Ravens Undecided On Biggest Question

The Baltimore Ravens made plenty of headlines across last week's NFL Draft.

Plenty were positive, with many analysts praising the team's decision to take safety Malaki Starks with their first-round pick. Other selections resulted in narrowed eyes, with the controversial Mike Green pick in the second round resulting in some questions that the front office felt like they had to step in and answer.

One particular pick, above all, raised eyebrows, when the team drafted Tyler Loop with one of their positions in the sixth round. Not only was this history, as Arizona's Loop made himself the first player that Baltimore has drafted at that position, but also seemed like a direct threat to Hall of Famer Justin Tucker's longtime job security as the team's franchise kicker.

He's spent more time in the public eye than usual this offseason, sustaining some troublesome accusations after maintaining a clean image across his previous decade with the team. Tucker, already showing a bit of slippage with age, started to seem less untouchable than ever after falling to a career-low of 73.3% field goal kicking percentage, putting him squarely in the bottom quarter of the NFL in terms of efficiency.

The Ravens let him know directly that he should prepare for the possibility of a replacement in the draft.

Sporting News and ESPN reported that Ravens head coach John Harbaugh prepared Tucker for this scenario. "He already understood," the coach said earlier this week. "He knew the situation... So, he knew that was a possibility."

The Ravens' front office, refusing to pick a side on whether Loop was Tucker insurance or the heir apparent at kicker, is keeping their options open while the Tucker situation continues to pan out and Loop makes his case as the future.

"We will get a chance to see his leg, and that will help us address what our decision-making is going to be moving forward," Baltimore General Manager Eric DeCosta said.