For a little while, it looked as though the Baltimore Ravens might lose unrestricted free agent inside linebacker Daryl Smith, but Adam Schefter of ESPN is now reporting Friday morning that the two sides have agreed on a four-year contract worth $16.1 million.
The Ravens had already lost fellow inside linebacker Jameel McClain to the New York Giants, so retaining Smith, who missed all of five snaps in 2013, would have really put them in a bind.
Smith recorded a career-high 123 tackles, five sacks, and three interceptions in his first season with the Ravens last year, but struggled some against the run. As a team, the Ravens allowed 4.97 yards per carry on 69 runs scored as going up the middle in 2013 and that ranked them 28th overall in the league in that stat. Being as Smith barely missed any playing time, that has to be a concern for Baltimore heading into 2014.
Arthur Brown is expected to become the starter alongside Smith in 2014 and being as the recently re-signed Raven is already 32, Baltimore is expected to again address the inside linebacker position at some point during the upcoming draft.
