Baltimore Ravens let several key players go during this offseason and it appeared like the team was oriented towards saving the money and try to get impactful players through the draft. But that all changed on Wednesday, when reports surfaced that Ravens will sign a duo of Pro Bowlers in former Seattle Seahawks’ safety Earl Thomas and New Orleans Saints’ running back Mark Ingram.
According to ESPN‘s Adam Schefter, Thomas will ink a four-year, $55 million contract with Baltimore that includes $32 million guaranteed. With his signing, the team fills one of their biggest needs at the safety position as they Eric Weddle.
Ingram, on the other hand, intends to sign a three-year, $15 million deal with the Ravens. The 29-year-old was expected to stay with the Saints following the end of 2018 season, but the team went and got former Minnesota Vikings RB Latavius Murray instead.
These two signings represent a big step in Baltimore Ravens’ efforts to rebuild their roster and make another playoff run in 2019. Besides releasing Weddle, the team also lost C.J. Mosley, Terrell Suggs and Za’Darius Smith in the free agency. All of these players were starters in Ravens’ defense which was ranked top in the NFL in 2018.
Earl Thomas spent his entire career with the Seattle Seahawks, but leaves the franchise on bad terms after he didn’t get a contract extension he wanted. He had a strong start of 2018 season, making three interceptions in the first four games, but ended up being ruled for the season after breaking a bone in his leg in Week 4. Thomas’ accomplishments with the Seahawks include six Pro Bowl appearances, three First-Team All-Pro honors and a Super Bowl title in 2013.
Mark Ingram played some excellent football in these past three seasons and finished last year with respectable numbers, managing 645 rushing yards, 170 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 12 games. Still, Saints didn’t feel comfortable giving him a big deal due to his advanced age, making him look for better offers somewhere else. Ingram has two Pro Bowl appearances in his career.
