As the Ravens begin their roster-building process for 2020 — with the 2019 season ending more abruptly than they had hoped — all eyes will be on outside linebacker Matthew Judon, the top priority among the Ravens’ 17 would-be free agents.
According to a report from ESPN, the Ravens will consider using the franchise tag on Judon and then trading him, a route taken last year by teams with pending free-agent pass rushers.
Of course, the Ravens also could use the tag on Judon and retain him, hoping to sign him to a long-term extension, or they could let him walk via free agency, which has been their mode of operation in the past with pass rushers such as Paul Kruger, Pernell McPhee and Za’Darius Smith.
But for the past decade, the Ravens had an edge-setting, pass-rushing anchor in Terrell Suggs, making the departure of a pass rusher more bearable. They have no such incumbent if Judon goes.
