Ravens offseason simulation: The purge edition

With the NFL combine underway, the offseason has truly begun. As a result, we at Baltimore Beatdown have begun looking ahead to what could potentially happen in the coming months.

A great way to do this is with Fan Speak’s offseason simulator, and I chose to utilize this with a potential scenario that we could see come to fruition very soon. That would be the scenario in which the Ravens choose to purge their roster of aging and costly players in order to utilize that freed up cap space on some of their own free agents, as well as others.

Pre free agency cuts

I started by releasing some of that aforementioned aging talent. Kendrick Lewis, Kyle Arrington, Elvis Dumervil, Jeremy Zuttah, Lardarius Webb, Shareece Wright, and Dennis Pitta all were taken off the books, which left the team with about 30 million dollars in cap space heading into March’s free agency period.

Free agency period

Using some of the freed up money, I re-signed Brandon Williams to a four-year deal worth nine million dollars a year.

In free agency, I decided to not exactly break the bank, and instead try to fill certain needs with players that I felt could represent a bargain for the team.

I managed to bring in ILB Jelani Jenkins, OLB Nick Perry, and WR Robert Woods in on two and three year deals that amounted to about 15 million dollars spent in cap space. This left the team with around nine million dollars left in cap space.

NFL Draft

This was probably the most fun that I had in the entire process, due to the way that the first and second round fell for the team.

In the first round, an early run on quarterbacks, skill positions and front seven players pushed Ohio State safety Malik Hooker all the way down to number sixteen, where I sprinted to the metaphorical podium to select him. The Ravens have bigger needs than safety even with Lardarius Webb gone, but if a player of Hooker’s caliber is available, they'd select him in a heartbeat.

In the second round, another somewhat unrealistic scenario unfolded, and I was able to snatch up Alabama linebacker Tim Williams. Williams’ off the field issues are concerning (and may be the cause for this hypothetical slide) but if he is available at the 25th spot in the second round, which I traded down to, the Ravens would be happy to have him.

The Ravens have two picks in the third round, the first of which I used on LSU avenger Ethan Pocic who would be a nice Zuttah replacement. With their compensatory pick at number 35 in the round, I selected wide receiver Amara Darboh from Michigan to help fill out the receiver position.

Thanks to the two trades I made in the second round, I picked up two extra fourth round picks for the Ravens, the first one I used on North Carolina running back Elijah Hood to supplement the backfield. I stayed with offense on the next pick with LSU wide receiver Travin Dural, and then rounded out the defensive line with Notre Dame’s Jarron Jones.

The earlier trades also netted an extra fifth and sixth round pick, meaning the Ravens picked twice in each round. My first pick in the fifth round went to OT Avery Gennesy to potentially replace Rick Wagner who we saw depart earlier in free agency. I decided to use my second fifth round pick on a possible quarterback of the future in Virginia Tech’s Jerod Evans, who had some nice passing and rushing numbers as a one year starter.

The sixth round pick saw the team take another tackle in Arkansas’s Dan Skipper, and a defensive back in Maryland’s William Likely. As the team’s final pick, Likely is an intriguing prospect. His only knocks seem to be injury issues and a diminutive stature, and he adds value as a returner.

Summary

Overall, I thought this was a pretty satisfactory simulation, despite having to get rid of some very familiar and beloved names early on.

Both free agency and the draft provided some very ideal scenarios for the team, and while I would've liked to add more cornerback depth, I think I did a decent job filling out the 2017 squad.

I’m sure you have many thoughts (and criticisms) so please let me know what you think down below.