The Ravens’ 2023 offseason was dominated by quarterback Lamar Jackson’s contract talks and General Manager Eric DeCosta said at a Friday press conference that he’ll be applying a lesson learned in that process to this offseason.
Defensive tackle Justin Madubuike and linebacker Patrick Queen are both out of contract and DeCosta was asked if the team would use the franchise tag on him to ensure that he remains with the team in 2024. DeCosta said that the team will have “a good plan” for both players and that he learned from the Jackson situation that there’s no upside to laying that plan out ahead of time.
“It’s beneficial to just not talk about things,” DeCosta said. “There is a value sometimes to not really showing your cards or showing your hand. We’ll have all those decisions made at some point coming soon. We don’t have a lot of time.”
The Ravens’ list of free agents doesn’t end with the two defensive standouts. Guards Kevin Zeitler and John Simpson are on the list along with safety Geno Stone, running back Gus Edwards, edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney and others who played big roles for the AFC North champions this year, so there will be plenty of planning for DeCosta and company to do in the near future.