The Baltimore Ravens lost a ton of players, but gained a big one in Trey Hendrickson. General manager Eric DeCosta gave some insight on what the plan is moving forward.
The Baltimore Ravens had one of the most dramatic free agency periods in recent memory. After losing center Tyler Linderbaum to the Las Vegas Raiders, it was announced that the team would land Maxx Crosby in a blockbuster trade for two first-round picks.
That trade was then cancelled, and the Ravens pivoted to signing Trey Hendrickson. Despite gaining a defensive superstar, Baltimore also lost quite a few starters, leaving Eric DeCosta to break down a little bit about the plans moving forward.
DeCosta sat with head coach Jesse Minter to introduce Hendrickson to the world as a member of the Ravens organization. While most of the attention was on the pass rusher and what he will bring to the table, there were questions regarding the plans for free agency moving forward.
Considering the losses, DeCosta has been under fire for multiple days and weeks, which all began with the loss of Linderbaum.
That said, the Ravens did make a huge swing in bringing in Hendrickson, which is typically not their style.
DeCosta indicated that the front office would likely "not break the bank" again, following the acquisition of Hendrickson.
"We've always been a draft-focused team, draft-centric. We have 11 picks. We've got a lot of work to do. It doesn't mean that we're not going to be looking at some players over the next couple weeks. We will be certainly probably have some players visit. We'll look at some guys.
"Are we going to go out and break the bank? Probably not. I think we've broken the bank in some ways over the last week. We have opportunities to get better as a team with the draft. Excited about where we stand. I think we filled some holes in the depth chart, which I know uh, coach Mentor likes," DeCosta said.
DeCosta did indicate previously that the team would be looking into some offensive line help, and he indicated again that the team would look at some players in the coming weeks, but he did put a focus on remaining a draft-heavy team.
The Ravens did uncharacteristically sign Hendrickson, and the plan was to have Crosby as part of that equation, which did not work out. The issue is that the losses will be hard to ignore.
Linderbaum, tight ends Charlie Kolar and Isaiah Likely, fullback Patrick Ricard, safeties Ar'Darius Washington and Alohi Gilman, linebacker Dre'Mont Jones, and more are now gone.
While some of the listed players are more easily replaced, Linderbaum is one of the biggest losses this franchise has faced. There is far more work to do on the offensive line, other than bringing back John Simpson, and signing Corey Bullock and Jovaughn Gwyn.
The Ravens do have the No. 14 pick, and could use that to upgrade the guard and tackle position with Miami's Francis Mauigoa or Penn State's Vega Ioane.
Free agency has also just begun, so it could be that the Ravens will focus on lower-tier signings as opposed to bigger "breaking the bank" free agents. Either way, this team will certainly look vastly different in September, which DeCosta aptly said in the Hendrickson presser.