Baltimore Ravens Free Agency Hits, Misses and Possibilities

The Baltimore Ravens have seen more losses than additions in free agency thus far.  The biggest loss occurring at left guard.

New Orleans signed former Raven Ben Grubbs.  The Ravens had a good backup plan, which involved courting one of the better guards in the market, Evan Mathis.  Mathis came to Baltimore for a visit and left town to mull over their offer.  The fact that he left town was a bit of bad news to begin with, so it was no surprise that Mathis re-signed with the Eagles.

The Ravens will most likely pursue the remaining guards on free agency —  Robert Gallery and Eric Steinbach seem to be good fits.  Whomever the Ravens sign will compete with last year's 3rd-round draft pick Jah Reid.  Reid moving over to the guard spot is a bit of a scary proposition.  Not that he is Jonathan Ogden, but fans should remember that Ogden started out at guard before becoming a future Hall of Fame tackle.

Odds are that Baltimore will address the position in the NFL Draft.  Unless Cordy Glenn slips down the boards, fans should also keep an eye out for Wisconsin's Zeitler or his teammate Peter Konz.  Konz is a center, but the Ravens could move him over to guard as well.  Another sleeper: University of Iowa's, Adam Gettis.

The Ravens' biggest move has been bringing back veteran Matt Birk.  Birk signed a 3-year contract, meaning he will likely finish his career where in Baltimore.

Other players to leave the nest include outside linebacker Jarrett Johnson, defensive end Cory Redding, safety Tom Zbkowski, and safety Haruki Nakamura.  Baltimore will most likely look to fill these spots in-house but could look to the draft as well. The Carroll County Times reports that the Ravens have contacted former New England Patriot Tully Bant-Cain to add depth to their linebacker corps.

It was rumored that wide receiver and return specialist Ted Ginn visited Baltimore on Friday.  The Ravens need depth at receiver, and Ginn would provide a big boost to the Ravens' special teams.