Ravens News 2/6: Free agent centers, extending Judon and more

Top-10 interior offensive linemen set to enter free agency in 2019 - Ben Linsey

1. MATT PARADIS, CENTER

Paradis is in line for his first big payday after playing out his sixth-round rookie contract. He has easily exceeded that sixth-round label thus far with four consecutive seasons graded above 74.0, highlighted by a 90.2 overall grade in 2016 which ranked third among all offensive linemen regardless of position. Before breaking his fibula this season in Week 9, he had the second-highest grade among centers at 79.0, trailing only Jason Kelce. He offers an immediate upgrade to tighten up the offensive interior on nearly every NFL team.

3. MITCH MORSE, CENTER

Like Paradis, Morse is a center ready to hit free agency off his rookie contract. He doesn’t quite have the track record that Paradis does (hence his lower spot on the list), but he has shown the ability to succeed in the NFL, particularly in pass protection. This past season, Morse allowed just five pressures in 534 pass-blocking snaps, and not one of those pressures was a sack. In fact, he has not allowed a sack since his rookie season in 2015.

Both Paradis and Morse could potentially receive contract offers that exceed the 4-year, $42 million deal Ryan Jensen inked last offseason.

Post-Super Bowl 2019 NFL Mock Draft - Mike Renner

22. BALTIMORE RAVENS – DALTON RISNER, OT, KANSAS STATE

With the Ravens expected to go all-in on a Lamar Jackson-led offense, pairing him with a dominant offensive line would be a nightmare. Risner can step into the NFL tomorrow as a run blocker with four straight seasons of exceptional grading.

Risner’s pre-combine draft range seems to be settling somewhere in the mid to late first round. He is one of several collegiate tackles in this draft class who could kick inside and excel at the next level.

Should Ravens Extend Matthew Judon? - Bo Smolka

This is the ideal time for the Ravens to consider extensions for would-be 2020 free agents, and tops on that list figures to be linebacker Matthew Judon.

At his introductory news conference on Jan. 30, general manager Eric DeCosta noted that the organization’s goal is to “keep as much young talent as we can in Baltimore. … It’s something we’ve talked about at length.”

Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti in the past has said that his team-building philosophy involves paying for “ascending players,” and Judon would seem to fit that mold.

Signing Judon to an extension now would almost certainly be cheaper and more cap-friendly than waiting until he hits the open market.

Judon has posted back to back impactful seasons and could emerge as one of the top players on defense next year, depending on who departs in free agency. An early contract extension would give him his first big payday while also allowing the Ravens to save approximately $2-to-4 million per season over the course of a long term deal.