Smith recorded 45 tackles (26 solo), 8.5 sacks, two passes defensed and one forced fumble across 16 games in the 2018 season.
Smith led the Ravens in sacks in 2018, a crowning achievement for one of the league's most feared defenses. He played in 67 percent of the defensive snaps, a total that only trailed Terrell Suggs and C.J. Mosley. Suggs, Mosley and Smith are all slated to enter free agency this offseason in addition to Patrick Onwuasor. It's highly unlikely the Ravens will be able to retain all four linebackers, meaning Smith could find a potential suitor elsewhere.
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Ravens' Tony Jefferson: Cornerstone of secondary
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5H ago
Jefferson recorded 74 tackles (53 solo), six passes defensed, one interception, one sack and a forced fumble across 14 games in the 2018 season.
Jefferson put together another solid campaign in 2018, anchoring one of the better secondaries in the league alongside Eric Weddle. However, Jefferson is slated to have the fourth-highest salary on the team next season, and with plenty of Ravens defensive starters entering the market this offseason, the safety could be the target of contract restructuring.
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Ravens' Terrell Suggs: Proving age is just a number
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5H ago
Suggs recorded 34 tackles (25 solo), seven sacks, six passes defensed, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery he returned for a touchdown across 16 games in the 2018 season.
Outside of two injury-riddled seasons in which he missed at least eight games, Suggs had his lowest tackle count since his rookie year back in 2003. However, the veteran linebacker does more on the field and in the locker room than can be measured on a stat sheet. He managed to play in an impressive 72 percent of the defensive snaps last season and reached the end zone for the first time in a decade. The longtime Raven will now enter free agency after the 16-year pro noted he has "no itch" to retire, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN. It'd be strange to picture the potential Hall of Famer in anything but a Ravens uniform, but in today's NFL nothing is for certain.
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Ravens' Patrick Onwuasor: Five sacks in 2018
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19H ago
Onwuasor recorded 59 tackles (37 solo), 5.5 sacks, three passes defensed, two forced fumbles and one interception across 16 games in the 2018 season.
Although his tackle count took a big hit from his 90-tackle performance in 2017, Onwuasor still compiled another productive season in the league's best defense. He was fourth on the team in tackles while only playing 43 percent of the defensive reps. He also improved on reaching the quarterback in his third season, as his 5.5 sacks were also good for fourth-highest on the team. The linebacker is now slated to become a free agent along with C.J. Mosley, Za'Darius Smith and Terrell Suggs. It's unlikely that the Ravens can retain all four linebackers, which could lead to a big payday for Onwuasor elsewhere.
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Ravens' C.J. Mosley: Leads best defense in NFL in 2018
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5H ago
Mosley recorded 105 tackles (70 solo), five passes defensed and one interception across 15 games in the 2018 season.
Mosley paved the way for a Ravens defense that would earn top honors across the league in 2018. He led the team in tackles and made many key plays throughout the year, earning him his fourth Pro Bowl nod in five seasons. The 26-year-old will now begin the most critical offseason of his career as he enters free agency for the first time. There's no question Baltimore hopes to retain one of its youngest and brightest assets, but it remains to be seen if the team will be able to afford Mosley's massive new deal.
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Ravens' Jordan Lasley: Inactive all season
Rotowire
19H ago
Lasley was not active for any games during the 2018 season.
The rookie out of UCLA managed to crack the 53-man roster but spent the entire season as an inactive. He'll now get a full offseason under his belt to continue to learn the offense. With John Brown slated to enter free agency, there's a possibility of an expanded role for Lasley in 2019.
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Ravens' Chris Moore: Depth option in 2018
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5H ago
Moore recorded 19 receptions for 196 yards and one touchdown across 16 games in the 2018 season. He also added 491 kickoff return yards on the year.
Moore gets lost in the shuffle of Ravens wideouts, as he managed 25 targets across 477 offensive snaps (38 percent) this season. While he had one more reception on the year compared to 2017, his yards (248) and touchdowns (three) were both higher in his sophomore season, and he reached those totals in three less games. He's on the books through next season and has a good chance to stick around, if for nothing more than his kickoff return ability.
Ravens' Joe Flacco: Likely headed elsewhere in 2019
Rotowire
3D ago
Coach John Harbaugh intimated last week that the Ravens likely won't retain Flacco for 2019, instead expecting to proceed with Lamar Jackson as their starting quarterback Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports. "Joe Flacco is going to play really well in this league. Joe can still play," Harbaugh said. "I think we saw that in the first half of the this season. Joe's going to have a market. A lot of teams are going to want Joe, because they understand that. I'll be in Joe's corner, wherever he's at, unless we play him."
After Jackson replaced an injured Flacco as starter in Week 11 and retained the top gig once the veteran was healthy again en route to guiding the Ravens to six wins in their final seven regular-season contests, there was never much of an expectation that Flacco was long for the roster. Due $18.5 million in 2019, Flacco is too pricey to be rostered as a backup, a reality Harbaugh acknowledged in his comments following the Ravens' wild-card loss to the Chargers on Jan. 6. Given that Flacco has failed to crack 7.0 yards per attempt in any of the past four seasons and owns a mediocre 64:46 TD:INT over that span, it's fair to wonder if that salary may be too rich for another team to pay even if it envisions him serving as a starter. With that in mind, the Ravens could struggle to find a trade partner this offseason and may end up releasing him outright, which would enable Flacco to sign with a team at a salary more appropriate for his talent.
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Ravens' Lamar Jackson: Gets endorsement from Harbaugh
Rotowire
3D ago
Coach John Harbaugh said last week that Jackson will remain the Ravens' top signal-caller heading into the 2019 season, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports. "I know Joe [Flacco] is going to do really well. I mean, Lamar is our quarterback going forward -- no question about that," Harbaugh said.
Jackson took over for an injured Flacco as the Ravens' starting quarterback in Week 11, bringing with him a new-look, run-heavy offensive attack that guided the team to wins in six of its final seven contests of the regular season. Unfortunately, Jackson couldn't keep the momentum going in the Jan. 6 wild-card-round loss to the Chargers, completing only 14 of 29 passes for 194 yards and adding 54 yards on the ground while throwing an interception and losing one of his three fumbles. The rookie at least bounced back from a rough first half to nearly engineer a comeback win, with that performance coupled with his previous body of work giving the Ravens enough confidence to proceed with him atop the depth chart. Harbaugh essentially admitted that the Ravens will part ways this offseason with Flacco, whom the coach noted is "going to have a market" whether he's traded or released.
Hurst caught 13 of 23 targets for 163 yards and a touchdown as a rookie in 2018.
The first-rounder's season got off to a rocky start when he suffered a stress fracture during the preseason that required a screw to be inserted in his foot. Hurst eventually debuted in Week 5 against Cleveland. From there, he recorded multiple receptions in just four of 12 games while being held without a catch on five separate occasions. Hurst's status as a first-round pick coupled with the possible departures of Nick Boyle and Maxx Williams should lead to the team getting him more involved in Year 2. However, Mark Andrews is on his way towards establishing himself as the team's top pass-catching tight end.
Jones signed a futures contract with Baltimore on Tuesday, freelance NFL writer Howard Balzer reports.
Jones was waived from the Ravens' injured reserve just before the start of the regular season and spent much of the year on the team's practice squad after clearing waivers. He'll now set his sights on a depth linebacker and special teams role with Baltimore in 2019.
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Ravens' Nick Keizer: Signs futures deal with Baltimore
Rotowire
10D ago
Keizer signed a futures contract with the Ravens on Tuesday, freelance NFL writer Howard Balzer reports.
Keizer spent all of 2018 on the Ravens' practice squad after failing to make the active roster out of training camp. He'll aim to fight his way up the depth chart and carve out a role as a special teams player and depth tight end in 2019.
