Ravens free agency

[Flacco Machado]

Does anyone think Harewood gets into the picture? He's shown some promise before being "IR'd".

Only, if he can stay healthy. I think he was more of a RT, as well.

I'm really confused with what the Ravens want to do here. Do they plan on developing Jah Reid at G, if Winston is signed?

Ben Grubbs has yet to sign with the Saints. Apparently, he did not get the offer he wanted. What if he wants to come back? Michael Oher tweeted that he "talked to him last night and things look good." Are the Ravens trying to force his hand or do they really want Mathis? Is he really the better option at this point. BTW, the Redskins are now interested in Grubbs. Honestly, I think he signs with them.

Signing Winston and Mathis looks like the best option and is the way to go, if you ask me. I think an average Oher at LT and two above average additions in Mathis and Winston makes our line much better.

[paulcoates]

Only, if he can stay healthy. I think he was more of a RT, as well.

I'm really confused with what the Ravens want to do here. Do they plan on developing Jah Reid at G, if Winston is signed?

Ben Grubbs has yet to sign with the Saints. Apparently, he did not get the offer he wanted. What if he wants to come back? Michael Oher tweeted that he "talked to him last night and things look good." Are the Ravens trying to force his hand or do they really want Mathis? Is he really the better option at this point. BTW, the Redskins are now interested in Grubbs. Honestly, I think he signs with them.

Signing Winston and Mathis looks like the best option and is the way to go, if you ask me. I think an average Oher at LT and two above average additions in Mathis and Winston makes our line much better.

I dont think there is any way we have the money for both. Remember we still need to sign Rice, Flacco, and Webb at some point in the very near future.

[flashjordnk]

5/36 is too much for Grubbs. They shouldn't let Evan Mathis out the door today without a contract offer. He's a better guard anyhow.

This is such a comical post to me. I'd personally say Yanda is better than Grubbs. He got 5/32. So if it's more than his value it's probably not by much. But generally the free market seems to indicate Grubbs is better than Mathis by virtue of the fact that....well he's already signed, the market's really indicated Nicks/Grubbs were the best two. And there seems to be plenty of evidence to back that up.

Did you watch the Ravens at all last year. Grubbs made the line noticeably better, I guess Mathis might be good, but let's not demean Grubbs or underrate the guy. He was probably the best lineman at his position of all the Ravens lineman this last year. And if Mathis is really better than Grubbs, he'll get a 5/32 kind of deal, and that's one I'm guessing the Ravens can't afford that either.

Or maybe all the NFL teams who you know, hire and pay people to make these decisions, know a bit more than you about how good Grubbs/Mathis really are.

[Don_Aase_Fan]

5/36 is too much for Grubbs. They shouldn't let Evan Mathis out the door today without a contract offer. He's a better guard anyhow.

I think 5/36, 10M bonus for Grubbs is extremely fair and very similar to the deal we gave Yanda (5/32, 10M).

[Flacco Machado]

Well, looks like Evan Mathis will be our new LG next season. Can't say it will be much of a drop off. If any.

[paulcoates]

Well, looks like Evan Mathis will be our new LG next season. Can't say it will be much of a drop off. If any.

Is there something I missed? He is signing with us? Where did you hear this?

[Flacco Machado]

Mathis is at The Castle today. I don't see Ozzie letting him leave.

[J.D.]

This is such a comical post to me. I'd personally say Yanda is better than Grubbs. He got 5/32. So if it's more than his value it's probably not by much. But generally the free market seems to indicate Grubbs is better than Mathis by virtue of the fact that....well he's already signed, the market's really indicated Nicks/Grubbs were the best two. And there seems to be plenty of evidence to back that up.

Did you watch the Ravens at all last year. Grubbs made the line noticeably better, I guess Mathis might be good, but let's not demean Grubbs or underrate the guy. He was probably the best lineman at his position of all the Ravens lineman this last year. And if Mathis is really better than Grubbs, he'll get a 5/32 kind of deal, and that's one I'm guessing the Ravens can't afford that either.

Or maybe all the NFL teams who you know, hire and pay people to make these decisions, know a bit more than you about how good Grubbs/Mathis really are.

I watched the Ravens play plenty last year (and thanks for that condescending tone, by the way. Makes you look AWESOME!).

Mathis is one of the most underrated guards in the league. He's agile, strong at the point of attack, and incredibly technically sound. Didn't give up a sack in 2009 or 2010. Had another outstanding year last year and helped pull the Eagles' line together into a unit that was in the upper half of the league by the end of the year. His agility fits incredibly well into our zone blocking scheme. The fact that he IS underrated by the league (and thus will cost less) works into our favor. I'm not saying Grubbs isn't a great player. I'm saying $7 million a year is too much for him. He's worth somewhere in the $5 million range in my opinion.

And those guys that the NFL hire to make these decisions are occasionally, you know, incorrect. Ask the Rams how that Jason Brown signing's working out for them.

[ccbird]

This is such a comical post to me. I'd personally say Yanda is better than Grubbs. He got 5/32. So if it's more than his value it's probably not by much. But generally the free market seems to indicate Grubbs is better than Mathis by virtue of the fact that....well he's already signed, the market's really indicated Nicks/Grubbs were the best two. And there seems to be plenty of evidence to back that up.

Did you watch the Ravens at all last year. Grubbs made the line noticeably better, I guess Mathis might be good, but let's not demean Grubbs or underrate the guy. He was probably the best lineman at his position of all the Ravens lineman this last year. And if Mathis is really better than Grubbs, he'll get a 5/32 kind of deal, and that's one I'm guessing the Ravens can't afford that either.

Or maybe all the NFL teams who you know, hire and pay people to make these decisions, know a bit more than you about how good Grubbs/Mathis really are.

Well to be fair you're the one who seems to think Oher is as good a LT as he is RT. I think just about every Raven's fan would disagree. The Ravens coaches and FO, you know the ones hired and paid to make these decisions, brought in a cut, over the hill McKinnie midway through training camp to replace him at LT. The Ravens never had any real notion that McKinnie was going to be anything more than an average LT. That move was made because Oher struggled at LT in '10 and was struggling there in training camp vs how well he played at RT his rookie year. He's not a good LT. They wouldn't have jerked him around like that, especially after only 1 year at LT if they thought he was solid or could become a good LT.

[flashjordnk]

I'm not saying Grubbs isn't a great player. I'm saying $7 million a year is too much for him. He's worth somewhere in the $5 million range in my opinion.

So your saying Grubbs deserved less money than Yanda? Grubbs is probably a top 3 LG in the whole league. He may not have fit into our big picture, but let's not pretend like he wasn't very very good. The fact that Mathis is a better bargain doesn't make him better than Grubbs. It just felt like you were dissing Grubbs and he gave us some very good years here and is a very good player.

5/36 is too much for Grubbs. They shouldn't let Evan Mathis out the door today without a contract offer. He's a better [value] guard anyhow.

I'd say it'd be more like this.

[flashjordnk]

Well to be fair you're the one who seems to think Oher is as good a LT as he is RT. I think just about every Raven's fan would disagree and the Ravens coaches and FO, you know the ones hired and paid to make these decisions, brought in a cut, over the hill McKinnie midway through training camp to replace him at LT. The thing about that move was the Ravens never had any real notion that McKinnie was going to be anything more than an average LT. That move was made because they clearly knew Oher struggled at LT in '10 and was struggling there in training camp vs how well he played at RT his rookie year.

In a vacuum yes, it does mean that they thought McKinnie was better than Oher. But maybe they thought their RG options dropped off so much by moving Yanda back to RT that they didn't think it was worth it. I think that move was more about the whole line than about Oher specifically. And the fact that Ravens brought in Winston should speak in at least some way to the notion that the Ravens are comfortable with Oher at LT.

[ccbird]

In a vacuum yes, it does mean that they thought McKinnie was better than Oher. But maybe they thought their RG options dropped off so much by moving Yanda back to RT that they didn't think it was worth it. I think that move was more about the whole line than about Oher specifically. And the fact that Ravens brought in Winston should speak in at least some way to the notion that the Ravens are comfortable with Oher at LT.

They haven't brought in Winston and ,at least from what I have heard, there hasn't been solid confirmation that he even has a visit planned. I know he's got other visits lined up and is in KC today. My bet is he never gets to Baltimore.

[J.D.]

So your saying Grubbs deserved less money than Yanda? Grubbs is probably a top 3 LG in the whole league. He may not have fit into our big picture, but let's not pretend like he wasn't very very good. The fact that Mathis is a better bargain doesn't make him better than Grubbs. It just felt like you were dissing Grubbs and he gave us some very good years here and is a very good player.

I disagree that Grubbs is a top-3 LG in the whole league, and I think the Ravens overpaid Yanda a bit as well. Grubbs is an excellent player, and I'm not trying to diminish what he did here. I just think what he got paid exceeded his value, and the Ravens don't tend to make those deals very often.

I actually legitimately think that Mathis is a better LG, and further would be a better fit into the Ravens' blocking scheme, regardless of what the contract numbers bear out to be. That's just my opinion from watching both of them play. It's not that I don't think that Grubbs is a great player. It's that I think that Mathis is awfully good.

[flashjordnk]

They haven't brought in Winston and ,at least from what I have heard, there hasn't been solid confirmation that he even has a visit planned. I know he's got other visits lined up and is in KC today. My bet is he never gets to Baltimore.

Baltimore has also scheduled a visit with former Texans right tackle Eric Winston sometime this week. Winston, who was in Miami Wednesday, will come to Baltimore after traveling to Kansas City and St. Louis. "I want to win right now," Winston told the Carroll County (Md.) Times. "That's what's important to me. That's the kind of team I'm looking for." If the Ravens signed Winston, they would likely release Bryant McKinnie and move Michael Oher from right to left tackle.

Jamison AFC North Blog I guess through Carroll County Times as well.

[J.D.]

They haven't brought in Winston and ,at least from what I have heard, there hasn't been solid confirmation that he even has a visit planned. I know he's got other visits lined up and is in KC today. My bet is he never gets to Baltimore.

I still can't believe that the Texans cut him. From my understanding, he was rated by a few sources as one of the best RTs last season. I'd certainly take him at RT, move Oher back to LT, and cut McKinnie. But I think you're right. I don't think he ever makes it here, and I think he'd cost too much for the Ravens to be able to afford in the first place.