Are the Ravens over-hyped?

The Ravens have made a huge splash this offseason, signing many big names and drafting could-be critical players in this new Baltimore offense. Under new Offensive coordinator Todd Monken, the Ravens hope to put it all together this year. The goal for every team is to make it to the Super Bowl, but only a select few have the right pieces to put it all together, and the Ravens hope they have that this year.

Over the offseason, the Ravens did many key things, but one of the most essential parts was adding a new Offensive coordinator after they decided to part ways with Greg Roman. In their search, Baltimore interviewed many potential candidates, but one stood out. He was the mastermind behind Georgia’s back-to-back championship run, Todd Monken. With the Ravens giving Monken the keys to the offense, they hope he can take this team to the next level. But to do that, they must ensure they have a franchise quarterback.

The Ravens would have to pay a lot to ensure they have their guy. But the real question is it worth it? After many negotiations, the Ravens and star quarterback Lamar “Action” Jackson agreed on a deal worth up to 250 million dollars over five years. Both the Ravens organization and Lamar Jackson are happy to be together for the future. But in negotiations, Jackson stated he needed more weapons, which is very true, so the Ravens did just that.

So, in the offseason, the Ravens hunted for a true wide receiver. Luckily, the guy they wanted was just a phone call away. After tearing his ACL in Super Bowl LVI (56), Odell Beckham Jr. had a long way to being on the field again, but he was determined. When he was healthy, the Ravens reached out to the all-pro receiver in hopes of him being Lamar’s right-hand man. Just like that, Odell was a Raven. Not only did the Ravens get Lamar a wide receiver one, but they also acquired a second and third option for him.

Towards the end of last season, the Ravens realized they needed to pick up a veteran wide receiver to give Lamar at least one reason to stay, and they did just that when they signed Nelson Agholar to a one-year deal. This gives Lamar a deep threat to take the top off while OBJ works underneath. This is a great combo, but it was missing a young shifty receiver. So the Ravens went all in to get their guy, and with the 22nd pick in the draft, they drafted Zay “Joystick” Flowers out of Boston College. Although we haven’t seen him against NFL talent, we know he torched defenses all over college football, and the Ravens hope it will be the same for years to come in the NFL. The Ravens spent most of their offseason focusing on the offense, but that doesn’t mean we should forget about this electric Baltimore defense.

Led by Roquan Smith patrolling the middle and Marlon Humphrey locking down any wide receiver the opposing team puts on the field, this Ravens defense is arguably the best in football and top 5. With some trouble in the secondary and the injury bug hitting the defensive back room, the Ravens turned to free agency. They signed veteran defensive back Ronald Darby. Darby is known for his time with the Broncos, where he locked up your favorite wideout. The Ravens did this to give their defense line more time to get to the quarterback. After losing captain and beast in the middle Calais Campbell, the Ravens turn to young nose tackle Travis Jones. Jones has played well when he has been in, and the Ravens hope he can continue to get better. After bringing back most of their guys, the Ravens feel they have a top defense in the league.

Someone new to the team is undrafted rookie Keaton Mitchell out of East Carolina. Mitchell turned many heads in camp. He surprised many people and definitely Coach Harbaugh. Even after signing former Pro Bowl running back Melvin Gordon to help the running back room, Keaton Mitchell still made the roster over him. He caps off an outstanding and new offense.

The Baltimore Ravens have done many keys this off-season, adding key players on both sides of the ball. This leads us to the main question…

Are the Ravens over-hyped?

Gabe Plusen is a junior member of the Multimedia Journalism class.