4 Free Agents Who Won't Be Signing with the Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens are one good offseason away from becoming true Super Bowl contenders.

After making it to the divisional round of the playoffs, Baltimore gave the New England Patriots all they could handle before they ultimately knocked the Ravens out of the playoffs. 

New England went on to win the Super Bowl, while Baltimore was left to wonder what could have been. With a good offseason, the Ravens can get over the hump and make sure they have no regrets when the 2015-16 NFL season ends. 

However, they have to be smart with how they spend their money in free agency, who they re-sign and how well they manage what little cap space they have. 

Over the Cap projects the Ravens to have just $9 million of cap space, which will severely limit who Baltimore can pursue in free agency.

While there are several players hitting the market who would make Baltimore a better team, they simply are not affordable for the cap-strapped Ravens to sign. 

Here is a look at four players whom Baltimore won't be signing this offseason. 

Jason Pierre-Paul

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The Ravens' pass rush is what made their defense so great this past season. Their 49 sacks were the third most of any NFL team in the regular season. 

Outside linebacker Pernell McPhee accounted for 7.5 of them, but he's set to become a free agent this offseason. He's also one of the top pass-rushers hitting the market, and he'll likely command a contract that takes Baltimore out of the market for his services. 

ESPN's Jamison Hensley gives Baltimore just a 25 percent chance of re-signing the talented pass-rusher. If he leaves, the Ravens need to add another young pass-rusher to replace his production while also providing depth behind the aging Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil.

Those two are over the age of 31 heading into next season, and adding a young pass-rusher like Jason Pierre-Paul seems like a good idea.

After all, the Giants defensive end racked up 12.5 sacks this past season, and he's a ripe 26 years old with room to improve. Pairing him with Suggs and Dumervil would make Baltimore's defense the most feared by opposing quarterbacks, but it's a pipe dream at this point. 

Pierre-Paul is one of the top overall players hitting the market, and NFL.com ranks him as the fifth-best free agent. 

Though Baltimore appears like they'll lose McPhee, they still won't have the cap space to pursue JPP.

Ndamukong Suh

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The Ravens defense could go from being elite to potentially becoming one of the all-time great units if they added Ndamukong Suh.

The All-Pro defensive tackle has been one of the most dominant defensive players in football over five seasons in Detroit.

His 36 career sacks are the most by any defensive tackle since 2010. Suh has also finished among Pro Football Focus' top four defensive tackles for the past three seasons. He's simply one of the best defenders in the game, and he's about to be paid as such. 

Justin Rogers of MLive.com thinks Suh is getting a contract in the six-year, $100 million range. That's out of Baltimore's price range, and they're already set along their defensive line, even though Suh would upgrade any D-line. 

Suh will be the best player to hit the open market this offseason, but he won't be on Baltimore's radar.

Justin Houston

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The best pass-rusher hitting the market is Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston. After being drafted out of Georgia in 2011, Houston has slowly risen into the "elite" class of NFL pass-rushers. 

In 16 games this past season, Houston notched 22 sacks, a mere half-sack shy of Michael Strahan's single-season record of 22.5. He ended up tying Reggie White, Jared Allen and Mark Gastineau for the second-most sacks ever recorded in a single season.

Houston also registered 69 total tackles, four forced fumbles and five passes defensed in 2014. He did all of this in just his fourth season in the NFL, and now he's set to become a free agent for the first time.

Having a career season during a contract year is good way to earn a big payday, and it will keep cap-strapped teams like Baltimore out of contention for his services. 

It certainly helps that the Ravens have two great pass-rushers of their own in Elvis Dumervil and Terrell Suggs. Those two combined for 29 sacks this past year, and having them makes a guy like Houston easy to pass on pursuing. 

Jordan Cameron

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The Ravens will likely be in the market for a tight end this offseason with so much uncertainty surrounding the position. 

Dennis Pitta entered 2014 as the No. 1 tight end after missing 12 games in 2013 due to a hip injury. Pitta suffered a similar injury this past season that caused him to miss the final 13 games, and now his NFL future in jeopardy. 

In a recent interview with CSN Baltimore, head coach John Harbaugh said he still doesn't know if Pitta will continue his football career or opt for retirement due to his hip issues. 

With Pitta out this past season, Owen Daniels filled in nicely, catching 48 passes for 527 yards and four touchdowns. 

However, the 32-year-old signed just a one-year deal this offseason, and it's unclear if Baltimore will be able to re-sign him. 

With so much uncertainty at tight end, it's possible Baltimore pursues one in free agency, but don't expect it to be the Browns' Jordan Cameron.

One of the top tight ends hitting the market, Cameron caught 24 passes for 424 yards and two scores in just 10 games this past season. He missed six due to a concussion, and his history of concussions has caused him to miss nine games over the past three years.

Cameron did have a big 2013 season with 80 receptions for 917 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 games. However, Baltimore isn't about to replace one injury-plagued tight end with another, so don't expect them to pursue Cameron in free agency.