RAVENS FANTASY NEWS

February 8, 2006 12:00 PM ET

The Ravens were all over the board in 2005. They lost to the World Champion Steelers by a single point, then beat them in the rematch; they also got rolled twice by the Bengals. They shredded the Packers on Monday night football, 48-3; they also went talons-up in a season-ending loss to the Browns.

Still, owner Steve Biscotti saw enough in Baltimore's 6-10 season that he gave head coach Brian Billick a vote of confidence following the season. Of course, said backing also included a dictum that Billick replace some coaches and change his style somewhat.

But the Ravens will need more than just a few tweaks to compete in the AFC North. Quarterback Kyle Boller still has the inside track on the starting gig, though the plan is to bring in a veteran to compete—and no, we don't mean Anthony Wright. Jamal Lewis and Chester Taylor are both unrestricted free agents, and Baltimore will retain a maximum of one of them—and quite possibly none. Four defensive starters can also test the market, and Ray Lewis isn't getting any younger.

Needs
After spending last offseason in prison, Jamal Lewis was a mere shell of his former self—not exactly the kind of year you want to have heading into free agency. Lewis was reportedly miffed at the club for having told him a guilty plea to make his federal drug charges go away would be rewarded with a contract extension, and he did little to hide his feelings during the season. If he returns to Baltimore, it will likely be as the franchise player—with a hefty price tag last year's 3.4 yards per carry and four touchdowns doesn't appear to warrant.

The alternative is Taylor, who failed to capitalize on the few opportunities he was given to state his case for the starting job. The Ravens matched the Browns' offer to Taylor last year, and it's conceivable teams may still view him as a potential starter. Whether one of those teams is the Ravens remains to be seen.

Lewis is just a month older than Taylor, but he's got two more years (and 1,135 more carries) of NFL mileage on his understudy. Plus, he's had surgery on both knees and carries some off-field baggage. On the other side, he's a couple years removed from one of the very few 2,000 yard seasons in NFL history.

Assuming Boller is the solution at quarterback—an assumption that nearly cost Billick his job—and one of the backs returns, the offense will have a familiar look next season. The receiving corps is solid with veteran Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton coming off a strong finish to his rookie campaign, and elite tight end Todd Heap paying immediate dividends on his six-year, $30 million contract. Depth may be a concern, as both Randy Hymes and Patrick Johnson can become unrestricted free agents, but Clarence Moore and Devard Darling should fill in nicely.

The line is aging and can certainly be held accountable for some of the ground game's struggles, but Jonathan Ogden is as good an anchor as a team could hope for. Right tackle Orlando Brown may be approaching retirement, a possibility the team prepared for last season when they drafted Adam Terry in the second round.

The Ravens' vaunted defense isn't getting any younger, either, and with both tackle Ma'ake Kemoeatu and end Anthony Weaver potential free agents—and backups Aubrayo Franklin and Jarret Johnson RFAs—Baltimore is expected to once again go defense with their first-round pick. When you consider their track record includes Ray Lewis (1996), Peter Boulware (1997), Chris McAlister (1999), Ed Reed (2002), and Terrell Suggs (2003), you have to like their chances.

Some speculation exists that the team may relieve itself of Ray Lewis or McAlister—or both—to free up cap space. That seems like quite a bit of talent to remove from a roster, but the Ravens have played without Lewis for significant chunks of two of the last four seasons. Nonetheless, Lewis remains the heart and soul of the Ravens' defense and shutdown corners don't grow on trees, so expect both to be in purple and black at the start of the 2006 season.

Salary Cap Situation
The Ravens are approximately $15 million under the projected $92 million salary cap for 2006, according to NFL.com.

Unrestricted Free Agents
QB Anthony Wright, RB Jamal Lewis, RB Chester Taylor, WR Randy Hymes, WR Patrick Johnson, TE Darnell Dinkins, DT Ma'ake Kemoeatu, DE Anthony Weaver, LB Tommy Polley, LB Bart Scott, CB Dale Carter, CB Deion Sanders, S Will Demps, P Dave Zastudil

Restricted Free Agents
RB Musa Smith, FB Ovie Mughelli, TE Daniel Wilcox, T Tony Pashos, DT Aubrayo Franklin, DE Jarret Johnson, K Aaron Elling

Free Agent Signings
None.

The Draft
Depending on what the Ravens decide to do with their pair of unrestricted free agent backs—and RFA Musa Smith as well—they would be perfectly situated to pick from the plethora of non-Reggie Bush running backs in the 2006 draft. LenDale White would seem to be a younger version of Jamal, but with the line of maulers getting older and Billick certainly not afraid to throw the football the pick could be DeAngelo Williams or Laurence Maroney.

If Baltimore opts to retain either Taylor or Lewis, they could focus their pick on the defensive side of the ball. Haloti Ngata would fill any holes on the defensive line—and then some—but he may not slip to the 13th pick. Likewise, safety Michael Huff would add another playmaker to a secondary that will be thinned by the probable retirement of Deion Sanders—but he, too, may not make it out of the top 10.

Depending on what need is filled in the first round—and what free agents the Ravens opt to retain—later-round picks could focus on offensive line depth, a running back (such as Brian Calhoun or Maurice Drew in round two, as heir to Jamal if he's franchised), or more defense… because in Baltimore, you can never have enough studs on defense.

Injury Watch
Aside from Ray Lewis, who underwent hamstring surgery in December, most of the injured Ravens were back on the field by the end of the season. Ray should be healthy by the start of workouts, but he's north of 30 and may be more expensive than the Ravens would like. Boller returned from a toe injury and played well down the stretch (at least until his dramatic regression in week 17), and Jamal Lewis was in and out of the lineup with hand and thumb injuries. Whether he was fully recovered from last offseason's ankle surgery was a point of contention; we hear prison isn't the ideal spa for rehab. Both Ogden and Edwin Mulitalo were bothered by nagging injuries all season, not a good sign for a tackle/guard tandem who'll each be 32 when the 2006 season starts. Potential free agent safety Will Demps partially tore his ACL, which may lower his asking price, from either the Ravens or another suitor.

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