Under new offensive coordinator Marc Trestman, the Ravens will be staying in the zone-running system that worked so well in 2014, which means running back Justin Forsett could prove most valuable to Baltimore when free agency opens, as Jon Meoli of The Baltimore Sun writes. There has been some speculation that the tailback could follow Gary Kubiak to the Broncos, but Kubiak has a history of turning bargain backs into stars and he could try to do that all over again in 2015.
Let’s check in on a few other Ravens-related items….
- A contract extension for guard Marshal Yanda makes too much sense for the club and the four-time Pro Bowler not to make something happen this offseason, writes Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. Yanda is entering the final year of his contract, and as Hensley suggests, by offering him a four-year deal in the range of $30MM, the team could lock him up for the next few seasons and reduce his $8.45MM cap hit for 2015.
- In a separate piece for ESPN.com, Hensley examines whether or not punter Sam Koch is in danger of being a cap casualty, ultimately predicting that Baltimore will keep Koch despite his $3MM+ cap hit.
- In his look at major salary cap and contract questions facing AFC teams, former agent Joel Corry of CBSSports.com leads off by exploring whether defensive lineman Haloti Ngata will agree to restructure his contract or accept a pay cut. The Ravens would create $8.5MM in cap savings by releasing Ngata if the two sides don’t reach a compromise.
- At one time, Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report was nearly positive that Ray Rice wouldn’t play in the NFL again. Now, after speaking to multiple team executives in recent weeks, Freeman is far less certain. One GM tells the Bleacher Report scribe that the former Ravens running back will “100% be on a team” in 2015. However, the Ravens may not see Rice next season — per Freeman, most of the teams thinking hard about signing the veteran are in the NFC.
Zach Links contributed to this post.