State of the 2020 Ravens Defensive Line Corps

After a brief hiatus in the series, we are back with another State of the Ravens article! Today, we are taking a look at the eight defensive linemen on the roster, and deciding what the Ravens should do in the offseason with them.

Here are all eight defensive linemen currently on the roster, along with important information about them:

Brandon Williams
- 2020 Age: 31
- Experience: 7th year
- 2020 Free Agent Status: Under contract
- Contract Remaining: $28,590,000/2 years
- 2020 Cap Hit: $14,170,000
- 2020 Dead Cap Penalty: $9,840,000
- 2020 Cut Savings: $4,330,000
- Probability of Being Cut/Traded: Low
Michael Pierce
- 2020 Age: 27
- Experience: 5th year
- 2020 Free Agent Status: UFA
- Contract Remaining: None
- 2020 Cap Hit: N/A
- 2020 Dead Cap Penalty: N/A
- 2020 Cut Savings: N/A
- Probability of Being Re-signed: Low
Patrick Ricard
- 2020 Age: 26
- Experience: 4th year
- 2020 Free Agent Status: Under contract
- Contract Remaining: $6,966,667/2 years
- 2020 Cap Hit: $4,633,333
- 2020 Dead Cap Penalty: $4,996,667
- 2020 Cut Savings: -$363,334
- Probability of Being Cut/Traded: Low
Chris Wormley
- 2020 Age: 26
- Experience: 4th year
- 2020 Free Agent Status: Under contract
- Contract Remaining: $2,368,663/1 year
- 2020 Cap Hit: $2,368,663
- 2020 Dead Cap Penalty: $224,663
- 2020 Cut Savings: $2,144,000
- Probability of Being Cut/Traded: Medium
Jihad Ward
- 2020 Age: 26
- Experience: 5th year
- 2020 Free Agent Status: UFA
- Contract Remaining: None
- 2020 Cap Hit: N/A
- 2020 Dead Cap Penalty: N/A
- 2020 Cut Savings: N/A
- Probability of Being Re-signed: Medium
Justin Ellis
- 2020 Age: 29
- Experience: 7th year
- 2020 Free Agent Status: UFA
- Contract Remaining: None
- 2020 Cap Hit: N/A
- 2020 Dead Cap Penalty: N/A
- 2020 Cut Savings: N/A
- Probability of Being Re-signed: Low
Domata Peko
- 2020 Age: 35
- Experience: 15th year
- 2020 Free Agent Status: UFA
- Contract Remaining: None
- 2020 Cap Hit: N/A
- 2020 Dead Cap Penalty: N/A
- 2020 Cut Savings: N/A
- Probability of Being Re-signed: Low
Daylon Mack
- 2020 Age: 23
- Experience: 2nd year
- 2020 Free Agent Status: Under contract
- Contract Remaining: $2,249,460/3 years
- 2020 Cap Hit: $659,820
- 2020 Dead Cap Penalty: $224,460
- 2020 Cut Savings: $435,360
- Probability of Being Cut/Traded: Low

Potential Moves Baltimore Could Make:

Re-sign Michael Pierce
Re-sign Jihad Ward, Justin Ellis, or Domata Peko.

What Moves Should the Ravens Make to the Roster?

Baltimore will be very busy along the defensive line this offseason. Four of the Ravens’ eight defensive linemen are pending free agents, leaving Baltimore with just Brandon Williams, Chris Wormley, Patrick Ricard, and Daylon Mack on the defensive line. The Ravens will need to either re-sign or add new linemen to the group. Baltimore has drafted a defensive lineman each year since 2009, so there’s a very good chance another will be added this April. Assuming that’s true, the Ravens will still need at least two more defensive linemen. The Ravens should try to re-sign Michael Pierce, but it appears the ship has sailed on a potential contract extension. DeCosta’s entire strategy is built on preventing high quality pending free agents from hitting the market. Michael Pierce fits the high-quality description, but with no deal reached at this point, one can only expect him to hit free agency. Like most high-quality Ravens defenders to hit the open market, Pierce will probably be overpaid by another team.

One player the Ravens need to re-sign is Jihad Ward. Ward was added to the roster in October, but despite being signed off the street, he provided the Ravens with impressive services. Ward was an integral part of the mid-season defensive renaissance, and Baltimore should re-sign him this offseason. He won’t attract a large contract and should be available at a bargain price on the market. The Ravens should also consider re-signing Justin Ellis and Domata Peko, but neither is as valuable to the defense as Ward.

Which Free Agents Should the Ravens Target?

This one may not be popular with most Ravens fans, but Baltimore should add Vic Beasley to the defense. The former Falcons edge rusher was once the most dominant sack artist in the National Football League, but his fall from grace has forced him out of Atlanta. That’s not to say he’s bad. He rebounded from a tough 2 years in 2019 with 28 solo tackles and eight sacks. 2019 was a far cry from his 15.5 sack season in 2016, but 2019 did show he still has some juice. With the right team, I believe that Vic Beasley can return to the dominant levels he once produced at. Beasley can benefit from the Ravens defense, and the Ravens defense can likewise benefit from Beasley. If the Ravens franchise tag Matthew Judon (who is not included in this analysis because he’s technically a linebacker) than Beasley would be the second string pass rusher. With less responsibility and another dominant pass rusher on the opposite side, Beasley would have less pressure to perform along with more favorable matchups. Baltimore’s defense would benefit from him because Beasley provides an infusion of young talent to a pass rush that desperately needs it, and he should be a cheaper option too. Beasley won’t command Jadeveon Clowney or Everson Griffin money, but he may be the best bang-for-your-buck option on the market.

Do the Ravens Need to Draft a Defensive Lineman?

According to history, the Ravens will draft a new defensive lineman, and I am not one to argue with history. Adding a new defensive lineman in the draft should be a priority, as I expect the Ravens to lose more linemen then they gain in free agency. Baltimore could go into the draft with as little as four defensive linemen on the roster. It’s more likely that the Ravens will add two more (hopefully by re-signing Ward and adding Beasley) but six is still a low number to enter an offseason with. Adding one in the draft is always a good decision, and will give the Ravens more flexibility moving forward. Expect the Ravens to add at least one undrafted defensive lineman too.