Assessing the Baltimore Ravens Offseason

The 2023 offseason for the Ravens has been a wild ride with Lamar Jackson's contract situation, their free-agent signings, and the draft. As previously reported, as of March 2nd, 2023, Jackson had requested a trade from the Ravens because both parties were having difficulty finalizing a deal. Instead of trading him, the Ravens put the nonexclusive franchise tag on Jackson, meaning any team could make an offer to Jackson that the Ravens could match or exceed. However, Jackson had no bidders on his nonexclusive tag, so his future was left up in the air.

On April 27th, 2023, NFL draft day, Jackson and the Ravens reached a five-year deal.

This deal was worth $250 million, with $185 million guaranteed, making Jackson the new highest-paid quarterback in the NFL. The Ravens organization and fan base can now take a deep breath, knowing they have their superstar quarterback locked down for five years.

While Jackson's contract situation was unfolding, the Ravens decided to sign a former all-pro and a potential Super Bowl MVP if he had not got hurt, Odell Beckham Jr. The Ravens signed Beckham on April 9th, 2023, to a one-year deal worth up to $18 million, with $15 million of it being guaranteed.

Beckham has been a 1000-yard receiver in five of his nine NFL seasons, so the Ravens making him a focal point in their passing game would be smart. At the time the Ravens signed Beckham, Jackson had not resigned with the Ravens making many fans speculate he would because they did not think Beckham would sign with the Ravens if he knew they did not have a good quarterback.

Additionally, the Ravens added eight-year veteran wide receiver Nelson Agholor. While Agholor may not be an elite talent, never reaching 1000 years in a season, he is still a welcomed addition to the receiving core, adding experience and strengthening the group. These two free-agent signings were the Ravens' main moves in free agency.

Moving to the Ravens 2023 draft class. They added depth at positions like linebacker, offensive line, and defensive back. The Ravens' selection that is projected to have the biggest impact is wide receiver from Boston College, Zay Flowers. In college, Flowers showed he had elite route-running capabilities and great run-after-the-catch ability giving him big play potential.

Flowers amassed 3056 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns in his four-year college career. The seasonal breakdown of flowers is more impressive, having only one season where he didn't reach 500 receiving yards. These statistics show Flowers's potential to be a star in the league. The Ravens' new duo of Flowers and Beckham may provide them with the potent passing attack they have been missing since drafting Jackson.

While the Ravens didn't make many moves this offseason, they added pieces in the position they needed to the most wide receiver. These additions make the Ravens' offseason successful on all accounts showing they are ready for the 2023 NFL season.