Baltimore Ravens: What About Ray?

Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

It was improbable. The Baltimore Ravens made another playoff run in 2008 based on a defense that used the art of suffocation (oh, and Ed Reed) and an offense that improved dramatically over the previous years. John Harbaugh was impressive as coach, putting a rookie quarterback out to toss the ball around and sticking with him through thick (17-29, 248 yards, 2 TDs in Week 9) and thin (11-28, 115 yards, 2 INTs in Week 15).

Now the team has to figure out what to do about a superstar in Ray Lewis, and how they should handle other important positional players (hello Mr. Stover) in order to return to (and move past) the AFC Championship game without their defensive coordinator.

Draft Picks: 1 (27), 2 (26), 3 (25), 4 (24), 5 (27), 6 (26), and 7 (25).

Free Agents: Sean Conover, DE (RFA), P.J. Daniels, RB (RFA), Sam Koch, P (RFA), Dawan Landry, S (RFA), Derrick Martin, CB (RFA), Marcus Maxwell, WR (RFA), Robert McCune, LB (RFA), Kyle Boller, QB (UFA), Todd Bouman, QB (UFA), Jason Brown, OL (UFA), Terrence Copper, WR (UFA), Corey Ivy, CB (UFA), Jim Leonhard, S (UFA), Ray Lewis, RB (UFA), Lorenzo Neal, FB (UFA), Bart Scott, LB (UFA), Chad Slaughter, OL (UFA), Matt Stover, K (UFA), and Daniel Wilcox, TE (UFA).

Needs

Cornerback -- With Chris McAlister already cut by the Ravens and Samari Rolle struggling to be the player he once was, the Ravens defense lacks a huge hole in one of its most important parts. Reed made these guys look better than they were last season but the bottom line is Rolle and Fabian Washington aren't going to cut it. Frank Walker and Ivy are the guys that are left, so shopping around might be their best bet.

Wide Receiver -- Derrick Mason lead the Ravens last season with 1,037 yards on 80 receptions, but the fact is he's 35 and was beat up towards the end of the season. With Mark Clayton as a reliable second option, the Ravens might find it time consuming to shop for a receiver that could help Mason take some plays off. The Cowboys would probably be happy to let Patrick Crayton or Miles Austin leave, and one of the two would give Flacco another option down the field. Also, with Todd Heap struggling, another reliable threat will be key for Baltimore.

Linebacker -- Face it, even if the Ravens keep Lewis (which might not happen), this unit is aging. The team franchised Terrell Suggs, but Scott is free to go and Lewis can't stay at the level he was at in '08 much longer. This group kept it together for a while but at some point you have to explore other options. If the Ravens could add one more young LB, it would give the guys some much needed youth on defense.

Tracking NFL Free Agents

Julius Peppers, Defensive end
FRANCHISE TAG USED BY PANTHERS
The Latest: Despite his expressed wishes, Peppers was tagged by Carolina. He'll make nearly $17 million next season, but the Panthers will have to work out a trade for him to leave.

Streeter Lecka, Getty Images

Antonio Bryant, Wide receiver
FRANCHISE TAG USED BY BUCS
The Latest: Bryant will stay in Tampa, and receive nearly $10 million next year, a huge jump from the $600K he earned in 2008.

Joe Robbins, Getty Images

Dunta Robinson, Cornerback
FRANCHISE TAG USED BY TEXANS
The Latest: Houston will keep Robinson for next season, and continue to work on a long-term extension.

Greg Trott, Getty Images

LeRoy Hill, Linebacker
NON-EXCLUSIVE FRANCHISE TAG USED BY SEAHAWKS
The Latest: Seattle franchised Hill and, though he's free to talk with other teams, it's unlikely anyone will cough up multiple first-day draft picks for a trade.

Ted S. Warren, AP

Terrell Suggs, Linebacker
FRANCHISE TAG USED BY RAVENS
The Latest: The Ravens opted to lock down Suggs for next season, at the risk of losing both Ray Lewis and Bart Scott. Suggs will earn $10.2 million in 2009.

Streeter Lecka, Getty Images

Darren Sproles, Running back
FRANCHISE TAG USED BY CHARGERS
The Latest: Sproles will earn $6.6 million next season after San Diego franchised him. Now the question is, will he be the starter or LdT's backup?

Donald Miralle, Getty Images

Jordan Gross, Offensive tackle
RE-SIGNED WITH CAROLINA - Six years, terms not announced
The Latest: The Panthers locked up Gross to a long-term contract, and did so just in time to place the franchise tag on Julius Peppers.

Paul Jasienski, Getty Images

Brandon Jacobs, Running back
NON-EXCLUSIVE FRANCHISE TAG USED BY GIANTS
The Latest: The non-exclusive tag means that Jacobs is still able to sign elsewhere, but would cost two first-round picks as compensation. He'll spend at least one more season in New York because of that.

Bill Kostroun, AP

Chris Johnson, Cornerback
RE-SIGNED WITH OAKLAND - Four years, terms not announced
The Latest: Oakland wasted no time locking up Johnson with a multi-year deal, and now can focus all its attention on making sure Nnamdi Asomugha is lined up at the Raiders' other cornerback spot.

Paul Sakuma, AP

Karlos Dansby, Linebacker
NON-EXCLUSIVE FRANCHISE TAG USED BY CARDINALS
The Latest: For the second straight season, the Cardinals used the franchise tag on Dansby. He can still negotiate with other teams, but likely will spend next season in the desert - whether he wants to or not.

Ross D. Franklin, AP