Ravens predicted to part ways with 29-game starter in favor of young prospect

The Baltimore Ravens are in a position that many teams strive to be in. 

The team is a perpetual playoff contender with solid starters at most positions, so there wasn't much work that needed to be done this offseason. 

In free agency, the team added solid veterans DeAndre Hopkins and Chidobe Awuzie to reinforce the wide receiver and cornerback positions respectively. Then, in the 2025 NFL Draft, the team selected a whopping 11 players. 

The Ravens are one of the teams that always seems to draft well. Thus, the team can usually afford to let veterans leave and just replace them with said draft picks. Malaki Starks, Mike Greene, and Emery Jones Jr. headline the class of selections. 

Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report recently identified the best player that each NFL team could cut before the 2025 season begins. For the Ravens, Knox identified solid veteran tackle Joe Noteboom. 

Regarding the potential release of Noteboom, Knox offered the following:

The Baltimore Ravens can't save any cap space by releasing free-agent addition Joe Noteboom, but they could free up a roster spot for a younger player. Baltimore's starting spots are set with Roger Rosengarten and Ronnie Stanley. The Ravens added Emery Jones Jr. and Carson Vinson to their depth chart over draft weekend.

While Noteboom has 29 starts on his resume, he'll turn 30 next month and was limited to four games by injuries last season. He has value as a swing tackle, but if a younger lineman emerges, he could still be out.

The Ravens added Noteboom earlier in May after the draft had already taken place. At the time, the veteran seemed like a solid swing tackle option for at least the 2025 season. 

However, as Knox mentioned, Noteboom is coming off a serious injury and only played in four games last year. The lineman will also be 30 when the 2025 season starts, and likely won't get any better than he currently is.

During the draft, the team selected tackles Emery Jones Jr. and Carson Vinson in the third and fifth rounds respectively. Either one of these tackles could end up handling the swing tackle role, making Noteboom redundant. 

Noteboom is an experienced starter, with 29 starts in his career. All of those starts came with the Los Angeles Rams, and his performance was good enough to earn a three-year, $40 million extension back in 2022. 

However, the Ravens are a team who likes to develop their young talent. Is there any reason to keep a veteran like Noteboom around when Jones and Vinson need to develop? The Ravens' starting tackle spots are locked with Roger Rosengarten and Ronnie Stanley, so it would not be surprising to see the young guys win the depth spots. 

If Noteboom is released, there would likely be several teams interested in the veteran. Many teams could use depth at tackle, the Ravens just don't appear to be the best fit.