Once a week during the season and occasionally during the offseason, our AFC North beat writers gather for a roundtable discussion on the happenings, player movement and pressing issues facing all four teams. In this July Fourth holiday edition, we start by tackling pre-training camp football business and then move on to the HBO and NFL Films announcement that this year’s in-season “Hard Knocks” will feature an entire division for the first time — the AFC North. The show debuts on Dec.
3. Advertisement It’s the downtime across the league. Is there any looming business or semi-pressing need that the team you cover could address in the coming weeks, or do you expect it to be quiet until the start of training camp? Jeff Zrebiec ( Ravens ): The timing is always hard to predict, but I fully expect the Ravens to add another veteran or two, simply because that’s what general manager Eric DeCosta does.
The Ravens love the late offseason signings where they bring in known and motivated veterans on the cheap to augment positions of perceived need. Last year, they added cornerback Arthur Maulet on the eve of training camp, outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney and cornerback Ronald Darby in mid-August, and outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy in September. Those four had strong years and were instrumental in Baltimore having one of the top defenses in the league.
Currently, the Ravens need a veteran safety , and quite a few are still available. They could also use an interior offen.
