Baltimore Ravens: Ranking Remaining Offseason Priorities

The Baltimore Ravens have had a wild offseason since their season ended in the NFL playoffs.

A divisional-round loss at New England left Baltimore as a team on the rise if it could re-sign its biggest impending free agents. Unfortunately, the Ravens ended up losing Haloti Ngata, Torrey Smith and Pernell McPhee in free agency. 

All three played vital roles in last year's team, but after a productive draft, replacing them suddenly looks easier than originally anticipated.

That's because Baltimore drafted talented prospects such as UCF receiver Breshad Perriman, Iowa defensive lineman Carl Davis and Kentucky pass-rusher Za'Darius Smith to help replace them. 

However, other questions still linger with Baltimore as organized team activities begin. The Ravens just wrapped up their rookie minicamp, and pretty soon, the rest of the team will be back on the field.

Here's a look at the three biggest offseason priorities Baltimore should have heading into the summer. 

Get Deeper at Cornerback

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

As mentioned before, Baltimore's 2014 season ended at the hands of the New England Patriots in the playoffs.

Making that loss sting even more was that Baltimore may have won the Super Bowl if not for its weakness at cornerback.

After all, the Ravens led the Patriots for much of the game before allowing Tom Brady to pick apart the secondary and lead New England to a come-from-behind win. 

Injuries were the main reason why Baltimore didn't have enough cornerbacks to handle the Pats' pass-happy offense that day.

Season-ending injuries to Asa Jackson, Jimmy Smith, Danny Gorrer, Aaron Ross and Tramain Jacobs left the Ravens with Lardarius Webb, Antoine Cason and Rashaan Melvin playing most of the snaps at corner.

That simply won't cut it, especially against a team such as the Patriots. If Baltimore wants to make a deeper playoff run this season, it has to bolster its cornerback depth. 

Webb, Jackson and Smith are a nice top three, but there's still little depth behind them in terms of corners who could play significant snaps if needed.

Baltimore did spend a fourth-round pick on Texas Southern corner Tray Walker, but he probably won't contribute much as a rookie.

The team needs to go after another corner, whether it be via trade or free agency. Looking at the market, Javier Arenas, Kyle Arrington and R.J. Stanford are some of the notable names out there. 

The Patriots released Arrington, whose contract was set to pay him $3 million in 2015, according to ESPN.com's Mike Reiss. He led the NFL in interceptions (seven) in 2011, and he would probably crack the top four of Baltimore's corner rotation. 

Even Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun thinks the Ravens should go after Arrington. His best position would be in the slot, where Baltimore has struggled since losing Corey Graham to the Buffalo Bills last year: 

"

He gave quick, slot receivers like T.Y. Hilton and Wes Welker problems in the past. The Ravens struggled last year to replace Corey Graham, who played a lot in the slot in 2012 and 2013 before signing with the Buffalo Bills. Arrington can run and he has good ball skills with nine career interceptions, seven of them coming in 2011.

"

However Baltimore does it, it needs to add at least one quality cornerback before the 2015 NFL season opens. It's the only glaring weakness left on a very talented roster that could contend for a championship.

Find New Return Man

Steven Senne/Associated Press

The Ravens are still in need of a new return man after cutting Jacoby Jones earlier this offseason.

They didn't address it in either free agency or the NFL draft. While it doesn't seem major, one cannot overlook Jones' impact over his three-year career in Baltimore. 

In 44 games with the Ravens, Jones averaged 30.1 yards per kickoff return, which ranked No. 1 in team history. He averaged 9.9 yards per punt return to go with a 63-yard touchdown in 2012.

In 2014, Jones averaged 30.6 yards per kickoff return and returned one for a score, but he fumbled four times and lost two. That helped lead to his release, and now Baltimore needs a new primary returner. 

Jones handled 32 of Baltimore's 38 total kickoff returns last year in addition to 30 of 32 punt returns. No one else on the roster handled return duties, but Lardarius Webb has previous experience with it. 

Webb had 30 returns for 301 yards (10.0 avg.) and one score in 2011. He's not returned punts, however, since becoming a full-time corner. 

It's probably safe to assume that's not changing in 2015, but he can certainly do it if called upon. That still wouldn't account for kickoff duties, though. 

If Baltimore dips into free agency, cornerback Javier Arenas is the best return man on the market. He has 73 career returns for 1,541 yards (21.1 avg.) and no scores. 

Arenas also has 106 career punt returns for 1,035 yards (9.8 avg.) and no scores. He's not a great returner by any means, but he'd be serviceable. 

Because Arenas is a corner, he could help address the need at that position as well. He might be the best free agent on the market for Baltimore to sign in terms of the kind of impact he could have on next year's team.

If he's not the answer, Baltimore needs to find a new primary return man soon. 

Establish Tight End Position

David Richard/Associated Press

Going into the NFL draft, tight end was among Baltimore's biggest weaknesses. 

That's not the case anymore after trading up in the second round to draft Maxx Williams, the No. 1 tight end prospect this year. 

Williams led the Minnesota Golden Gophers with 36 catches, 569 yards and eight touchdowns this past season. He was a finalist for the 2014 John Mackey Award, which annually honors the nation's top tight end. 

While Williams will likely have a productive NFL career, it's never safe to assume a rookie is ready for a full-time starting role. That may be the case if Dennis Pitta doesn't play next year. 

Pitta may be forced to retire this year due to chronic hip issues. He also may just opt to sit out this season, but either way, not having him would be a significant blow. 

It would essentially force Williams into a starting role, assuming he can beat out the unproven Crockett Gillmore for the job. Again, assuming a rookie can handle a starting role in his first NFL season is dangerous.

It could lead to unnecessary growing pains he might not otherwise endure if he's able to develop and learn behind Pitta. 

Even if Pitta plays this year and Williams still beats him for the starting role, having an established veteran to learn from could do wonders for Williams' development. 

The good news is Pitta is working out with the Ravens for now during their organized team activities. 

"Dennis Pitta is out there running with the team," John Harbaugh said, via BaltimoreRavnes.com. “He did. And, he looked good. We didn’t know what to expect. Dennis was excited, and we’re excited for him.” 

As for the other backups, the Ravens drafted Nick Boyle out of Delaware in the fifth round to compete with Gillmore and Phillip Supernaw for roster spots.

Gillmore didn't do much as a rookie out of Colorado State last year, and Boyle will likely need time to adjust to go from the FCS level to the NFL. 

If Pitta plays this year, at worst, he'll be a great mentor to Williams and the other tight ends as they develop. It's also possible Pitta regains his starting job after being a Pro Bowl-caliber player before his hip injuries. 

In the end, Baltimore needs to find out soon if Pitta is going to play this year. That will ultimately help the team establish the tight end position, which it still needs to figure out heading into the summer.