Let’s face it, the Ravens shouldn’t have needed to sign Eric Weddle, the excellent free-agent safety they locked up Monday with a four-year, $29 million deal.
Since they won the Super Bowl in New Orleans 37 months ago, they’ve repeatedly sought to move beyond the Ed Reed era at safety, investing a first-round draft pick (Matt Elam), third-round draft pick (Terrence Brooks) and several free-agent signings (Kendrick Lewis, Will Hill III), only to find themselves still looking to stabilize the position.
Their inability to tighten up Reed’s spot has been a constant source of frustration, and the situation reached a nadir in 2015 when the Ravens recorded a franchise-low interception total.