! Couldn't agree more. Revis for Webby? Webby is a team player. Revis is in an island - infact he is an island unto himself. Until he learns how to be a great team player, and eschews the me, myself and I attitude, he should not be a Raven.

[L.J.50]

J. Peppers (DE) Nagta (NT) Canty (DT)

[Ravens07]

I wouldn't expect much movement by the Ravens immediately. Typically they wait for the frenzy to settle before pouncing. I do expect Monroe to resign today though.

[RavenManiac20]

Realistically we dont need a corner if we just keep graham, or ANOTHER STRONG SS. you picking Calvin Pryor in the draft is a horrible choice. why would you decide to go 2 strong safeties in the back field? if your going to use the draft for a safety you pick Ha Ha Clinton Dix, the actual true Free Safety, or you dont pick at all.

Clearly you don't know what you're talking about considering Pryor is a free safety. And I was saying we need a cornerback if Graham doesn't resign.

[budman]

True, but the Browns have essentially already acknowledged that they are willing to pay Mack $10m for this season, as thats the cost of their transition tag at the moment. So that money is already earmarked, and they are still considering Revis, Whitner, Dansby, etc., even knowing they are paying that.

I'd expect to have to pay Mack Monroe type money in order to get him, and I don't think thats a very good use of our cap space. I think its a classic overreaction by our fans. We don't need the best center in the league. Matt Birk was an average center in this league when he was a Raven.

We just need a better one, not the best one.

C'mon man-Birk was a hell of a lot better than "Average". Are you sure you are'nt Mike Preston?

[runcontrol]

Umm no, you are looking at it all wrong. Lets analyze a couple things...

1. In 2013, we couldn't run the ball, and we stopped trying to run the ball late in the season.

2. Marlon Brown faced very little-to-no competition for his spot on the roster, considering Pitta missed half the season and the people he was competing with were Jacoby Jones and a bunch of mostly talentless players.

3.. So, in an offense that threw the ball a ton and was unsuccessful running the ball, and in an offense where he faced essentially no competition for targets, Marlon Brown was a 3-4 catch, 38 yard per game guy, who's 7 TDs were reflective of a player who is a red zone target (as I've said 20 times already)

Yet, according to you, when we bring in a new OC who likes to run the ball and use TEs more, and we bring in competition for Marlon Brown's position, he's going to perform better? Ummmm... no. We will likely throw the ball far less than last season, and Brown will likely face stiff competition for snaps from the likes of a draft pick, FA signing, or even an Aaron Mellette (unlikely in my opinion)... all of that just to be the #3 option in an offense that will likely run the ball at least 50% of the time and doesn't utilize 3 WR packages that often.

Bottom line... I don't see it. If he produces at the exact same numbers he produced at in 2013, I'd consider that a pretty impressive feat.

 

Two things.

 

1. While Kubiak is known to run the ball his qbs always have good stats.  If Shaub can gave 4000 yrs Flacco should have 4,500 

2. Yes, Kubiak is also known to use tight ends a lot, but look at the Texans, what receivers did he have outside of Johnson?  

 

No, I don't expect his numbers to jump up that much, but 50 yrs a game will give him about 800yds this season.  I would like to see his TDs go up to about 10, but if Rice and Pitta look like they did in 2012 I don't know if he will have the opportunity.  

 

It all depends on what happens this offseason.  If they pick up Edelman or Tate then Brown will probably be the third guy in the depth chart.   A rookie might take that spot by the end of the season but unless he looks like a star week one that third spot will be Brown's to lose.