What a difference in mindset one single transaction can make. It feels like there has been nothing but doom and gloom around Baltimore ever since the free agency period started. Eight starters gone from the Super Bowl starting lineup, including most recently Ed Reed who has gone on to sign with the Houston Texans after 11-years in Charm City. A lot of ill will has been directed towards the Orioles and Major League Baseball when a scheduling agreement couldn’t be reached , sending the Ravens on the road to open the 2013 campaign. Can’t anything go right for the Ravens? You know, besides being the defending Super Bowls champs, which some folks out there seem to forget.

Former Denver Broncos linebacker/defensive end, Elvis Dumervil, is now a Baltimore Raven. The fax went though. Ozzie Newsome reminds us all that, “he’s got this guys.”

A quick scroll through social media tells you that a lot of the same folks, who have been critical of the Ravens moves thus far, are at peace with this one. They are ready to take their fingers off the panic button for the time being.

I wasn’t sure how on earth the Ravens would come up with salary cap space to sign 29-year old star, Elvis Dumervil. From the time the fax machine faux pas made Dumervil a free agent, his name immediately showed up on the Ravens radar. Right player, right price, is the hot phrase. Elvis Dumervil is the right player to fill a void left by Paul Kruger. The right price is a $2.5 million dollar cap hit in year one, while Dumervill will receive $8.5 million, $1 million in base salary, plus $7.5 million signing bonus.  The $8.5 million is a half million more than Dumervil would have received from Denver if he made it to Kinko’s on time. The Broncos were going to cut his salary from $12 million to $8 million.

Dumervil, a Denver team captain, was second on the Broncos with 11 sacks in 2012, and led the league with 17 sacks in 2009. It often gets overlooked, but durability is a non-issue when it comes to Dumervil. Since becoming a full time starter in 2007, he has missed just two games. Also for what it’s worth, in 11 games against AFC North opponents (not including the Ravens) He has racked up 14.5 sacks.

While the additions of Marcus Spears and Chris Canty will try to solidify the Ravens run defense which ranked 20th in the league last year. Dumervil is more known for his pass rushing skills. Including the playoffs, he’s notched 65 sacks in 78 career games. Run defense is something the Ravens has taken pride in over the years. Being in the bottom half of the league in that category is not what the fans or the front office have in mind. Defense will always reign supreme in this town. The Ravens defense also only forced 25 turnovers this year, and 38 sacks. Both of which were middle of the road, and both can be improved upon with Dumervil now in the fold.  Bringing depth, veteran leadership, and three Pro-Bowl appearances, Dumervil will try to make Paul Kruger a distant memory

They might not be done wheeling and dealing, but these three additions, combined with defensive staples in Suggs, Ngata and Webb, could be the foundation for the next great Ravens defense. One that will be compared heavily against the Ray Lewis/Ed Reed era defenses.

Going from left to right, an opposing QB is going to see Suggs, Spears, Ngata, Canty, Dumervil. Not to mention Art Jones, Pernell McPhee, and Courtney Upshaw plugging in wherever they see fit. Does the combo of Suggs and Dumervil now become the most feared edge rushing unit in the league? It has to be top-five in my opinion.

According to Spotrac.com, the Ravens cap space now sits at $7.36 million. I’ve been using roughly four to $4.5 million they’ll need to set aside for draft picks, of which they have 12. So Baltimore has roughly $3 million give/take left under the cap. It would appear given the space left that the other holes left to fill at middle linebacker, safety, and left tackle will likely be addressed through the draft now. Or maybe not. I’ve been wrong before, according to some of my past Twitter comments.

“Dumervil not coming to the Ravens. So don’t even think about it. Will cost too much, Upshaw takes Krugers spot, we still need a LT first”

“Dumervil was 15.6 mil against the cap last year. Still under 30, he’ll get big money somewhere else.”

“I hear a lot of “Dumervil on Ravens Radar” talk. I don’t know where the money is coming from, and there’s still a gaping hole at LT.”

Michael Huff could be on the radar. Maybe Bryant McKinnie won’t find work and possibly returns for a minimal amount. Stay Tuned.

Mike Randall
Mike Randall

Ravens Analyst

Mike was born on the Eastern Shore, raised in Finksburg, and currently resides in Parkville. In 2009, Mike graduated from the Broadcasting Institute of Maryland. Mike became a Baltimore City Fire Fighter in late 2010. Mike has appeared as a guest on Q1370, and FOX45. Now a Sr. Ravens Analyst for BSL, he can be reached at [email protected].

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