Ranking Every Eric DeCosta Free Agency Signing

This list is limited to free-agency signings of players from other teams. Since DeCosta has been General Manager, he’s re-signed a bunch of players (Jimmy Smith, Justin Ellis, Jihad Ward, Anthony Levine, Chris Moore, Nick Boyle), who won’t be on this list.

7. WR Seth Roberts (1 YR / $2 MIL) (2019)

During his single season in Baltimore, Roberts finished 6th on the team in receiving yards and 8th in TDs, with only two. His performance in the team’s 2019 playoff loss featured a drop, two incompletions, and not a single target in the second half. The receiver ended up providing very little production for what was a relatively inexpensive signing.

6. LB Josh Bynes (1 YR / $930K) (2019)

Bynes was a cheap signing for Baltimore, providing the team with a ton of passion and enthusiasm. He ended the season with 46 tackles, two interceptions, and a sack. It was not a long-term deal for Bynes or the Ravens, but even in a single season, the linebacker provided consistency.

5. OT D.J. Fluker (1 YR / $1.075 MIL) (2020)

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Fluker was one of the riskier signings the Ravens have made in the past few years. There was really no guarantee for any level of production since his snap counts were consistently decreasing each season. Fluker only started in half of the team’s games this year while battling injuries. The tackle was just as much of a high-risk high reward player, as he was a signing. Fluker was punishing defenders just as much as he was getting beat, but that was what most expected would be the case anyway.

4. FS Earl Thomas III (4 YR / $55 MIL) (2019)

Purely based on his play on the football field, Thomas was a good signing. The veteran safety brought strong experience and play, filling the hole that Eric Weddle left. However, there were just too many locker room issues to deal with. The 2020 offseason was filled with question marks surrounding Thomas and eventually ended with his release.

3. DT Derek Wolfe (1 YR / $3 MIL) (2020)

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Wolfe was a signing of terrific value for the Ravens. The veteran was one of the cheaper defensive starters but ended up with the highest snap counts out of everyone on the defensive line. He was a great run defender, leading the defensive linemen in combined tackles. Wolfe outperformed his contract, proving to be a great addition to the defense.

2. LB L.J. Fort (1 YR / $805K) (2019)

The value of this signing was amazing. Fort wasn’t on a team when the Ravens brought him on, but he turned into a veteran leader quicker than anyone could expect. Since the linebacker signed with Baltimore, he’s been one of the defense’s most consistent and reliable players. Fort has turned into a mentor for Baltimore’s young linebackers and provided depth to a defense full of big contracts.

1. RB Mark Ingram (3 YR / $15 MIL) (2019)

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There is no perfect way to describe how valuable Mark Ingram was to the Ravens franchise. This goes way farther than production, but let’s start with that. In 2019, he finished with 1,018 yards, 10 TDs, and a Pro Bowl nomination. He was the driving force behind the league’s best rushing offense. However, Ingram’s true value was the culture that he brought to Baltimore. The veteran running back was instantly a fan favorite. Ingram made “Big Truzz” famous, started the Lamar Jackson MVP campaign, and made watching the Ravens so much fun. He groomed Gus Edwards and JK Dobbins to be the future of this organization's running back group. Even in a two-year stint in Baltimore, he will go down as one of my favorite Ravens.