Baltimore Ravens Impressive Offseason Continues -

It was an uncharacteristic rough season for John Harbaugh’s team but the Baltimore Ravens seem very determined to put 2021 behind them.

Entering 2021, only four NFL teams had reached the playoffs each of the previous three seasons. That would be the Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks and John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens When it was all said and done, only Kansas City returned to the postseason.

The Saints finished with a winning campaign but fell short of the playoffs. Meanwhile both the Seahawks and Ravens not only finished with losing records but dropped to the bottom of the respective divisions.

In the case of Harbaugh’s team, it wound up being quite the plummet after an 8-3 start. The Ravens dropped their final six games. Injuries were certainly a major factor. Even before the season began, the team was depleted in the offensive backfield. And starting with the summer loss of cornerback Marcus Peters, the secondary was also racked by losses.

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A Lot of New Faces in Baltimore

But that was 2021. And this offseason, at least on paper, couldn’t have gone much better for the club. You could make a case that general manager Eric DeCosta wound up with the best draft in April’s proceedings. Baltimore added 11 players. Including first-round picks in safety Kyle Hamilton (Notre Dame) and center Tyler Linderbaum (Iowa). There are also standout defensive prospects in edge rusher David Ojabo (2-Michigan) and defensive tackle (3-Connecticut).

Meanwhile, former Bears’ and Broncos’ cornerback Kyle Fuller is the latest defensive veteran to join Harbaugh’s team. Earlier in free agency, the Ravens signed safety Marcus Williams away from the New Orleans Saints. The club did no bring back interior presence Brandon Williams but added former Vikings’ defensive tackle Michael Pierce. Linebacker Vince Biegel and defensive end Brent Urban will provide depth. On the other side of the ball, Lamar Jackson and company should benefit from the arrivals of running back Mike Davis and run-blocking tackle Morgan Moses.

Of course, bouncing back in the AFC North doesn’t figure to be easy. The Cincinnati Bengals are the defending conference champions and swept the Ravens by a combined 82-38 score. Baltimore has been swept by the Pittsburgh Steelers two consecutive years. All told, Harbaugh’s squad was a combined 1-5 within the division in 2021.

A season ago, three teams (Bengals, Eagles and 49er) reached the playoffs after finishing last in their divisions in 2020. There’s a long way to go before September rolls around. But there is certainly reason for a bit of optimism in the land of crab cakes.