BALTIMORE — With training camp still weeks away, the Ravens are in no rush to fill out their roster.
Between now and the regular-season opener Sept. 10 against the Houston Texans, Baltimore will need to trim its roster from its currently listed 89 players to 53. Adding any more only complicates the calculations coach John Harbaugh and general manager Eric DeCosta must make to build a Super Bowl contender around quarterback Lamar Jackson.
That said, this is the time of year when the free-agent market is ripe with opportunity. Not only are veterans available at a lower cost, but any signing does not count against the compensatory draft pick formula. On July 2 last year, the Ravens re-signed outside linebacker Justin Houston to a one-year deal, and he led the team with 9 1/2 sacks.
