Projecting Baltimore Ravens Free Agent Targets

In less than five days, NFL free agency will commence.

Some players will leave their current team to join a new one. Other players will end up returning to the same team they've been with for years.

The Baltimore Ravens have a lot of free agents to deal with—38 to be specific. 13 of those 38 free agents will be unrestricted free agents, meaning they can sign with any team they want to.

Of those 13, Bryant McKinnie, Ed Reed, Dannell Ellerbe, Paul Kruger and Cary Williams are the five starters who will be unrestricted free agents on March 12.

Besides McKinnie, those other players all play defense. That means by the time the 2013 season begins, the Ravens could have lost 36.3 percent of their defensive starters from a year ago.

However, that might not be all bad. Baltimore's total defense finished the 2012 regular season ranked 17th, its worst ranking since finishing 22nd in 2002.

Conversely, the Ravens' offense set a team record in 2012 for the most points scored in a regular season (398).

According to Spotrac.com, the Ravens currently have monies totaling $110,710,763 counting against their 2013 salary cap (which has been set at $123 million).

That means they now have $12,289,237 in cap space.

With this many needs and not a lot of financial flexibility, the Ravens will only be able to sign so many free agents.

Here's a look at which unrestricted free agents the Ravens should target in free agency.

1. Dannell Ellerbe, Inside Linebacker, Baltimore Ravens

2012 Cap Hit: $1.927 million (2012 first-round tender for restricted free agents)

Pro Football Talk Free Agent Ranking: 39

Team Need at His Position: High

Reason Why Baltimore Should Pursue Him: Dannell Ellerbe posted 89 tackles and 4.5 sacks last season while fighting through six different injuries that only held him out of one game.

In the postseason, he made a key interception of a Tom Brady pass late in the AFC Championship game to help seal the victory for the Ravens. In Super Bowl XLVII, Ellerbe forced Frank Gore out of bounds (although the tackle was credited to Ed Reed) at the Baltimore 7-yard line, preventing what would've been the game-winning score.

Ellerbe is a proven performer in Dean Pees' defensive system, he's the only healthy inside linebacker on the roster with significant experience and the Ravens signed him at a bargain price in 2012.

Besides Dennis Pitta (restricted free agent), Ellerbe should be Baltimore's most highly prioritized free agent this offseason.

2. Jermon Bushrod, Left Tackle, New Orleans Saints

2012 Cap Hit: $6.75 million

Pro Football Talk Free Agent Ranking: 40

Team Need at His Position: High

Reason Why Baltimore Should Pursue Him: Jermon Bushrod is a Super Bowl- (XLIV) winning, Pro Bowl (2011) left tackle. He's just 28 and has experience playing in an uptempo, pass-first offense.

Bushrod is 6'4", 315 pounds and moves well. He has a strong base and holds his own against excellent pass-rushers. He also played his college football at Towson University, 12 miles away from M&T Bank Stadium.

If you're going to pay Joe Flacco all that money, you better protect his blind side.

His price tag shouldn't be much higher than what he earned in 2012 (if at all), and he will likely represent the most cost-effective option for the Ravens, as well as giving them the coveted combination of talent and youth.

3. Ed Reed, Free Safety, Baltimore Ravens

2012 Cap Hit: $9,571,428

Pro Football Talk Free Agent Ranking: 35

Team need at his position: Moderate

Reason Why Baltimore Should Pursue Him: We all know what Ed Reed can do. Luckily for him, his leverage goes up with the departure of Ray Lewis. Sure, Joe Flacco will lead the team now, but he plays offense. Sure, the Ravens still have Terrell Suggs on the roster, but no one on the team knows what Reed knows.

And Reed knows the Ravens know that.

On the Wednesday before Baltimore's Week 2 game in the 2013 season (September 11), Reed will turn 35 years old.

Have we not learned our lesson with Lewis? Are we seriously going to, again, challenge a former Hurricane and a future Hall of Famer?

If the price is around $6 million or so, it should work for both parties. Reed would probably get more from another team, but is that team as ready to win a Super Bowl as the Ravens are?

4. Connor Barwin, Outside Linebacker/Defensive End, Houston Texans

2012 Cap Hit: $977,500

Pro Football Talk Free Agent Ranking: 14

Team Need at his Position: Low

Reason Why Baltimore Should Pursue Him: While the Ravens don't have a huge need for a player like Connor Barwin, exploring what it would take to sign him is a process they've surely already started.

Since 2011, Barwin has started every game for the Texans, racking up 91 tackles, 14.5 sacks and 12 passes defensed. In 2011, the Texans' defense finished the year ranked second overall.

Barwin would figure to be another typical Ravens defender who is tough, talented and has a diverse skill set.

If the Ravens were in a better cap situation, they'd probably make more of a push to sign Barwin. Unfortunately for Baltimore, there are other teams with more money to spend that need his services more, which makes the prospect of him signing with the Ravens unlikely.

Although, Jacoby Jones and Vonta Leach are former Texans who ended up signing and winning a Super Bowl with the Ravens, so it's not unprecedented.

5. Desmond Bryant, Defensive Tackle, Oakland Raiders

2012 Cap Hit: $1.927 million (2012 first-round tender for restricted free agents)

Pro Football Talk Free Agent Ranking: 33

Team Need at His Position: High

Reason Why Baltimore Should Pursue Him: Besides an inside linebacker, a defensive tackle is likely the position the Ravens will target most heavily in this offseason. Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Desmond Bryant is an interesting prospect that may be able to instantly help the Ravens' defensive line.

Despite starting only 18 games since 2011, Bryant recorded nine sacks in that time. He's also 6'6" which will help disrupt the quarterback's pocket and passing lanes in a big way.

The Raiders saw fit to offer Bryant a first-round tender before the 2012 season, meaning they thought he was as valuable as a restricted free agent can be.

If this draft wasn't so deep with defensive linemen, the conversation regarding Bryant would likely have been louder by now.