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While it's not entirely fair, sports are all about your final impression. Take the 2023 Baltimore Ravens campaign as an example of that reality. There was plenty of good work during the regular season—Lamar Jackson putting together an MVP-caliber campaign and the club earning the top seed in the AFC—that will be overshadowed by the ugly conference championship loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
That means the focus now turns to the 2024 campaign and what the Ravens can do to reach the top of the metaphorical mountain. And while it's tempting to think that it's easy to trot out the same roster and repeat the feat, it's a bit naive. Due to the salary cap, it's unlikely that Baltimore can trot out this same lineup again.
The Ravens Don't Have Much Wiggle Room in 2024
Although crunching numbers might not be exciting, it's a vital part of success in the modern, hard-cap NFL. And when you get into the Baltimore Ravens' books, there's a financial challenge looming.
The AFC club, according to Over the Cap, has a shade under $14 million of space ahead of the 2024 campaign. But when you consider effective cap space, which factors in the projected cost of filling out a 51-man roster and signing a draft class, the Ravens will only have a spare $5.1 million below the ceiling.
To be clear, that's far from disastrous; some teams sit tens of millions of dollars over the cap. It's also possible to create a bit more breathing room by restricting contracts. But with all of that being said, things are still less than ideal when you consider the club's free agency class. Running things back with the same roster looks like a tall task.
On the defensive side of things, Patrick Queen, Kyle Van Noy, Jadeveon Clowney and Justin Madubuike are all slated to hit the open market. Those men were all within the Ravens' top-five sack artists in 2023.
Van Noy and Clowney will also command raises on their cut-rate 2023 salaries, while Queen's rookie contract is running out; the Ravens held a fifth-year option, but they chose to decline during the 2023 offseason. Madubuike, however, would presumably be the priority on the back of a 13-sack season, but that production will also drive his price higher.
Over the Cap, for example, estimates his value at around $15 million per season. And remember, that price could always push higher if there's a bidding war. Using a franchise tag wouldn't make things cheaper, either. Madubuike would stay under contract, but he'd cost Baltimore somewhere around $21 million based on current estimates.
Again, we're only talking about one (admittedly important) player. We haven't even broached the topic of bringing back other free agents or adding outside reinforcements.
A cap crunch also brings the subject of releasing players to the forefront. Some moves, like moving on from the injured Tyus Bowser, seem relatively straightforward, but ultimately, compromises will have to be made. Cutting Ronnie Stanley, for example, would leave the club holding the bag with more than $17 million in dead money. Does GM Eric DeCosta decide that's too much of a burden? If so, someone like Morgan Moses or Patrick Mekari could be on the chopping block.
Those players might not be as exciting as someone like Lamar Jackson, but consider the Ravens' strengths. During the 2023 regular season, the club had the top-ranked rushing offense (in terms of yards) and the league's best defense (in terms of points allowed). Potentially losing some linemen on both sides of the ball seems like an easy way to regress.
On the subject of reinforcements, falling short in the AFC title game would suggest that Baltimore needs to do something to improve. While play calling didn't help matters, another pass-catching option would help compliment Zay Flowers, Mark Andrews, and Jackson's running ability. Someone like Tee Higgins would be tempting, but again, making the dollars and cents work would represent the challenge.
To be clear, a playoff defeat doesn't mean that the Ravens are done. Having a soon-to-be two-time MVP means that no game is out of reach. But, by that same token, having Jackson on the roster doesn't mean that the team can simply show up each fall and cruise back to previous heights.
Look at the Kansas City Chiefs as an example of that. While the dynamic duo of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce provide a safety blanket, the team has evolved throughout this current window. What was once a high-powered, big-play offense now moves a bit more methodically and, crucially, has the support of a top-notch defense.
Can the Ravens keep growing in a similar vein? That's the challenge, especially with a tight salary cap situation looming.
About the writer
Joe Kozlowski is the Newsweek Sports Team Lead based in New York. His focus is covering U.S. sports. He is especially passionate about ... Read more