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The Baltimore Ravens had a top three priority list this offeason.
1) Re-sign tight end Dennis Pitta.
2) Re-sign left tackle Eugene Monroe.
3) Re-sign linebacker Daryl Smith.
After taking care of the first two, the Ravens met No. 3 with a reported four-year, $16.1 million contract agreement.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Ravens and LB Daryl Smith reached agreement on a four-year, $16.1 million deal, per sources.</p>— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/statuses/444492543913238529">March 14, 2014</a></blockquote>
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This is a huge get for Baltimore, which faced some stiff competition from Denver and New England for Smith. Smith led the Ravens in tackles in 2013 with 123 and set a franchise record with 19 pass deflections.
With all of the turnover the defense faced during the offseason in 2013, Smith turned out to be the best free agent acquisition at a great value. Now, the Ravens will pay more for that production to continue in Baltimore.
With Smith in the fold, the Ravens can finally turn their attention outside of the organization. Sure, we all know they're pressing hard to get Steve Smith. But the key players they wanted to bring back are back, and you can add Jacoby Jones to the conversation too.
Any other returnees will be welcomed. But now's the time for Baltimore to see what else is out there.
Even though they haven't brought in any new arrivals — yet — free agency has gotten off to a solid start for the Ravens, based on how they prefer to run the organization during this time of the year.