The Baltimore Ravens weathered the storm of the 2023 season with remarkable strength, relying on their depth -- and an MVP at quarterback -- to propel them to the AFC's top seed.
They can't quite count on the same entering 2024. Three of their five starting linemen from 2023 are now on different teams, leaving Baltimore with some work to do up front in order to stay atop their conference.
Coach John Harbaugh isn't deterred by the challenge; he's embracing it, starting with the Ravens' offseason workout program.
"Yeah, absolutely. It's gonna be competitive," Harbaugh said Tuesday of the impending offensive line battles. "There's gonna be competition for those spots. We always say, who's the best player? It's the player that plays the best. You could've been the best player five years ago but you're not the best player now. So every day you go out to practice, every game you play, there's an accumulated, established aspect of it, but right now we're a little more open.
"So the guys that you're talking about are going to be competing with whoever comes in here, and we'll just see who does it. But I think those guys are ready to compete and do well. They'll be in here Monday. Can't wait to see them. It's going to be great to see those guys in here Monday. They're working hard, and we'll see what happens."
There is good news for the Ravens as they approach the 2024 NFL Draft: This class is loaded with offensive line talent. Baltimore might need to pull from that group repeatedly, too, in a draft in which it owns nine picks, including five in the first 130.
It's all part of general manager Eric DeCosta's plan to build from the draft in order to remain competitive.
"Looking at last year, we felt like we could trade a couple draft picks last year. We did that," DeCosta explained. "We got Roquan (Smith) with the idea that we would have to build up again. We've always been a team that's been built through the draft primarily.
"We've always had a lot of draft picks. I think we probably have had, if not the most draft picks in the last 10 years, definitely in the top quarter of all the teams in the league. Probably near the top, though, for sure. That's by design. We feel that's the best way to build your team long-term. From a cost standpoint, obviously, cheaper players. But also young players who you know a lot about that can develop and become good players.
"We see this year's draft and next year's draft as real opportunities for us to begin to build that depth up again. I think this past year's team, we had tremendous depth. And the challenge now is for these players on the roster, right now, to be a part of that depth and for us to find additional players who can come in and compete to start and be good depth players for us moving forward."
As a two-time MVP, Lamar Jackson is more than just a star quarterback. Harbaugh said the quarterback will play a role in this team's construction, revealing Jackson has "been tasked over the text world with a couple of assignments" regarding his thoughts on the offensive line class.
"So we'll see who he likes. He looks at guys on tape," Harbaugh explained. "And he's never been shy about giving his opinion on free agents or the draft. He hasn't weighed in quite yet, but he will."
Both DeCosta and Harbaugh don't see the 2024 offseason as a cause for concern. They've built Baltimore into a perennial contender by frequently letting quality players leave for more money elsewhere and replacing them with youngsters they've handpicked to step in and contribute.
They also know some of their choices will matter almost instantly. At least a few picks will be expected to fill key roles in order to keep the Ravens competitive.
"There's no question. Opportunity is what it's all about," DeCosta said. "We'll have some opportunities for sure. There's gonna be some spots that can be filled, and I think the burden is on me to find those players who can fill, and fill it with winning football. We've got the coaches and support staff to put them in position to succeed, but we've got to find the players that have the right makeup and the right ability to actually perform and do that."
Given they've done this before, they're not worried. Quite the contrary, actually, and they're ready to try to prove the world wrong for a second straight year.
"We're gonna have a heck of a team next year," Harbaugh said. "You wait. You watch. Wait and see what we do."
