The Baltimore Ravens are reevaluating free agents now that the season is over, and some players seem more likely to remain with the team than others.
Let’s look at starting safety Geno Stone and try predicting whether the team should bring him back next year or let him skip town and deal with the ripple effects.
“As a starter, he was a big reason why the Ravens were the top defense last season,” CBS Sports writes. “He had seven pics and has the ability to cover on the backend.”
Stone certainly performed in the final year of his rookie contract, and that’s why the article has him ranked as one of the top 50 NFL free agents this offseason.
After starting nine games through his first three seasons, Stone started 13 in the final year of his rookie contract. While starting, Stone proved to be both a ball hawk with his seven interceptions (previous career high was one) and a tackling machine in the secondary by accounting for 68 tackles.
Historically, safeties don’t get the most respect in free agency. Just look at last offseason and how Baltimore’s rival Cincinnati Bengals let All-Pro safety Jessie Bates III walk in free agency while still in his prime, only for him to dominate with the Atlanta Falcons instead.
It’s undeniable that Stone played a significant role in helping make the Ravens’ defense elite last season. Still, considering the precedent set a year ago by the Bengals, Stone’s small stature, a single season of high-level production, limited cap space, and Baltimore still needing to pay Justin Madubuike, who’s arguably the top free agent this year, Stone seems unlikely to re-sign with the team next year.
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