courtney upshaw

Throughout the Ravens' offseason, under-the-radar pass rusher Steven Means was introduced into conversations by coach John Harbaugh and general manager Ozzie Newsome as a young player who bears watching.

The Ravens managed to lower veteran punter Sam Koch's salary-cap figure by $700,000 when they signed him to a five-year, $16.25 million contract extension, according to NFL Players Association records and league sources.

The Ravens have locked up punter Sam Koch with a five-year, $16.25 million extension making the total value of his contract $18.75 million over the six years of the deal, according to sources.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh will preach about the importance of players earning their spot, but there are few starting jobs up for grabs for AFC North team.

Ravens' officials won't have to make roster decisions for nearly 2 1/2 months, but past trends could provide a glimpse to what direction they'll go.

Ravens linebacker Courtney Upshaw did not have a sack last season, but realizes his future with the Ravens and in the NFL depends on improving as a pass rusher. He's entering the final year of his rookie contract.

Here's a look at several things to watch as the Ravens begin their third and final organized team activity Monday.

The Ravens are $7.331 million under the NFL salary-cap limit of $143.28 million.

While we learned a little last week about Joe Flacco's adjustment to Marc Trestman's version of the West Coast offense, Timmy Jernigan's ascension to the starting defensive line and just how much longer 36-year-old wide receiver Steve Smith might play in the NFL, all of that has been sufficiently discussed and dissected.

OTAs have purpose, but only under certain circumstances. For veterans, being a no-show is no big deal. Their basic game plan is to show up for one of the three, then the mandatory minicamp and then training camp.

Coordinators Marc Trestman and Gary Kubiak run the same West Coast offense, but their styles appear to be different in practice. Trestman is more involved and certainly more emotional. He is constantly jogging in and out of the huddle, usually chatting with a quarterback or receiver.

The Ravens had generally high attendance at their organized team activity with the exception of the entire starting offensive line being absent from the voluntary practice Thursday.

The Ravens' track record of having at least one undrafted rookie make the roster under coach John Harbaugh was a major factor in Beyer's decision.

Nick Perry, a safety, and Trey DePriest, an inside linebacker, are products of the University of Alabama, the alma mater of Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome and a frequent source of Ravens defensive talent. They play positions where undrafted players frequently stick on the Ravens roster.

With organized team activities set to begin, several Ravens' veterans will be under the microscope.

Even though he'll turn 31 in about three months, Baltimore Ravens guard Marshal Yanda remains at the top of his game and would be paid accordingly.

The Ravens are $7.384 million under the NFL salary-cap limit of $143.28 million.

Kyle Arrington's addition provides depth and experience to the Ravens secondary and it also could mean a more simplified role for much-maligned safety Matt Elam.

Though the Ravens filled several needs in the draft, team officials continue to work to try and add a cornerback with former New England Patriot Kyle Arrington now available.

Baltimore Sun columnist Mike Preston answers your questions about the NFL draft, which begins Thursday night in Chicago. Questions from readers have been edited for clarity.

Until April 30, the first round of the 2015 NFL draft, The Baltimore Sun will examine the Ravens¿ depth at each position, the potential of them adding to that spot early in the draft and some of the players who they could target.

Before the NFL turns over the league¿s calendar each year, top Ravens officials join owner Steve Bisciotti in Florida for a comprehensive look at the upcoming season and the one that will follow it, taking into account roster construction, salary cap issues and free agency.

As they prepare for this year's draft, which gets underway with Thursday's first round, the Ravens seemingly have more needs on offense than defense. They want another running back and a tight end and they are thin on outside targets for quarterback Joe Flacco. If there was a draft where the Ravens would target offense, this would seemingly be it.

Following their four-year, $48 million contract extension for cornerback Jimmy Smith, the Ravens are $10.673 million under the NFL salary-cap limit of $143.28 million.

The Ravens have struck a long-term deal with veteran cornerback Jimmy Smith, an agreement that locks up one of the top young defensive backs in the NFL.

Veteran tight end Dennis Pitta is participating in the Ravens' voluntary conditioning program that started Monday.

The Ravens are $7.685 million under the NFL salary-cap limit of $143.28 million. That includes a $2 million salary-cap figure for new backup quarterback Matt Schaub.

The Ravens have no problem sending up smoke screens during the draft buildup but there is some legitimacy to owner Steve Bisciotti's desire to get a pass rusher.

The Ravens won't have to worry about redoing Joe Flacco's contract until next year, but owner Steve Bisciotti is confident that it will eventually get done.

Despite the losses of Haloti Ngata and Pernell McPhee and the ongoing questions about the secondary, Ravens coach John Harbaugh didn't sound all too worried about the state of his team's defense.

The Ravens are $7.875 million under the NFL salary-cap limit of $143.28 million, a solid financial situation at this stage of the offseason.

As several key Ravens get older and more become free agents, 2015 might be the best chance to get back to the Super Bowl.

The fact that the Ravens have sustained so many free-agent losses shouldn't be a big surprise, but their failure to add a wide receiver or a cornerback to this point is highly unexpected.

Pernell McPhee's rported deal with the Chicago Bears became official Wednesday, marking the formal loss of the Ravens' second defensive starter in as many days, along with tackle Haloti Ngata.

Ravens officials didn't give up a whole lot, but they made it clear that they are prepared to lose several key players.

Baltimore Sun reporter Jeff Zrebiec shares his thoughts on the Ravens' pick in some early mock drafts, a big offseason for Courtney Upshaw and more.

Courtney Upshaw's run without a sack has ended. He sacked Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger during the fourth quarter of the Ravens' 30-17 AFC wild-card win last Saturday, shaking him up and briefly forcing him out of the game.

Ravens veteran outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw has been fined $10,000 by the league office for a late hit on Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Connor Shaw.

Ravens five-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Haloti Ngata returned to practice Tuesday after serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL performance-enhancing drug policy.

Baltimore Sun reporter Aaron Wilson breaks down the game film from Sunday's game between the Ravens and the Cleveland Browns at M&T Bank Stadium.

Backup defensive lineman Pernell McPhee has two big sacks as Baltimore Ravens lock up playoff berth.

An untimely left foot injury that forced Ravens rookie defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan out of the game Sunday coincides with the impending return of veteran defensive tackle Haloti Ngata.

Jeff Zrebiec looks at who's better at what in Sunday's showdown between the Ravens and Houston Texans.

When the Baltimore Ravens visit Houston on Sunday, the Texans will rely heavily on running back Arian Foster, who has run for over 100 yards in seven of 11 games this season and averages 102.5 yards per game.

Although Dumervil isn¿t a full-time defensive player like Houston and Watt because he splits snaps at strong-side outside linebacker with Courtney Upshaw, he says he deserves consideration for NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors

Breaking down the key plays and statistics in the Ravens' 28-13 win over the Miami Dolphins.

After returning to practice Friday, running back Justin Forsett and wide receiver Torrey Smith both active for Ravens against Dolphins.

The Ravens'¿ fourth-ranked running defense enters its first game without Pro Bowl defensive tackle Haloti Ngata with a unique challenge in Miami's spread-option offense, which features quarterback Ryan Tannehill as a threat to run and has proven difficult for defenses to stop all season.

Two of the Ravens' top offensive stars, running back Justin Forsett and wide receiver Torrey Smith, returned to practice Friday ahead of Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins.

Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith missed a second straight day with an undisclosed knee injury, while fellow receiver Marlon Brown returned to practice after leaving Sunday's game and missing Wednesday with a concussion.