Ravens head coach John Harbaugh hoped he’d be holding a press conference about the AFC Championship Game on Friday, but his team lost to the Titans last week and that means he was holding an end-of-season press conference instead.
Impending free agents are always a topic at such gatherings and Harbaugh’s presser didn’t play out any differently. Linebacker Matt Judon is at the top of that list and Harbaugh said that he thinks it will be “very hard” to sign him, but “we’re going to try” to get a deal done.
The departures of Za’Darius Smith and Terrell Suggs put Judon into a more prominent role this season and he responded with 9.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles and 33 quarterback hits. That’s likely to make him an appealing prospect for any team looking for a boost to their pass rush on the open market.
Harbaugh also said he wants to re-sign defensive lineman Michael Pierce, linebacker Patrick Onwuasor and cornerback Jimmy Smith while picking up cornerback Brandon Carr’s option. Getting all of that done and addressing needs on the other side of the ball while also re-signing Judon may prove to be more than the Ravens can manage, but we’ll see how things play out in Baltimore.