The good news is the Baltimore Ravens had only one player named to ESPN's All-Contract Year team
.
The bad news is that one player was offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele.
This shows the Ravens won't have many high-profile free agents (especially if they put the franchise tag on kicker Justin Tucker), but this also gives an indication of the level of interest in Osemele, who has become the fan favorite to be Baltimore's left tackle.
It looks like an advantageous market for Osemele, a guard who increased his value when he started the last four games this season at left tackle. Osemele is considered the top guard in free agency and is perhaps the third- or fourth-best left tackle available behind Buffalo's Cordy Glenn (who could get the franchise tag), Seattle's Russell Okung, Oakland's Donald Penn and Pittsburgh's Kelvin Beachum.
"When [Kelechi Osemele] agreed to move to left tackle, we thought it was a good thing for us to get a chance to watch him over the course of four games, and then also improve his value to the National Football League," general manager Ozzie Newsome said.
That move might have been a game-changer. When the Ravens signed Marshal Yanda to an extension, it seemed unlikely they would keep Osemele because few teams invest that much money in two guards. So, when he switched to left tackle, Osemele said he talked with Newsome about how the move could improve his chances of remaining with the Ravens.
"As it was noted, I had a really good conversation with K.O. when the move was made," Newsome said. "But that conversation was no different than [conversations] I’ve had with [Marshal] Yanda and Jimmy [Smith], or with [Pernell] McPhee and Torrey [Smith] and [Paul] Kruger. We will have a chance to look at that."
The Ravens might be considering Osemele at left tackle long term after Eugene Monroe finished only three games this season. But cutting Monroe would add $6.6 million in dead money to Baltimore's cap.
"We have Eugene Monroe, who’s under contract," Newsome said. "When he was healthy, he played really well for us. We have some options."
Saying Monroe is just an option means the Ravens aren't exactly sold on him. It could mean the Ravens are looking at Osemele to protect Joe Flacco's blind side for many years to come. But Baltimore likely won't be the only team interested in Osemele.