In an uncapped season, the Ravens would only have a few key unrestricted free agents: wide receivers Derrick Mason, Kelley Washington and David Tyree, tight end L.J. Smith, defensive tackle Justin Bannan and defensive end Dwan Edwards.
That means the Ravens' team that reached the divisional playoffs is expected to remain intact.
"The guys who'll be back next year will be one year better and one year smarter," cornerback Domonique Foxworth said. "This experience definitely won't hurt us. It's not easy to say that right now coming off a loss."
Ravens coach John Harbaugh doesn't anticipate many changes to his coaching staff. Quarterbacks coach Hue Jackson reportedly will interview for the Oakland Raiders' offensive coordinator position.
"I think that guys are going to have opportunities to do some things to move up and improve their position professionally and have some more responsibility," Harbaugh said. "And if that happens, we'll be really happy for them."
UNIT-BY-UNIT ANALYSIS:
QUARTERBACKS: Starter Joe Flacco. Backups Troy Smith, John Beck.
In his second season, Flacco had one of the best years for a Ravens quarterback. He set a franchise record with a 63.1 completion percentage and posted career highs in passing yards (3,613) and touchdowns (21) during the regular season. But a hip injury impacted his performance late in the season. In his first 14 games, he completed 64.8 percent of his passes and averaged 240.6 yards passing with 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. In his last four games (including two in the postseason), he connected on 53.9 percent of his passes and averaged 122.7 yards passing with two touchdowns and four interceptions. Smith is still developing, but he thinks he should be a starter. That's why his agent requested a trade during the Ravens' playoff run. Smith, though, has yet to prove he can be an accurate passer. Beck, who was signed after the Miami Dolphins released him after the draft, is the No. 3 quarterback. He has reunited with coordinator Cam Cameron, who was Beck's head coach in Miami two seasons ago.
Rice, the team's third-leading rusher last season as a rookie, became the centerpiece of the offense. Proving to be a threat as a runner and a receiver, he finished second in the NFL in yards from scrimmage per game (127.6 yards) and earned his first Pro Bowl invitation. Rice was the team's playmaker, delivering seven plays of 44 yards or more. McGahee was a valuable red-zone weapon. His 14 touchdowns were a career high and tied a team record. McClain is going to his second straight Pro Bowl because of his success as Rice's lead blocker and as a short-yardage runner. Parmele stepped up as a kickoff returner when Lardarius Webb went down with a knee injury.
TIGHT ENDS: Starter Todd Heap. Backups L.J. Smith, Edgar Jones.
Heap rebounded to become Flacco's favorite target in the red zone. The nine-year veteran scored six touchdowns, his most since 2006. He finished third on the Ravens with 53 catches for 593 yards receiving. Smith was the bust of the Ravens' free-agent class. He finished with two catches for 31 yards, which fell way below expectations. Jones had a career-high 19 special teams tackles.
WIDE RECEIVERS: Starters FL Mark Clayton, SE Derrick Mason. Backups Kelley Washington, Demetrius Williams, Justin Harper.
This group proved to be the team's biggest weakness, which many projected before the season began. Mason finished with 73 catches, his second fewest in the past eight seasons. He led the Ravens with seven receiving touchdowns, but he failed to be the consistent threat that the team needed. Mason had six games where he caught three or fewer passes. Clayton had a career-low 34 catches and scored two touchdowns. Washington was the biggest surprise as the team's No. 3 wide receiver, but he faded in the second half. Williams has been the biggest disappointment. In the playoffs, he dropped a deep pass over the middle and then extended just one arm for a fourth-down pass.
OFFENSIVE LINE: Starters LT Jared Gaither, LG Ben Grubbs, C Matt Birk, RG Marshal Yanda, RT Michael Oher. Backups C-G Chris Chester, OT Oniel Cousins, G-C David Hale, OT Tony Moll.
The additions of Birk and Oher upgraded Baltimore's offensive front. Birk provided experience to a young, developing line. His line calls were valuable against the blitzes of those 3-4 defenses. Oher, the team's first-round pick, solidified the right tackle spot and even started five games at left tackle when Gaither was hurt. Gaither will remain at left tackle, but the talented blocker needs to show more commitment to the game. Grubbs and Yanda are two of the most physical interior linemen in the NFL. Yanda, who missed most of last season with a knee injury, took back his starting job at midseason away from Chester.
DEFENSIVE LINE: Starters LDE Dwan Edwards, NT Kelly Gregg, RDT Haloti Ngata. Backups DT Justin Bannan, DE Trevor Pryce, DT Brandon McKinney, DT Kelly Talavou.
Baltimore's stout defensive front is one of the reasons why the Ravens led the NFL in fewest rushing yards per carry. Ngata is going to his first Pro Bowl because of his ability to shut down the run. But he didn't reach his goals as a pass rusher (1.5 sacks). Gregg is tough to move inside but he is getting older (33). Edwards supplanted Pryce as a starter and finished 10th on the team with 50 tackles. The Ravens wanted to reduce the wear-and-tear on Pryce, who led the Ravens with 6.5 sacks.
Johnson had a breakout season, recording a career-best six sacks and two interceptions. His 70 tackles ranked third on the team. Lewis earned his 11th Pro Bowl nod, leading the Ravens in tackles for the 12th time in 14 seasons. But he is starting to lose a step in pass coverage and might need to be removed on third downs. Injuries led to a disappointing season for Suggs, who finished with a career-low 4.5 sacks. He was never an impact player on defense. Ellerbe, an undrafted rookie out of Georgia, was the biggest surprise on the team. He unseated a banged-up Gooden in the starting lineup. Unlike Gooden, Ellerbe was aggressive in run defense.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: Starters LCB Chris Carr, RCB Domonique Foxworth, SS Dawan Landry, FS Ed Reed. Backups CB Frank Walker, S Tom Zbikowski, CB Cary Williams, S Marcus Paschal. Injured reserve CB Fabian Washington, CB Lardarius Webb, S Haruki Nakamura.
Injuries decimated this group. Washington was lost for the season after 10 games with a knee injury. Webb replaced him and went down with a knee injury after four starts. Chris Carr filled in admirably and made two interceptions in five starts (includes playoffs). Foxworth didn't live up to the hype of being a shutdown corner, but recorded career highs in interceptions (four) and passes broken up (21). Reed is contemplating retirement after enduring a season that included a nerve impingement in his neck and a groin injury. He made his sixth Pro Bowl after making three interceptions and forcing three fumbles. Landry returned after missing most of last season with a spinal cord concussion and ranked second on the Ravens with 82 tackles.
SPECIAL TEAMS: PK Billy Cundiff, P Sam Koch, LS Matt Katula, PR Chris Carr, KR Jalen Parmele.
The Ravens struggled to replace Matt Stover, who was not re-signed in the offseason. Steve Hauschka was 9-for-13 which included a missed game-winner. That led the Ravens to cutting him and signing Billy Cundiff, who provided some stability by converting 12 of 17 field goals. Koch didn't match last season's spectacular effort, ranking 17th in net average (37.9 yards). Katula had the worst season of his career, struggling to snap the ball with an elbow injury. Carr was 18th in the NFL with an 8.2-yard average on punt returns.
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