It will be a busy offseason for the Ravens, who have nearly two dozen unrestricted free agents, holes to fill at just about every position outside tight end and starting quarterback, and myriad salary cap decisions to make.
The NFL’s legal tampering period began Monday at noon, which is when teams can meet with representatives of free agents. Free agency won’t officially begin until Wednesday at 4 p.m. when teams can begin to sign players, though plenty of deals will already be in place by then.
We’ll update the Ravens’ signings, departures and notable moves in the offseason here.
March 11: G John Simpson headed to Jets
Left guard John Simpson’s stay in Baltimore was a short one. After arriving at the end of the 2022 season and winning the starting job in 2023, he is reportedly heading to the New York Jets on a two-year deal worth up to $18 million.
Simpson, who started every game for the Ravens last season, now goes from blocking for NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson to blocking for future Pro Football Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers. His departure also means Baltimore will likely have two new starting guards with Kevin Zeitler also a free agent and unlikely to return.
March 11: LB Malik Harrison returning
After four of their more than 20 free agents agreed to deals elsewhere in the opening hours of the NFL’s legal tampering period, the Ravens got some good news with linebacker Malik Harrison reportedly agreeing to re-sign for one year.
A versatile edge-setting defender who can play inside linebacker, Harrison, 26, is also a core member of the Ravens’ special teams unit. The 2020 third-round draft pick out of Ohio State had 20 tackles in 14 games last season, but with inside linebacker Patrick Queen expected to depart in free agency, he could potentially have an increased role.
March 11: CB Ronald Darby heading to Jacksonville
One of the more underrated signings from last season, Ronald Darby filled in nicely for an injured Marlon Humphrey and played in 16 games, seven of them starts. But he won’t be back after reportedly agreeing to a two-year deal worth up to $10 million with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
After Jacksonville released Darious Williams, it was in the market for a cornerback and moved quickly to fill the need.
Darby, 30, had seven pass breakups for Baltimore last season and now heads to his sixth team.
March 11: WR/KR Devin Duvernay gets big payday
A two-time Pro Bowl selection and All-Pro returner in 2021, Devin Duvernay is headed south. The wide receiver reportedly agreed to a two-year deal with an $8.5 million base with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Though he was a solid kick returner for the Ravens during his tenure in Baltimore, the former third-round draft pick was inconsistent at best as a receiver, with 20 catches as a rookie in 2020, 33 in 2021, 37 in 2022 and just four this past season.
March 11: Safety Geno Stone headed to division rival
Geno Stone’s seven interceptions last season led the AFC, which put him in position to land a more substantial role and contract for 2024. And it led him to an AFC North rival as he reportedly agreed to a two-year, $15 million deal with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Stone went from a seventh-round draft pick in 2020 to being cut twice to being claimed off waivers by the Houston Texans as a rookie to returning to Baltimore. Called by Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta maybe “the best seventh-round pick that we’ve ever had,” Stone played in all 17 games last season, which included 11 starts, and had 68 tackles. “Baltimore, Thank you for the past 4 years !” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
March 11: RB Gus Edwards agrees to deal with Chargers
Running back Gus Edwards reportedly agreed to a two-year, $6.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Chargers, reuniting him with Baltimore’s former offensive coordinator, Greg Roman, who is now in Los Angeles in the same role. He also goes from playing for John Harbaugh to Harbaugh’s brother Jim, who was hired as the Chargers coach earlier this year.
Former Ravens RB Gus Edwards reportedly agrees to deal with Chargers, reuniting with OC Greg Roman
In six seasons with the Ravens, Edwards rushed for 3,395 rushing yards on 699 carries and scored 26 rushing touchdowns.
But he’s also coming off his worst season in terms of yard per carry (4.1), which was down nearly a full yard from his 2022 average. He also led the team in touchdowns with 13, almost all of which came from within a few yards of the goal line.
March 8: Ravens sign DT Justin Madubuike to extension
The Ravens have already made what will likely be their most notable move off the offseason in signing defensive tackle Justin Madubuike to a four-year, $98 million extension three days ahead of the league’s start to the legal tampering period. By signing Madubuike, whose 13 sacks last season led all interior defensive linemen, Baltimore not only keeps a cornerstone of its defense in-house but it saves about $10 million in salary cap space. Had Madubuike played next season on the franchise tag, it would have counted just over $22.1 million against the salary cap. Instead, the cap-strapped Ravens will only have a cap hit of $12.25 million with the new deal, providing general manager Eric DeCosta valuable space.
Feb. 18: WR Nelson Agholor re-signs for one-year, $3.75 million
Nelson Agholor was a complementary piece of the Ravens’ offense with 35 catches for 381 yards and four touchdowns last season, but a solid one. In addition to his numbers and good chemistry with quarterback Lamar Jackson, he was a popular presence in the locker room and a mentor to the team’s younger pass catchers. With Odell Beckham Jr. expected to be a post-June 1 cut, signing the 30-year-old Agholor keeps three of the Ravens’ top four wide receivers intact as he’ll be back alongside Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman next season.