State of the 2020 Ravens Linebackers 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 nine linebackers on the roster, and deciding what the Ravens should do in the offseason with them.

Here are all nine linebackers currently on the roster, along with important information about them:

Matthew Judon
- 2020 Age: 28
- Experience: 5th year
- 2020 Free Agent Status: UFA
- Contract Remaining: None
- 2020 Franchise Tag Cap Hit: $16,266,000
- 2020 Dead Cap Penalty: N/A
- 2020 Cut Savings: N/A
- Probability of Being Franchise Tagged: High
Tyus Bowser
- 2020 Age: 25
- Experience: 4th year
- 2020 Free Agent Status: Under contract
- Contract Remaining: $1,774,057/1 year
- 2020 Cap Hit: $1,774,057
- 2020 Dead Cap Penalty: $548,747
- 2020 Cut Savings: $1,225,310
- Probability of Being Cut/Traded: Medium
Jaylon Ferguson
- 2020 Age: 24
- Experience: 2nd year
- 2020 Free Agent Status: Under contract
- Contract Remaining: $2,933,981/3 years
- 2020 Cap Hit: $884,327
- 2020 Dead Cap Penalty: $677,481
- 2020 Cut Savings: $206,846
- Probability of Being Cut/Traded: Low
Pernell McPhee
- 2020 Age: 31
- Experience: 10th 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 Cut/Traded: N/A
Josh Bynes
- 2020 Age: 31
- Experience: 10th 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 Cut/Traded: N/A
L.J. Fort
- 2020 Age: 30
- Experience: 9th year
- 2020 Free Agent Status: Under contract
- Contract Remaining: $5,500,000/2 years
- 2020 Cap Hit: $3,250,000
- 2020 Dead Cap Penalty: $3,250,000
- 2020 Cut Savings: $0
- Probability of Being Cut/Traded: None
Patrick Onwuasor
- 2020 Age: 28
- 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 Cut/Traded: N/A
Chris Board
- 2020 Age: 25
- Experience: 3rd year
- 2020 Free Agent Status: Under contract
- Contract Remaining: $661,334/1 year
- 2020 Cap Hit: $661,334
- 2020 Dead Cap Penalty:
- 2020 Cut Savings: $1,334
- Probability of Being Cut/Traded: Medium
Otaro Alaka
- 2020 Age: 24
- Experience: 2nd year
- 2020 Free Agent Status: Under contract
- Contract Remaining: $1,266,667/2 years
- 2020 Cap Hit: $588,333
- 2020 Dead Cap Penalty:
- 2020 Cut Savings: $6,667
- Probability of Being Cut/Traded: Medium

Potential Moves Baltimore Could Make:

Franchise tag Matthew Judon.
Add a pass rusher in free agency.
Add an inside linebacker in free agency.
Re-sign Patrick Onwuasor, Josh Bynes, and/or Pernell McPhee.

What Moves Should the Ravens Make to the Roster?

Of the nine linebackers on Baltimore’s roster, four are pending free agents. Two are pass rushers, and two are inside linebackers. Baltimore can comfortably operate with seven linebackers, three on the inside and four on the outside, but they will need to add or keep at least one inside and one outside linebacker this offseason. Baltimore must first franchise tag Matthew Judon. The move will be expensive, eating up $16,266,000 of Baltimore’s roughly $30 million free cap space, but Judon is a premier pass rusher that the Ravens cannot afford to lose. I went into more detail on why I believe the Ravens should tag Judon here in this article. The Ravens should not trade him either after using the tag. Judon’s presence on this defense is just too important to lose. Baltimore should also re-sign Patrick Onwuasor over Josh Bynes. Although Bynes was a great performer on the 2019 Ravens defense, Onwuasor is younger and provides bigger long-term potential. According to Spotrac, Onwuasor will likely find a deal for $4.8 million/year on the open market. The Ravens may have a hard time keeping him in Charm City, and if Baltimore loses him to another team, the Ravens should pursue Josh Bynes as the backup option.

Which Free Agents Should the Ravens Target?

In our defensive line review, I pinned Atlanta’s Vic Beasley as a potential pass rush addition, so I won’t be adding any more pass rushers to the conversation. Instead, I will focus this part of the analysis on the inside linebacker position. As previously mentioned, the Ravens set to lose both Josh Bynes and Patrick Onwuasor to free agency unless either is re-signed. One free agent that could attract the Ravens is Reggie Ragland. The former Alabama product was drafted in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft, but the player full of promise has been hampered by injury throughout his young career. The Ravens can get him cheap, and although he does have injury concerns, the upside is still tremendous. Ragland has a reputation as a great tackler. He recorded 46 solo, 86 combined tackles as a full-time starter in 2018, and 23 solo, 30 combined in 2019 as a part-time starter. While it may not work out long-term, signing Ragland would give the Ravens a big opportunity at a low-cost risk.

Do the Ravens Need to Draft a Linebacker?

The consensus opinion is yes, the Ravens do need to draft a linebacker. The 2020 wide receiver class is full of talent seeping into the later rounds of the draft. With this information, many argue that the Ravens should prioritize either a pass rusher or an inside linebacker over a wide receiver in the first round. Regardless of how the draft shapes out, the Ravens will undoubtedly draft new players to fill their three big needs: inside linebacker, pass rusher, and wide receiver. One name constantly tied to the Ravens in this process is Oklahoma’s, Kenneth Murray. The NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein compares the inside linebacker to the 49er’s Kwon Alexander and notes his speed and athleticism. Another name floating around the Ravens is Yetur Gross-Matos. The Penn State edge rusher is a near-perfect specimen at 6’5″, 266 lbs. He was not the most dominant pass rusher in college, but many project him to develop in the NFL. But would the Ravens be comfortable spending a first-round pick on a “developmental” guy? That’s a decision Baltimore will have to make.