Terrell Suggs

An offseason of losses gave way to a big Ravens gain Sunday night as they announced that they have agreed in principle on a five-year deal with former Denver Broncos defensive end Elvis Dumervil. Dumervil, a three-time Pro Bowl selection who had 63 ½ sacks and 16 forced fumbles in six seasons with the Broncos, will be at the Ravens' facility Tuesday to take a physical and - if all goes well - to sign a contract. “I think this move is awesome,” Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs told The Baltimore Sun. “It shows we're still in the business of winning and we have the best [general manager]

Can't wait for the Ravens' first defensive team meeting in the upcoming minicamps, when coordinator Dean Pees hands out those little plastic name tags that say: “Hi, my name is ­­­­­­­­­_ _ _ _"  and each player has to stand and tell the others a little bit about himself. No Ray Lewis, no Ed Reed, no Bernard Pollard, no Dannell Ellerbe, no Cary Williams, no Paul Kruger - this is getting serious. This isn't the Ravens doing a little nip-and-tuck on the defense. This is a complete makeover.

The Ravens are interested in free-agent pass rusher Elvis Dumervil, according to my colleague Aaron Wilson. And considering that Dumervil has 63.5 career sacks in six NFL seasons, including a league-high 17 sacks in 2009, why wouldn't any team that is looking to boost its pass rush reach out to Dumervil's new agents? (In case you, too, are still living in the 20th century, a faulty fax machine led to Dumervil's release in Denver .) The Broncos had agreed to terms on a restructured contract with a reduced salary to keep Dumervil in Denver, but when the paperwork didn't arrive before a Friday deadline for a roster bonus, the team was forced to release him. Now he is arguably the most attractive option available a week into NFL free agency.

The Ravens lost two more starters from their Super Bowl roster on Tuesday -- and then cut veteran safety Bernard Pollard on Wednesday -- bringing the total of departed starters to six. The Ravens did, however, sign a versatile defensive lineman who, if he doesn't step into the starting lineup as a five-technique end, could at least play significant snaps in their defensive line rotation. The Ravens signed Chris Canty to a three-year contract worth $8 million, including $2.8 in guaranteed money.

There was always a belief that the Ravens would never be coach John Harbaugh's team until Ray Lewis left or retired. Well, it's Harbaugh's team now. With Lewis gone after the Ravens won the Super Bowl, it was the perfect time for Harbaugh to clean house and he appears to have gotten rid of the most outspoken players on the team. Earlier today, the Ravens cut veteran safety Bernard Pollard. On Monday, they traded receiver Anquan Boldin to the San Francisco 49ers. The Ravens have yet to re-sign either offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie or safety Ed Reed to a new contract.

As soon as the Super Bowl ended and quarterback Joe Flacco signed a long term contract, the real business was going to begin as far as reshaping the Ravens. Several of the team's big name free agents were going to ask for more money, and there wasn't going to be a lot to give. The latest is Dannell Ellerbe, the best inside linebacker in free agency. There is no doubt that the Ravens want him back, but at what price? Ellerbe wants a $25 to $30 million contract worth about $6 million per season, and the Ravens want to pay about $5 million a year.

The NFL offseason heats up on Tuesday when the free agency period begins and the NFL draft will take place next month. In anticipation of those events, blogger and reporter Matt Vensel will look at six key positions the Ravens might address in free agency and the NFL draft in the days leading up to the start of free agency. After finishing tied for third in sacks in 2011, the Ravens fell back into the middle of the pack with 37 sacks a year ago. There were a few significant factors in play -- the major injuries to Terrell Suggs, nagging ones to guys like Haloti Ngata and Pernell McPhee, and a change in defensive coordinators before the season -- but their struggles in getting to the quarterback consistently put a lot a stress on the back end of the defense.

San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Anthony Davis called Terrell Suggs a “[expletive] loser” on his Twitter feed today after he took offense to comments made by the Ravens linebacker on a San Francisco-based radio show. Making an appearance on KNBR 680-AM largely to promote “The Coalition,” a movie he co-wrote, Suggs was asked about comments made by teammate Cary Williams following the Ravens' 34-31 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII on Feb. 3. Williams, a starting cornerback who was involved in a post-whistle scrum during the Super Bowl that led to him pushing a game official, called the 49ers “fake tough guys” and “pretenders” in the locker room after the game.

It appears that Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs won't have to spend a second consecutive offseason recovering from surgery. After getting a second opinion on his torn right biceps, Suggs is planning on rehabbing the injury rather than having it surgically repaired, according to sources familiar with the situation. Suggs tore the biceps late in the Ravens' Dec. 2 home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He sat out the following week's game against the Washington Redskins and was also rested in the team's regular-season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals, a game that carried no meaning for the Ravens.

The Ravens are waiting to hear the results of a second opinion that outside linebacker Terrell Suggs sought on his right arm to determine if surgery is necessary to repair a torn biceps. Suggs tore his biceps in the Ravens' Dec. 2 home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He missed just one game because of the injury but he said all along that offseason surgery to repair the tear was a legitimate possibility. If he decides to have the surgery, it will mark the second consecutive year where the NFL's 2011 NFL Defensive Player of the Year will face a rehabilitation program in the offseason.