Dealt a tough break in a Jaguars contract year, Dawuane Smoot is on track to start taking visits. Coming off a December Achilles tear, the veteran edge defender has landed on the Ravens’ radar.
Smoot will visit Baltimore early next week, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Ravens again feature questions at their outside linebacker spot, and they will look into Smoot, whom Rapoport adds has fared well on his rehab journey.
The Jags had Smoot on a second contract, and the former third-round pick had served as a key auxiliary pass rusher for the improving team. But the tear both ended a solid season and hurt Smoot’s free agency market. Going into his age-28 season, the veteran sack artist will look for a bounce-back opportunity.
Smoot went down during a Thursday-night game against the Jets on Dec. 22. Prior to that injury, the six-year Jaguar had totaled five sacks and 12 QB hits. Smoot registered between five and six sacks each year from 2019-22, remaining a key cog in Jacksonville’s defense despite the organization shuffling through three defensive coordinators in the past three years. Smoot combined for 33 QB hits from 2020-21, signing a two-year, $10MM Jags deal during that span.
The Ravens have some intriguing options on the edge, but their 2022 sack leader — Justin Houston — is unsigned. Odafe Oweh headlines Baltimore’s OLB contingent, though the former first-round pick has not lived up to the draft slot just yet. The Ravens should expect more production from 2022 second-rounder David Ojabo this season, seeing as the ex-Michigan standout spent most of last year rehabbing an Achilles tear. Tyus Bowser also remains with the Ravens, who have not shown an issue bringing Houston in late in an offseason. Both of Houston’s Ravens agreements have come during the summer. Jason Pierre-Paul, an in-season addition last year, is also a free agent.
It has been a bit since the Ravens entered training camp with a locked-in OLB group. The team traded for Yannick Ngakoue to complement Matt Judon in 2020. Since both players left during the 2021 free agency period, a stretch of uncertainty followed. After five rookie-year sacks, Oweh totaled three in 17 games last season. With the Ravens needing to make a fifth-year option call by May 2024, Oweh will be facing a critical stretch.