Moves Baltimore Ravens Should Have Made This Offseason

The Baltimore Ravens made a host of moves this offseason.

They came both on the roster and coaching staff due to several key members' departing for other teams. Offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak left to become head coach of the Denver Broncos.

He was replaced with former Chicago Bears head coach Marc Trestman, who will now serve as offensive coordinator in 2015. That was the only major coaching change for Baltimore.

As for the players, wide receiver Torrey Smith and defensive lineman Haloti Ngata were the most notable losses. Smith left to sign with the San Francisco 49ers, and Ngata was traded to the Detroit Lions. 

Other small changes were made, but in this article, we're taking a look at the moves Baltimore did not make that could come back to haunt them in 2015. 

The Haloti Ngata Trade

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

As mentioned in the previous slide, trading Ngata to the Detroit Lions was one of the biggest moves Baltimore made this offseason.

It was not a good one, however. They sent the All-Pro defensive lineman—one of the game's best—to Detroit and a seventh-round pick for a mere fourth- and fifth-round pick, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

Ngata finished 2014 with an outstanding 23.1 grade, according to Pro football Focus. 

Ngata did that while playing primarily at defensive end after playing nose tackle in 2013. He plays at a high level wherever he lines up, and that kind of versatility makes him even more valuable. 

It's now put the Ravens defense in a spot where they'll have to heavily rely on second-year man Timmy Jernigan to replace Ngata. While Jernigan played well in spurts last year, expecting him to replicate the impact Ngata had is unrealistic. 

He's been too important to the Ravens defense for the past decade to let go for a pair of Day 3 draft picks. Baltimore should have either gotten more in return or not done the deal at all.

Drafted Gerod Holliman

Safety wasn't a big need heading into the 2015 NFL Draft for Baltimore.

However, they should have grabbed one for depth purposes at some point, but they failed to do so, despite one of the best prospects at that position's being there for the taking.  

That was Louisville's Gerod Holliman, who looked like Ed Reed this past season for the Cardinals. The 6'0", 218-pound Holliman took the college football world by storm this past year by grabbing 14 interceptions, the most in the NCAA.

That tied the single-season FBS record and led Holliman to declare for the draft following his junior season. Holliman's being a one-year wonder did have teams skeptical he'd keep producing like that in the NFL. 

That ultimately led to his falling to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Round 7. B/R's own Matt Miller had Holliman ranked as the No. 45 prospect in this draft and a possible first-round pick. 

Baltimore had multiple opportunities to draft Holliman, even on Day 3, and still get great value by making that selection. Between Round 4-7, the Ravens drafted an FCS guard—Robert Myers—an FCS cornerback—Tray Walker—and an FCS tight end—Nick Boyle.

Holliman dominated Division I football, but the Ravens opted for three FCS prospects before he ultimately fell to Baltimore's bitter AFC North rival.

It didn't help matters that Baltimore is thin at safety right now. Will Hill and Kendrick Lewis should be two quality starters, but their backups are major question marks.

Matt Elam has looked like a bust through his first two years after being drafted at the end of the first round in the 2014 draft.

Terrence Brooks will likely open the year on PUP, causing him to miss the first six games. Brooks was benched at one point last season as a rookie, so it's not like he was reliable before suffering that major injury. 

That's left the seldom-used Brynden Trawick and/or undrafted free agent Nick Perry to likely get a backup spot and play significant snaps this year. 

Holliman would have been a great addition to this secondary, while giving the Ravens more depth and security at safety. 

Not only may Baltimore pay for not drafting Holliman if their safeties get banged up, but also if he performs well and makes the Steelers better. 

Added Another Veteran Receiver

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Baltimore lost a lot of production at wide receiver when Torrey Smith left to sign with the 49ers.

In four seasons with the Ravens, Smith caught 213 passes for 3,591 yards (16.9 YPC) and a franchise-record 30 touchdowns. He had an up-and-down 2014 campaign, finishing with 49 catches for 767 yards (15.7 YPC), but did have a career-high 11 scores.

Baltimore also cut Jacoby Jones before free agency began. He wasn't nearly as involved in the offense, but he did catch 76 passes for 992 yards and three touchdowns over the past three years.

With those two out, the Ravens left Steve Smith Sr., Michael Campanaro, Kamar Aiken and Marlon Brown as the top four receivers back from 2014. 

Smith caught 79 passes for 1,065 yards and six touchdowns this past season, but the latter three players combined for just 55 catches for 624 yards and four scores.

Baltimore did spend a first-round pick on UCF receiver Breshad Perriman in this year's NFL draft. Still, not having another veteran receiver is something Baltimore should have made more of an effort to do.

There were plenty of cheap veterans on the market this offseason who could have come in and produced for Baltimore this year. If nothing else, another vet could have aided in the development with Perriman and the other young receivers.

Campanaro, Aiken and Brown all have fewer than three seasons of NFL experience. So much youth at receiver with just one vet in Smith Sr. is a risky move for Baltimore. 

Don't be surprised if they bring in another veteran pass-catcher before the start of the regular season.