A Look at Some Ravens with Uncertain Futures – Part 1

With the Super Bowl right around the corner, this NFL year has almost drawn to a close, but for a lot of us, the season ended as soon as the Ravens went down. Like the Ravens front office, a lot of us have already turned the page, looking at the contract situations around Baltimore’s pending free agents and how the Draft could fill in the gaps as players depart.

In what will probably be a multi-part series, I’ll go over the players with uncertain futures, and discuss the implications if they return to Baltimore, or if they move on.

NFL RUMORS #Ravens Free Agent Ronnie Stanley is PROJECTED to make over $21M per year in Free Agency.

Three of the projected teams are the #Ravens #Bears and #Raiders pic.twitter.com/vSlJ3TylVN

— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) February 2, 2025

OT Ronnie Stanley

If He Stays

Stanley undoubtedly represents Baltimore’s biggest fish in free agency, and it would be a huge boost to get him back somehow. Protecting Lamar Jackson’s blindside is paramount, and the Ravens flat-out cannot afford to chase a premier tackle in free agency, so, if they want Stanley to come back, what does that price tag look like, and how the heck are they going to afford it?

Stanley’s return would almost certainly necessitate losing premier players at other positions through trades or releases, and even with Stanley’s return to form after the lingering ankle injury, there may still be some concerns about his longevity – or motivation – on a new contract.

If He Goes

No matter who would end up on the blindside in 2025, Ravens Flock would all collectively be gritting our teeth if Stanley leaves as we hope that LJ can stay upright. While the option exists of shifting Roger Rosengarten to the left side, that could be too much too soon for the second-year tackle, even with as good as he looked last season. This scenario would not only mean still having to fill a vacancy at RT if you shift Rosengarten to the left, but it would also almost certainly necessitate using their first-rounder on a tackle in this Draft class. Luckily, the position is deep in this year’s class, and players like Missouri’s Armand Membou have boosted their Draft stock following the Senior Bowl.

Based solely on his tape, RT Armand Membou would be OT1 in this class. The concern for scouts was his size. But we finally got verified numbers by the @seniorbowl and it’s safe to say we might have a new OT1

– 6036 height, 332 lb, 34 inch arms

pic.twitter.com/doWOE1p3yF

— Sanjit T. (@Sanjit__T) January 27, 2025

Still, you wonder how many of these rookies would be plug-and-play at such a critical position, especially in a division with so many premier pass rushers, and the possibility of using some of the additional picks to move up for a guy is certainly tempting.

WRs Tylan Wallace and Nelson Agholor

If They Stay

In the event that one of these guys inks a deal to return to Baltimore, it likely means that the other doesn’t come back. If I were a betting man, my money would be on Wallace returning, given how partial the Ravens are to guys who develop as home-grown talent, paired with the fact that Wallace is the younger option, as he’ll be 26 by the time next season starts compared to the then-32-year-old Agholor. It’s honestly a shame to part with either one, because they’ve both provided timely catches in some big spots…

TYLAN WALLACE GETS LOOSE TO ADD 6⃣

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/aT4Qdwbx7H

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) November 8, 2024

Best part of Lamar Jackson’s 17-yard touchdown to Nelson Agholor was obviously the ball placement.

Second best part was Zay Flowers’ reaction. pic.twitter.com/7rMvZUnsG1

— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) September 19, 2023

…but Wallace has shown some flashes of special teams chops (which they desperately need), and maybe the team gives him an opportunity at a bigger role now that he’s put in the time here.

If They Go

Losing both of these guys would hurt, especially given that guys like Steven Sims and Deonte Harty are also pending free agents, and it could really leave the cupboards bare in that personnel unit. At that point, Tez Walker likely gets an audition as your WR3. I love the idea in theory, but in practice, I know how this coaching staff operates with young receivers, and it’s likely that they still want Walker to work his way up. That could mean pursuing a veteran that they can talk down to a low price tag – perhaps a reunion with Demarcus Robinson coming off of a nice season in LA – but the lack of reinforcements means a mid-round pick will probably be used on another young developmental receiver. That’s another deep personnel group in this class, and thinking with a combination of my head and my heart, I would love to see Maryland’s Tai Felton stay close to home.

ICYMI: Maryland WR Tai Felton capped off an impressive week at the Reese’s Senior Bowl with this 25-yard TD reception. Felton is off to a great start in the pre-draft process. pic.twitter.com/JUY7zNzAqC

— Inside Maryland Sports (@Terrapins247) February 2, 2025

DLs Brent Urban and Michael Pierce

If They Stay

Now, this one is a little different, because, while Brent Urban is a pending free agent, Big Mike isn’t. However, there were rumblings about Pierce’s possible retirement stirred up by what seemed to be an act of finality as he had his teammates all sign his helmet at locker cleanout. Now, Marlon Humphrey downplayed this…

This looks like a bigger deal than it was lol https://t.co/PgJnuVKCVk

— marlonhumphrey.eth (@marlon_humphrey) January 20, 2025

…and for Brent Urban’s part, he indicated on social media that he’s going to give it at least one more go.

Brent Urban announces he’ll be back for another year. pic.twitter.com/BA3eyGHEuv

— Cole Jackson (@ColeJacksonFB) January 28, 2025

Their returns would signal continuity in the middle of the defense, along with relatively low price tags as each one of them was a little over $1 million APY last season. They’re also not in the positions of having to be the primary personnel set inside, so their roles as rotational pieces would largely be expected to stay the same, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see one of both of them back. Maybe it’s not the most important factor in consideration, but it would also mean keeping the wholesome Fun Bunch bromance together for our wonderful Ravens Wired content.

If They Go

If one or both of these guys depart, there are immediate questions about how you round out the depth behind Nnamdi Madubuike, Travis Jones and Broderick Washington. Because of some of the other high-profile areas of need on the roster, Baltimore wouldn’t be taking a swing at a high-profile free agent at this position, but may kick the tires on a resurgence from a player like Javon Kinlaw or Jerry Tillery just to get younger. Derrick Nnadi intrigues me, but knowing the Chiefs, they’ll do everything they can to keep that band together.

Regardless, the Ravens likely look to the future along the D-line in the Draft, and are pretty likely to do so even if these guys return. I’ve got my eye on a few guys projected to go in the middle rounds like Notre Dame’s Howard Cross III and Georgia’s Nazir Stackhouse, and as a parting gift, I’ll leave you with this: for what it’s worth, Stackhouse knows a thing or two about a big man interception.

Stackhouse with a huge INT and look at him go pic.twitter.com/5Fi4MHkTYt

— Billy M (@BillyM_91) November 4, 2023

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