WNST Radio in Baltimore reported via Twitter on Tuesday that the Baltimore Ravens have reached out to former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison and they appear to be interested in him. The station also goes on to report that sources have told them Harrison has to fit in with the Ravens and their cap/budget and has to play for what they offer.
The Ravens took a hard hit to their linebacker corps on the first day of free agency. Not only did they lose outside linebacker Paul Kruger to the Cleveland Browns, but they also lost inside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe to the Miami Dolphins. When you add on top of that the retirement of inside linebacker Ray Lewis, that thins out quite a bit of production from the group.
Should the Ravens ultimately sign Harrison, he would likely have to compete with Courtney Upshaw, their second round draft pick from last April who played nearly 900 snaps on defense as a rookie. Opposite him is Terrell Suggs, who Harrison certainly will not overtake on the depth chart.
Another strike against Harrison is the fact that he no longer plays special teams. When you add all of that up, it is hard to imagine that the Ravens would be willing to offer him more than a couple of million per season. So right now I would say that a Baltimore signing is far from imminent.
