ClutchPoints
It could be a fun season for the Baltimore Ravens in 2025, and the NFL Draft might provide instant help. Also, here are two sneaky good NFL free agents the Ravens need to sign.
After a 12-5 season ended in bitter disappointment, the Ravens have set their sights on finishing the deal this season. And one of the best ways they could do that is to get better on the edge.
So that’s where our journey starts.
The Ravens aren’t in a position to go after high-dollar free agents, so a player like Koonce makes sense. He’s only played three NFL seasons after missing all of 2024 with an injury. And he only had half of one year where he showed top-notch pass-rush ability.
This makes him more affordable, so the Ravens should pursue him.
The Raiders finished with a record of 4-13, and former head coach Antonio Pierce said Koonce’s injury played a role in the long season, according to Sports Illustrated.
“If there’s one injury that really frustrated and hurt me this year, it was Malcolm,” Pierce said. “Because he had a hell of a training camp, really, a hell of an offseason. Then we go into training camp, and I mean, he’s looking really, really good. And I know it’s against our offense, and we’ve got a couple of games in preseason, but the bend, the power, the confidence was back. I mean, he had that swag to him.
“And when he went down that Thursday, it hurt our team. You felt it. You felt the emotional drop within the building, and it was a sad moment. But to Malcolm’s credit, seeing him in the building every day, working out and starting to get his little juices back to him. It’d be good to have him back because, I mean, he’s just on the brink of being a really good football player. And it’d be good to see him come back as a Raider and do what he needs to do for us to win.”
Pro Football Focus ranked Koonce at No. 16 among the top free agents in 2025.
“If Koonce hadn’t suffered a season-ending knee injury before 2024 began and instead carried over his momentum from the back half of 2023, he could’ve been squarely within the top 10 of our list,” PFF wrote. “Perhaps the silver lining, if there is one, to getting injured so early in the year is that Koonce should be healthier entering the free agency period than if he got hurt during the season.”
Koonce graded out at 78.9 in pass rush with a 82.5 mark in true pass set situations. He could fit nicely into the Ravens’ defensive scheme.
The Ravens might be attractive to Koonce because of the leadership provided by Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. Patrick Ricard talked about the type of things Harbaugh [brings to...
