Ravens Sign Three NFL Draft Picks
The Ravens are working fast to get their 2020 NFL Draft class under contract. One day after inking fifth-round pick Broderick Washington, they’ve signed third-round defensive tackle Justin Madubuike, fourth-round guard Ben Bredeson, and sixth-round wide receiver James Proche. 
[RELATED: Ravens Discussing Extensions With Matthew Judon, Ron Stanley]
Madubuike, who stands at 6’3″ weighs in at 304 pounds, led the Aggies with 11.5 tackles for loss last year, plus 5.5 sacks and seven quarterback hurries. He also recorded his first interception in a win over Arkansas.
He doesn’t have ideal size for the interior line, but he does have better-than-average speed for the position, plus solid moves to shed blocks. Evaluators also see pass rushing potential in Madubuike, thanks in part to his larger-than-expected wingspan.
The Ravens’ 3-4 scheme will feature defensive tackle Derek Wolfe, nose tackle Brandon Williams, and veteran defensive end Calais Campbell up front. Madubuike figures to see time as well, but he’ll be eased into things as a rookie. Ditto for Bredeson, though he’ll also be behind third-round lineman Tyre Phillips, who will be moved from the outside to the interior.
Ravens Discussing Extensions With Matt Judon, Ronnie Stanley
The Ravens have started discussing new deals with edge rusher Matt Judon and left tackle Ronnie Stanley, according to GM Eric DeCosta (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley). A deal with one of those players, or both, would give the Ravens some much needed breathing room against the salary cap for 2020.
[RELATED: Ravens Interested In Clowney?]
The Ravens have until the middle of July to hash out a deal with Judon, who was cuffed via the franchise tag. For now, Judon is set to play out the 2020 season at a rate of $15.8MM since he has been classified as a linebacker. However, as we’ve seen before with DE/LBs, a grievance could be coming. If Judon fights back and wins, he could be in line for roughly $17.8MM this year.
“I’d rather have a long-term deal for stability. It is what it is,” Judon said in March (Twitter link via Josina Anderson of ESPN.com). “I feel like this is what many of us go through that are facing free agency. At the end of the day, I know I’m playing football next season.”
Judon has been a key weapon for the Ravens for years. Last year, he took another giant step forward with 9.5 sacks and a total of 33 quarterback hits. The 27-year-old has 24.5 sacks over the past three seasons and lots of leverage as he discusses a new pact with Baltimore.
Stanley also has one year to go, thanks to his fifth-year option. Last year, he graded out as Pro Football Focus’ top pass blocker in the NFL. In 2020, he’s slated to earn $12.8MM.
Eagles, Ravens Interested In Jadeveon Clowney?
A number of teams have been connected in some way or another to free agent edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney over the course of the past several months. The Eagles and Ravens are two such teams, but while there was plenty of speculation linking Clowney to those clubs, there were no concrete reports on that front. However, Mark Berman of Fox 26 KRIV may have changed that last night.
Per Berman’s sources, Philadelphia and Baltimore are among the teams expressing interest in Clowney’s services (Twitter link). Of course, the degree of their interest is unclear, and it’s possible that those clubs are simply keeping tabs on Clowney in case he falls into a certain price range or in case something should happen to one of their other pass rushers. Nonetheless, the “addition” of two Super Bowl hopefuls to the market is notable and will certainly be welcomed by Clowney himself.
The Ravens’ edge rushing contingent is headed by the franchise-tagged Matt Judon, but we do not know where the two sides stand in their negotiations of a long-term pact, and Judon has been rumored as a trade candidate. Although Baltimore’s cap space as it presently stands would seem to preclude a Clowney signing without restructuring the contracts of other players, the team could theoretically trade Judon for quality draft capital and allocate his cap charge to Clowney. The Ravens did re-sign Pernell McPhee just yesterday, and while McPhee can certainly be useful as a rotational pass rusher, his presence will hardly stop GM Eric DeCosta from pursuing Clowney if he believes there’s a fit.
Meanwhile, a pass rusher is arguably the Eagles’ biggest remaining need. Philadelphia has enough salary cap room to fit Clowney into the roster this year, but the club has a lot of work to do with respect to its 2021 cap, especially if the cap should decline as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. So any rollover money the Eagles can carry from 2020 into 2021 will be hugely beneficial. On the other hand, if GM Howie Roseman thinks Clowney can help get his team back to the promised land this year, then his 2021 cap situation will not stop him from pulling the trigger.
Berman also notes that the Titans and Browns are very much in the mix for Clowney, though their interest has been well-documented. In addition, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2014 draft has not ruled out a return to the Seahawks.
“I hope we can work something out if anything happens,” Clowney said. “I did like it up there. … I love all the guys I played with. … I love Seattle. … I love everyone on the coaching staff” (Twitter link via Berman).
Consistent with what we heard last week, Clowney said he is willing to wait to sign until interested clubs can bring him in for a physical. “I know what’s going on in the world,” Clowney said. “It’s a slow process until teams can see me and see what I got and can give me physicals. I’m just waiting on the right opportunity” (Twitter link via Berman).
Those comments were the first Clowney has made publicly since the end of the 2019 season, and he has been working out at a gym in Houston four days a week since undergoing core muscle surgery (Twitter link via Berman). He says he is fully recovered from his injury, but to get the payday he wants, he will likely need to wait until teams can make that determination for themselves.
Broderick Washington Inks Ravens Deal
Defensive tackle Broderick Washington was the 170th player selected in this year’s NFL Draft. Today, he became the first place to formally sign his rookie deal, per an announcement from the Ravens. 
[RELATED: Ravens Re-Sign Pernell McPhee]
The Texas Tech product will receive a four-year pact worth roughly $3.6MM, according to Over The Cap‘s slot estimates. For reference, Ravens first-round linebacker Patrick Queen – taken with the No. 28 overall pick – is set to earn $12.16MM over the same four year period. And, in case you were wondering, No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow will collect $36.2MM on his rookie deal with the Bengals.
Washington was taken two rounds after Texas A&M’s Justin Madubuike to further strengthen the Ravens’ interior line. The Ravens see the 6’2″, 305-pound lineman as a solid run stuffer who can help them beef up in the trenches.
With Washington signed, we’ll be waiting on the signings of 254 more NFL Draft picks. To spare your Twitter feed, we’ll group most of these signings in daily posts here at Pro Football Rumors. For first-rounders and other notable signings, we’ll provide a more detailed breakdown.
Ravens Re-Sign Pernell McPhee
The Ravens are bringing Pernell McPhee back. The outside linebacker has re-upped on a one-year deal, per a club announcement. 
Roughly one year ago today, McPhee inked a one year deal with Baltimore to return back to where it all started. He was a 2011 fifth-round pick and an oft-featured sub for the Ravens before moving on to the Bears in free agency. He entered and went out with a bang in Baltimore – McPhee notched six sacks as a rookie and tallied a career-high 7.5 sacks in 2014, his contract year. McPhee parlayed that success into a five-year deal, $38.8MM deal with Chicago, but injuries cost him 12 regular season games over a three-year stretch. Still, he managed 14 sacks for Chicago.
Unfortunately, injuries also slowed him last year. A triceps tear shelved McPhee in October, taking him out of action after 260 snaps, the second-highest total on the team at the time.
McPhee, 31, has 34 career sacks across nine seasons with the Bears, Redskins, and Ravens. Despite his name recognition and substantial career earnings, he’s started in just 30 of his 116 NFL games.
Ravens Pick Up Marlon Humphrey’s Option
The Ravens will exercise Marlon Humphrey‘s fifth-year option, as Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated tweets. Once the paperwork is finalized, he’ll be tied to the team through 2021 at a salary dictated by his draft position. 
[RELATED: Ravens Agree To Terms With OL D.J. Fluker]
Humphrey was the No. 16 overall pick in the 2017 draft. Per league rules for the fifth-year option on first-round picks, he’ll earn the average salary of the league’s No. 3 – No. 25 highest-paid CBs. That additional year will be guaranteed for injury only, though that rule will change starting next year with the 2018 class. The new Collective Bargaining Agreement didn’t give the NFLPA a ton of wins, but that was one of the union’s key victories in negotiations.
Humphrey, 24 in July, started nearly every game for the Ravens last year en route to his first career Pro Bowl selection and first ever First-Team All-Pro nod. Along the way, he notched three interceptions, recovered three fumbles, returned two of them for touchdowns. In the interest of equal time: the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 37th best cornerback in the NFL; solid standing, though most evaluators and fans would probably rank him higher.
Some of this year’s fifth-year option decisions were borderline – including the case of Browns tight end David Njoku – but there was little doubt that the Ravens would exercise their right to keep Humphrey for an extra year.
For now, Humphrey is set to play out the final year of his original rookie deal with a paltry base salary of $2.08MM. However, you can expect GM Eric DeCosta to be in touch with his agent over the coming months.
Ravens Agree To Terms With OL D.J. Fluker
It didn’t take long for D.J. Fluker to find a new home. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the veteran offensive lineman has signed with the Ravens. The deal is pending a physical.
Fluker was released by the Seahawks on Sunday after spending two seasons with the organization. Last offseason, the lineman signed a two-year, $9MM extension with Seattle, and he proceeded to start 14 games during the 2019 campaign (his highest total since 2016).
The 2013 first-round pick out of Alabama spent the first four seasons of his career with the Chargers before spending the 2017 campaign with the Giants. In total, the 29-year-old has appeared in 92 career games, including 88 starts.
The Ravens are naturally putting an emphasis on protecting Lamar Jackson, with the organization selecting a pair of rookies in the 2020 Draft (third-round lineman Tyre Phillips and fourth-round guard Ben Bredeson). The team is eyeing several holes on their offensive line, as Marshal Yanda retired and Matt Skura continues to recover from a knee injury.
Ravens Trade No. 60 To Patriots
The Ravens dropped out of the No. 60 spot in the draft, dealing the pick to the Patriots. New England’s quarterback situation remains unchanged, with Michigan outside linebacker Josh Uche being the Pats’ pick.
New England traded up from No. 71 and gave Baltimore one of its four third-round picks (No. 98) to do so. The Ravens sent the Pats a fourth-rounder (No. 129) in the deal as well. The Patriots now have three third-rounders; the Ravens are up to four.
Uche functioned primarily as a pass rusher for the Wolverines, totaling 14.5 sacks over the past two seasons. He will follow former Michigan teammate Chase Winovich — a 2019 third-rounder — to Foxborough.
The Patriots lost both hybrid pass-rushing cogs Jamie Collins and Kyle Van Noy this offseason and will have a younger edge corps in 2020. Winovich is certain to be a big part of that crew; his former teammate in Ann Arbor may become an important piece soon as well.
Ravens Draft RB J.K. Dobbins
The Ravens’ running back room just got even more crowded. With the No. 55 overall pick, the Ravens snagged Ohio State standout J.K. Dobbins.
Dobbins was viewed as one of the best pure runners in this year’s class. He doesn’t have the best hands in this year’s crop, but his feet mostly make up for it.
Dobbins posted three straight 1,000-yard seasons at Ohio State and the Ravens believe that he can anchor the running game behind Lamar Jackson. Last year, he topped 2,000 yards (yes you read that right) with 23 total touchdowns. One year ago, some saw Dobbins as the best RB in this year’s class. He was leapfrogged by the likes of Georgia’s D’Andre Swift over time, but he still figures to have a bright NFL future, especially in Baltimore’s dynamite offense.
The rookie will fight for carries this year alongside Mark Ingram, Gus Edwards, and Justice Hill.
Ravens Tried To Trade For DeAndre Hopkins
The Ravens were among the teams that attempted to trade for wideout DeAndre Hopkins before the Texans dealt him to the Cardinals last month, according to Michael Silver of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Ultimately, Houston sent Hopkins and a 2020 fourth-round pick to Arizona in exchange for running back David Johnson, a 2020 second-rounder, and a 2021 fourth-rounder, a price that Baltimore was apparently unwilling to meet. The Ravens, who didn’t sign any free agent wide receivers in March, are currently set to return Marquise Brown, Willie Snead, and Miles Boykin as their top-three wideouts in 2020.
Of course, the fact that Baltimore was interested in acquiring Hopkins means the club could be eyeing a wide receiver early in the 2020 draft. Baltimore holds the 28th overall selection plus two second-round picks, and could use one of those slots on a pass-catcher in what is considered a historically deep class.