The free agency period will begin on March 9. In the weeks leading up to that time, we will be running a preview series on each Baltimore Ravens’ player that will be hitting the market. Today’s player is right tackle Ricky Wagner.

A steal from the 2013 NFL Draft, Wagner has been the Ravens’ starting right tackle for the last three seasons. While he doesn’t receive much in the way of accolades, he has been a very capable right tackle during his time in Baltimore. Wagner will now enter a free agent market that has plenty of teams that can offer sizable amounts of money to bring in a tackle that can provide stability to an offensive line. The Ravens will have to offer Wagner a long-term lucrative deal if they want to keep him.

2016:

Wagner played in 15 games in 2016, only missing the season finale because of a concussion he suffered in the Ravens Week 16 loss against Pittsburgh.

Potential:

Wagner has been the starter at right tackle for the last three seasons and Baltimore hasn’t felt any need to bring in anyone that could compete with him for the right tackle spot. It’s unlikely that Wagner will get voted to too many Pro Bowls, but he’s a player that will be a quiet anchor on the right side of an offensive line.

Even still, we’ve seen Wagner play at an incredibly high level before, showing a ceiling that many teams would love to reach again. Whether that was simply an outlier or is actually achievable again remains to be seen.

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Value:

Retaining Wagner will be no easy task for the Ravens, as they will have to compete with other teams that have the cap space to outbid them. Looking at recent deals for tackles that are around the same age, we see Kansas City’s Mitchell Schwartz and Chicago’s Bobby Massie as comparable players.

Given the expected inflation in this season’s salary cap and how weak the market is, Wagner could see a four-year deal worth $32 million from a team in free agency.

Chance to re-sign:

If the Ravens want to bring Wagner back, they will have to sign him to a deal before free agency starts. They will probably even have to sign him to a deal before the legal tampering period starts, as other teams will sure present Wagner with a deal that Baltimore will be unable to match.

But the loss of Wagner might not be too devastating for Baltimore. The team drafted Alex Lewis last year and they praised his versatility. Lewis was competent when he was forced to play as left tackle, so it might not be out of the question for him to slide over to right tackle if Wagner was to leave.

The Ravens have a history of paying up for those they deem franchise players and Wagner might just fit in that category. If Baltimore wants to bring back Wagner, they will have to pay up and they will have to do so quickly. If Wagner gets a taste of free agency, it might be too late for Baltimore to convince him to stay.