The Baltimore Ravens will sport a new look on defense in 2019 given the losses of C.J. Mosley, Terrell Suggs and Za’Darius Smith to free agency.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told NFL Network’s Aditi Kinkhabwala over the weekend at the NFL’s Annual League Meeting that the player departures "all hit me," but one in particular stood out.
"I was really surprised by Sizz [Suggs]," Harbaugh said. "That was one I was shocked by. I expected him to be there but when I heard his reasoning and what I thought he was thinking, then I said OK."
Suggs, who played 16 seasons in Baltimore before signing with the Arizona Cardinals, recently appeared on FOX’s Skip and Shannon: Undisputed and said the retirement of general manager Ozzie Newsome played a role in his decision to leave.
For his part, Harbaugh understands the decision-making process when it comes to the business side of football and knows dealing with personnel turnover is an annual task.
"You get to the point now where people just do what they have to do," Harbaugh said. "Everybody’s coming from a different situation and the one constant is that there are no constants.
"Things are going to change. Every year’s going to be a new year. It’s funny, we tell our team at the beginning of the year. You know it’ll never be the same. It’ll be different week to week. It’ll be completely different year to year. And then it turns out to be absolutely true. So that’s just the way the NFL is."
The Ravens also decided to part ways with wide receiver Michael Crabtree and safety Eric Weddle, but brought in safety Earl Thomas, running back Mark Ingram and cornerback Justin Bethel.
While the team lost some key pieces on both sides of the ball, Harbaugh believes the additions will help the Ravens in the long term as members of the organization.
"I think people that watch football know what it means to play like a Raven and be a Raven," he said. "The interesting thing is that these guys, you ask Earl Thomas, you ask Mark Ingram, you ask Justin Bethel, what do you think you’re here for? They know, because they fit. We don’t draft anybody, we don’t sign anybody, we don’t sign any undrafted free agents unless we think they’re Ravens. That’s pretty well-defined."