Among the Baltimore Ravens’ offseason challenges, they have to decide what to do with a key offensive lineman. Also, will they keep Marcus Williams around? But there is one free agent who can help fill the Ravens’ biggest offseason need.
It won’t come as a surprise that Ravens need what a lot of other NFL teams need. They must secure a solid edge rusher to get this team over the top to the Super Bowl.
And the best bargain out there could be Raiders edge man Malcolm Koonce.
Raiders DE Malcolm Koonce could boost Ravens
Koonce suffered a season-ending injury before the 2024 campaign. So there are question marks about what he can bring to the field in 2025. But that simply makes him more affordable.
He proved what he can do by finishing strong in 2023. He totaled eight sacks that season, starting 11 games for the Raiders.
Former Raiders coach Antonio Pierce had high hopes for Koonce back in 2023, according to the Raiders YouTube page via heavy.com.
“There have been certain players who you watch from afar and you say: ‘Man, if they just – if this happened and that happened, this might happen,’” Pierce said. “And I think Malc is a prime example.
“Sometimes, you try to put a player in a certain role that doesn’t fit him. And I think we found that role for Malcolm. We’ve adapted to the player because he’s a legit guy who can turn the corner and burn, and you can see the explosiveness. I mean that’s – you know what you get on the other side, on the left side, with No. 98 [Maxx Crosby], right?”
And Koonce pushed hard to become an impact player.
“I’m just trying to make the best of my opportunities,” Koonce said during his December 14 postgame media availability. “I’m trying to become a complete player and an all-around good football player in general, not just a pass rusher.”
His 81.5 pass-rush rate ranked No. 14 in the NFL late in 2023, according to Pro Football Focus.
Ravens looking hard at the pass-rush market
General manager Eric DeCosta said the Ravens could get a pass rusher in the draft, according to baltimoreravens.com.
“It really comes down to the best player at the time,” DeCosta said. “If we’re picking at 27, and there is an edge rusher, and he is the best guy, we’re probably going to pick him. That’s going to hold through with every round.
“It’s an important position. We were maybe second in the league in sacks last year, but having a continuous influx of young pass rush talent – guys that can set the edge and play the run, guys that play like Ravens, physical players who can get to the quarterback – that’s a priority for us, for sure.”
Head coach John Harbaugh said the middle of the defensive line needs to be tough, too.
“Game-wrecking defensive tackles, [it’s] kind of a big deal,” Harbaugh said. “Pass-pressuring defensive ends, that’s kind of a big deal, too.”
NFL Network says Ravens will go for the sacks
If you want to listen to NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, he thinks the Ravens will grab a pass rusher in the first round. If, that is, the right guy is there, according to baltimoreravens.com.
“I think there’s a lot of depth along the defensive front, not just edge rushers, but D-tackles,” Jeremiah said on a conference call. “If they want to be patient, I think one comes to them.
“Someone like Donovan Ezeiruaku from Boston College kind of fits what they like in rushers. He’s real long, (and) he’s firm. He’s got some power, and he’s got a lot of production. There’s going to be edge rushers there.”
Part of the reason teams are seeking good defensive linemen is the way the Eagles manhandled the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
“It might move some guys up in the draft for sure,” Harbaugh said. “I don’t think anyone’s ever not thought that way. I think the Eagles did the best job the last couple of years of hitting on guys. They drafted guys high. They paid guys a big amount of money. They’ve done a good job of building the trenches on both sides, especially on the defensive side. I do think people will be looking at how they did it.”
And the waters are deep when it comes to defensive lineman in this year’s draft.
“You want a defensive tackle (Round 3), I mean, this is the draft to do it,” Jeremiah said. “There’s a ton of them. You’ve got Jamaree Caldwell from Oregon kind of in that range. (Also,) you’ve got Ty Hamilton, Ohio State. You’ve got Omarr Norman-Lott from Tennessee, Jordan Phillips from Maryland.
“There’s a lot of defensive tackles. It’s as deep of a defensive tackle draft as I can ever remember.”
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