The Baltimore Ravens had a bad season in 2015. And, that's understating it as they finished the season going 5-11 with two of their five wins coming against the Steelers. But they do have the necessary talent and a proven coaching staff to help get them back into playoff contention this season. So, what have the Ravens done to improve this offseason and add depth to a team that suffered greatly after not having enough depth to keep up when injury (after injury, after injury) hit in 2015? We spoke with Baltimore Beatdown to get caught up on the Ravens' offseason additions, subtractions and what to expect from the Bengals' AFC North rival in Maryland this season.
Notable free agent additions: DB Eric Weddle, WR Mike Wallace, TE Benjamin Watson
Notable free agent departures: OG Kelechi Osemele, QB Matt Schaub, OLB Courtney Upshaw
Trades: None
Draft picks expected to contribute as rookies:
1st round (6th overall) OT Ronnie Stanley - With Eugene Monroe cut, it is clear the Ravens have complete faith in the young gun to become a blindside blocker. There seems to be no question here, Stanley will start.
2nd round (42nd overall) LB Kamalei Correa - There's some uncertainty as to where Correa will be playing, as the Ravens are testing the speedy LB at inside and outside positions. Nonetheless, expect Correa to be a rotational necessity.
4th round (134th overall) RB Kenneth Dixon - The tailback from Louisiana Tech is expected to become the starter by midseason by some pundits. It will be interesting later down the road, with Justin Forsett and Javorius Allen ahead on the current depth chart.
6th round (182nd overall) ST/PR/KR Keenan Reynolds - The former Navy QB is transitioning toward a receiving role, but for the first time in Ravens history the depth chart is more stout. Expect Reynolds to fight for special teams and returner snaps.
Biggest offseason addition:
Eric Weddle - There's no doubt the highly intelligent and skilled safety is the biggest addition the Ravens have this offseason. Once Ed Reed left, the back end of the defense seemed in disarray. Expect him to ground the secondary and make the Ravens defense great again!
Biggest storyline heading into training camp:
Health - Baltimore suffered loses to their starting OLB, QB, RB, WR, TE, LT and many second string role players throughout the 2015 season. It will be interesting to see how they return and bounce back as well as when that happens, whether before, during or after training camp.
Under-the-radar storyline heading into training camp:
Dennis Pitta's return - The reason for calling this under-the-radar is we've heard this story twice. It's less notable now but still important. Pitta hasn't played an NFL snap since September 2014, and at 30, he considered retiring prior to this season, but instead is returning to the field after sitting out for all of 2015.
Notable injuries heading into training camp:
Joe Flacco (ACL & MCL), Steve Smith Sr. (Achilles), Terrell Suggs (Achilles), Jimmy Smith (screw removal), Dennis Pitta (dislocated hip), Breshad Perriman (ACL minor tear), Crockett Gillmore (shoulder surgery). Yeahp, the gang's all here, and by here, we mean the training room.