Ravens announce extension for linebacker L.J. Fort

The Ravens are in the midst of a defensive renaissance over the last several weeks, ever since their poor play on that side of the ball contributed to a shaky 2-2 start. Since then, they’ve made a few tweaks and additions to the roster that if nothing else have really solidified things up front for Wink Martindale’s formerly top unit.

One of those additions was journeyman linebacker L.J. Fort, who many within the Ravens fan base may have not even heard of when he was brought in. Since being plugged into the middle of the D, his solid play is something that can be pointed to as a major factor in this mid-season turnaround.

On Friday, Baltimore rewarded him for that:

The two year extension for the 29-year-old locks him into Baltimore’s future plans for what they expect to be a serious competitive run over the next several seasons, and hopefully brings an end to him bouncing around the league so much. The purple and black of the Ravens is the 8th different uniform he’s worn since coming into the league back in 2012, and his play in 2019 suggests that he’d like it to be the last one he dons.

While Fort isn’t necessarily a huge name and this move won’t send shockwaves throughout the league, Ravens fans ought to be pretty pleased that he is in the picture for real now. Eric DeCosta has shown a propensity for investing in players with rising profiles rather than buying while their stock is overly high, and this very much fits into that strategy.

While there’s no way of knowing how this affects some of the more high profile names that will soon be up for negotiation, it certainly looks to be savvy on the surface. Fort has been a fixture along the Ravens front seven for the last several weeks, and now will be through at least 2021; that should make Baltimore supporters very, very happy.