One of the dumbest sports stories we’ve heard in a while ended with fans of the Baltimore Ravens smiling. Elvis Dumervil, former Denver sack artist who ended up a free agent thanks to a botched paperwork job by his now-fired agent, agreed to a 5-year deal worth $35 million with the defending Super Bowl champs.
The move will do a great job at stopping the bleeding Baltimore has endured this off-season. It’s been a while since a Super Bowl champ has seemed this vulnerable, with the departures of Ray Lewis (retirement), Ed Reed (signed with Houston), Dannell Ellerbe (Miami) and Paul Kruger (Cleveland) sapping the Ravens of four crucial playmakers.
And now? Best-GM-in-football-no-I-won’t-listen-to-other-arguments Ozzie Newsome has something to work with. Between Dumervil and incumbent starters Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata, Baltimore should be even better at rushing the quarterback than they were last year. And history is hard to ignore; the Ravens have a knack for drafting their asses off. Look for them to draft heavily on the defensive side of the ball come draft time.
Now, about replacing Anquan Boldin…
Correction: Former Baltimore player Ed Reed signed with Houston, not San Francisco.