Much has been made about the lack of help the Baltimore Ravens have given the offense. From a lack of attention at the draft to picking up older players in free agency, it’s an easy storyline to print and it seems pretty accurate.

But what if I were to tell you that the Ravens have been trying to build a complete team after all?

It’s actually true according to the cap. On a whim, I took a look at what Baltimore is spending on each of their position groups in 2018 thanks to Spotrac. Which in turn led to me comparing that with the rest of the NFL. Once I did that, I was pretty shocked to see that the Ravens hovered a lot in the middle of the league in average salary cap dollars in nearly all positions.

Quarterback (fifth), running back (19th), wide receiver (15th), offensive line (25th) compare nicely to the defensive line (22nd), linebackers (17th) and secondary (seventh). Even looking at the offense and defense against themselves, things continue on that narrative. The Ravens have spent an average of $2.921 million per offensive player, while spending $2.997 million per defensive player.

Baltimore has spent significantly more draft equity on defensive players, which is why they have 30 under contract in 2018 already while only having 20 under contract on offense. That has in turn led to a lower average cap for the defense, but that just further illustrates the point.

The Ravens have invested tons of time in their defense through the draft and developing players, which is why they have more on that side at lower costs. But they have spent surprisingly large amounts of money in free agency on their offense. Just look to last few offseasons for an example of that.

The signings of Jeremy Maclin, Danny Woodhead and Austin Howard this past offseason come with an average cap hit of $4.353 million per year. The signings of Mike Wallace and Benjamin Watson in 2016 equal a $4.625 million per year cap hit. 2014 saw a cap hit of $5 million per year from Eugene Monroe, Steve Smith and Jacoby Jones. Compare that to the defensive additions of 2014 and 2015, which were a combined $1.597 million per year cap hit.

The reason why things feel so lopsided is because Baltimore has failed pretty hard on their offensive acquisitions. Maclin and Woodhead accounted to little. Watson was injured his first season. Steve Smith was simply a rental and Jacoby Jones’ last contract was a bust. Meanwhile, the Ravens have hit on guys like Eric Weddle, Brandon Carr, Daryl Smith, Elvis Dumervil, Chris Canty and many others. Simply by name recognition, the defense is winning out here.

It’s not that Baltimore isn’t trying to build a complete team — both on offense and defense. It’s just that they kind of suck at it when it comes to the offense.