As we move further away from Valentine’s Day, it’s now firmly in our rearview mirror. That doesn’t mean love isn’t in the air. Baltimore Ravens offseasons always have a dash of curiosity, a pinch of anxiety, and two tablespoons full of excitement.

Wait! We’re hanging around in the middle of February. It will be a while before we reach the NFL Draft, and even though we’re less than 30 days from the beginning of another league year, free agency also feels like it’s two months away.

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The questions aren’t about who the priorities are. Everyone seems to know the answer to that question. The real questions are about who gets left out in the cold.

Lamar Jackson’s contract must be reworked, and Eric DeCosta and company can’t give up on keeping Tyler Linderbaum in the fold. A brand new extension for him will certainly require some ingenuity.

Then, there are the guys up front. Baltimore didn’t get what it was looking for from Mike Green in year one. Now, Dre’Mont Jones and Kyle Van Noy are two of the impending free agents. David Ojabo’s name is also on that list. Might the Ravens explore free agency to replace him if he walks? Here are a few reasonable options worth discussing.

Dante Fowler has been at this for a while, ten years and counting. He has notched over 58.5 sacks in his career. One has to assume regression will come at some point, but he’s still plugging along and certainly seems worthy of a conversation.

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The Philadelphia Eagles gave up on Derek Barnett. The Texans welcomed him with open arms, and he has rewarded their faith with 12.5 sacks and two forced fumbles over these past three seasons.

His pair of fumble return TDs led all NFL stars in 2024. It appears that rumors of his demise were slightly exaggerated.

How have we talked about so many edge rushers hitting free agency without mentioning Samson Ebukam? Sure, he tore his Achilles tendon in 2024, but he rebounded in 2025 with 33 tackles and two sacks in 14 games last season. That includes one start and extensive work in a rotational role.

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Malcolm Koonce turns 28 on June 6, so he’s still young. The former third-round draftee has notched 14.5 sacks, 13 QB hits, and four forced fumbles in 56 career games with 14 starts.

Food for thought:

At the end of the day, this is the part of the calendar where optimism and reality wrestle with one another. The Baltimore Ravens would love to keep everyone on their roster staring at free agency, but roster construction isn’t that easy. Limited cap space forces hard choices.

Sometimes, players you love are the very players teams must replace. That’s the job Eric DeCosta signed up for. Lamar Jackson is still at the center of every long-term calculation. Once that domino falls, we can truly see what the Ravens can mastermind.

This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: NFL Free Agency: 4 targets Ravens could sign to replace David Ojabo