With the state of the Collective Bargaining Agreement still undecided, if the 2011 NFL season is legally forced upon the NFL owners by a federal judge, they will most likely revert to the 2010 rules, which will greatly affect the free agency parameters. Only players with six years of service and expiring contracts will be eligible, trimming the free agent pool of a bunch of quality players, including some members of the Baltimore Ravens.
The remaining possibilities are not anywhere near the marquee list that we've seen in the past, which should drive up the cost of getting one of those top few stars available. The top of the list will certainly be former Oakland Raiders' DB Nnamdi Asomugha, who according to CBSSports.com, will become the game's highest paid defensive player in 2011. Don't expect the Ravens to shell out the boatload of cash it will take to pair him with rookie CB Jimmy Smith in Baltimore's secondary.
There are a couple of solid offensive tackles, but one would think the Ravens are set with the drafting of Central Florida's Jah Reid in the 3rd round of last month's 2011 NFL Draft. A couple of cornerbacks are on the list as are wide receivers, but both categories are now relatively deep on the Ravens roster. What is interesting are the defensive tackles and ends that could come here, including DE Jason Babin (Tennessee) and DE/DT Cullen Jenkins (Green Bay Packers). There also is a center (Chris Spencer - Seattle Seahawks) and an inside linebacker (Barrett Ruud - Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kevin Burnett - San Diego Chargers) or two that could be interesting possibilities for the Ravens.