The 2025 NFL season officials starts on Wednesday.
With the start of the free agency comes the start of a new season, and many decisions of who to retain and who to sign to improve your roster.
The Baltimore Ravens have decisions to make, with 18 free agents, but they are definitely in a steadier state than in 2024.
That said, there are some key decisions to be made.
Rebuild or Re-sign the O-Line
First and foremost, the Ravens need to decide on what to do with Ronnie Stanley. Stanley was $7.5M against the cap in 2025 and, aged 31, will be looking for likely his last contract.
Cap room is tight, and retaining the veteran tackle will limit the Ravens’ spending power for external free agents – with only $12M to play with.
The flip-side is it will likely cost more to replace Stanley to a good standard than re-sign him.
The other factor is losing Stanley may well result in rebuilding the whole left side of the line, having rebuilt the right a year ago with free agent Patrick Mekari.
Mekari himself would be a great player to retain for his depth as a swing tackle.
Depth pieces Ben Cleveland and Josh Jones, as well as fullback Patrick Ricard – more valuable to Baltimore than the market – are also about to hit the market.
In addition to that, Brent Urban may be one luxury too far and Michael Pierce, nearing retirement, and the defensive line needs some serious attention.
That means the second half of the Ravens draft will likely be in the trenches.
So if Stanley stays healthy, it would be a worthwhile investment.
Wide receiver depth and linebacker needs
The Ravens are set at X and Y receiver, but five receivers will hit the market. Nelson Agholor – for experience – and Tylan Wallace – for special teams – may be retained.
But Diontae Johnson, Deonte Harty and Steven Sims are likely to be unsigned, especially with a number of top veteran receivers available on the market.
Both weakside linebackers Malik Harrison and Chris Board are also both set to hit the market.
With Kristian Welch also a free agent, there is a need to sign both starting quality and depth, either in free agency or during the draft.
What to do at corner?
The Ravens have three free agents at cornerback.
They are headlined by Brandon Stephens, though in truth, the team would want to upgrade on Stephens and re-sign him as a back-up if possible.
Trayvon Mullen has shown promise but is too injury-prone and too far down the depth chart to retain.
Tre’Davious White might be retained though as a veteran who can surely make one or two key plays in 2025.
In truth, the key retentions are Ronnie Stanley, Patrick Mekari and Malik Harrison.
Anyone else they can retain is a bonus, but other market opportunities will influence re-signings and may be the priority.
