This week around Baltimore Beatdown, the focus is on the Ravens’ “Almost Ravens” - the deals that got close, then slipped away. And when the conversation turns to trades and signings, the list of what might have been gets pretty fascinating.
One of the biggest what-ifs is Bobby Wagner. The Ravens came close to landing the future Hall of Fame linebacker in 2022, and the fit looked strong enough to make you wonder how different things might have looked if that deal had gone through.
Wagner turned in a solid season in Los Angeles, added another second-team All-Pro nod, and could have wound up in Baltimore for more than a short stay. If that happened, the Ravens likely would not have traded for Roquan Smith during the regular season or signed him to the long-term extension that has not aged well.
Smith has been excellent in Baltimore, but there’s a real question here about whether Wagner at a more moderate price, plus the second-round pick sent to Chicago, would have been a better use of resources. - Nikhil Mehta
Darius Slay is another near-miss that stands out. By 2023-24, he was clearly on the back end of his career, but he was still playing at a level that would have made him a strong addition in Baltimore.
Put him next to Marlon Humphrey, Kyle Hamilton and the rest of that group, and the secondary could have looked a lot sturdier. He also fit the mold of the kind of veteran the Ravens often target: a player who can arrive late in his career and still deliver high-level snaps.
In that sense, Slay looked like a natural Ravens move that never quite happened. - Frank Platko
Then there’s Za’Darius Smith, which still stings for a different reason. The idea of Smith returning to Baltimore had real energy behind it, and when the deal was announced, the excitement was obvious.
Looking back, it’s easy to see how that move could have mattered even more with Mike Macdonald running the defense in 2022 and 2023. Smith might have been a key piece of what became one of the league’s most feared units once Macdonald worked through the early bumps in 2022.
Instead, the whole thing unraveled: Smith backed out of Baltimore’s four-year deal, signed a three-year contract with Minnesota, got traded to Cleveland before the 2023 season, moved to Detroit in the middle of the 2024 season, signed with the Eagles at the start of the 2025 season, and retired after five games. The disappointment was immediate and lasting. - Zach Canter
Ryan Grant may not have been the biggest name in the group, but he earns a spot here for the sheer absurdity of it all. Baltimore was in the middle of its long-running wide receiver problem, and the final years of Joe Flacco’s run only made that need more obvious.
After the Jeremy Maclin signing failed, the Ravens entered the 2018 offseason looking for help and brought in both John Brown and Grant before the draft. Brown got a one-year deal worth up to $6.5 million with incentives.
Grant, somehow, was handed a four-year, $29 million contract despite producing just 985 receiving yards over his first four seasons in Washington. The reaction from fans made perfect sense.
Then a failed physical killed the deal, and Baltimore pivoted to Michael Crabtree after he was released by the Raiders. Grant went on to play only two more NFL seasons, which made the Ravens look smart for walking away because of the health issue, even if the original contract offer remains baffling. - Dustin Cox
In Other News...
Ravens Fans Suddenly Have A New Backup QB To Watch
The Ravens made a roster move this week by waiving quarterback Diego Pavia to clear space for starting center Ethan Pocic, a reminder that the back end of the roster is always shifting as training camp and preseason evaluation continue. With Lamar Jackson and Anthony Brown ahead of everyone else on the depth chart, the attention now turns to who can hold down the next quarterback spot and keep the offense functional if the room gets tested.
Under a new coaching staff, that competition may be more open than it looked a few weeks ago, and one backup option is worth a closer look because of his experience and skill set. He is the kind of quarterback who can make the most of a different offensive approach, and there is at least a path for him to push into the conversation for QB3 if the staff decides to reshuffle the depth chart. [Read more 🡒]
Former Ravens Pick Sparks Fresh Concern With Another Ugly Headline
Ben Clevelands off-field troubles have surfaced again, adding another uneasy chapter to the rsum of a former Ravens draft pick now with the Chargers. The offensive lineman was arrested after a traffic stop in Georgia and later processed and released on bond, with the case centered on multiple misdemeanor traffic charges and a violation tied to his limited driving permit conditions.
For Baltimore fans, the latest headline lands as part of a broader pattern rather than an isolated lapse. Cleveland has already been linked to previous substance-abuse, divorce and DUI-related issues, and this new incident only deepens the concern around a player whose football future has repeatedly been overshadowed by what has happened away from the field. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Fans Have Every Right To Be Furious Over This Disrespect
Baltimore spent the offseason trying to answer the same questions that have lingered for years, and it did so with a coaching shakeup led by Jesse Minter and a clear effort to shore up the pass rush and interior offensive line. Those moves were meant to support a roster that still has young talent and a franchise quarterback at the center of everything, which is why the latest wave of outside skepticism landed with such a thud.
Jarrett Bailey of SB Nation went well beyond a cautious take, forecasting a season that would leave the Ravens out of the playoffs and end with another Week 18 loss to Pittsburgh. Add in the broader disrespect already hovering around Lamar Jackson, from his placement on the NFLs Top 100 list to Colin Cowherd leaving him off a top-10 quarterback list, and it is easy to see why Baltimore fans are bristling at the idea that this team is being judged more on narrative than on what it actually changed this offseason. [Read more 🡒]