With free agency and the NFL draft fast approaching, the Ravens’ offseason rebuild has largely stabilized.

The franchise has a succession plan at team president and a new head athletic trainer. Coach John Harbaugh’s staff overhaul is complete. Quarterback Lamar Jackson’s ankle is healthy enough to handle practice sessions. Wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown will have the fifth-year option on his contract exercised. Cornerback Marcus Peters isn’t expected to be a salary cap casualty. And general manager Eric DeCosta has warned that the Ravens probably won’t spend much this offseason, anyway.

As team officials prepare for the offseason’s next phase, they’ll head to Indianapolis this week for the NFL scouting combine. DeCosta’s scheduled to talk Wednesday afternoon. With big decisions on the horizon, here’s what Baltimore Sun reporters Childs Walker and Jonas Shaffer and editor C.J. Doon make of what could and should come next.

What are you hoping to learn at the combine from either Eric DeCosta or the players themselves?

Walker: We’re unlikely to hear anything radically different from DeCosta from what he said at his season-ending news conference earlier this month. But the questions around Lamar Jackson’s contract status have only intensified over the last few weeks, with national commentators even suggesting that he consider staying off the practice field until he reaches an extension agreement.

That projected urgency runs counter to what we’ve heard from Jackson, who seems disinterested in discussing his contract at every turn, and from DeCosta, who said the Ravens are working on Jackson’s timeline. It’s a difficult situation to read, so we have to take any chance we can get to pull another morsel from the Ravens general manager, who will probably go back to radio silence after the draft.

Shaffer: So, um, any update on those Jackson negotiations? Wednesday’s press conference will mark nearly four weeks since DeCosta said the extension talks were “at Lamar’s pace.” In that span, Jackson’s worked out with quarterback trainer Adam Dedeaux, hung out with Kanye West and set a high score on a game called “Slap and Run.” But did he make time for further negotiations with the Ravens’ front office?

DeCosta’s presser will also be his first since Sashi Brown, the former Cleveland Browns general manager, was named Dick Cass’ successor as Ravens president. His perspective on the team’s new power structure should be interesting.

Doon: Where does DeCosta see the most value at pick No. 14? There should be plenty of options at their biggest positions of need — offensive line, defensive line and cornerback — but would they rather stick to their best-player-available mantra in the first round? Mississippi State offensive tackle Charles Cross could be plug-and-play as a rookie, but does DeCosta see more upside in a player like Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams or Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean? What if a talented but raw prospect like Michigan edge rusher David Ojabo is still on the board? Hearing DeCosta’s thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of this draft class will be illuminating.

If you’re a Ravens official, which prospect are you most interested in seeing this week?

Walker: Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum seems to be the team’s most popular mock draft prom date, and it makes sense given the strong possibility that Bradley Bozeman will no longer be a Raven in a few weeks.

But the Ravens have at least as much work to do on their defensive front, and that means they’ll have their eyes on three Georgia defensive linemen who project to be available at No. 14. Do they prefer powerhouse defensive end Travon Walker, who would bring the versatility they have always prized up front? Or massive defensive tackle Jordan Davis, who would step right in as a replacement for Brandon Williams? Or maybe defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt, who raised his stock at the Senior Bowl and would provide more pass-rush pop than Davis?

Shaffer: Linderbaum. The Iowa center is a popular mock draft pick for the Ravens at No. 14 overall — a potential All-Pro talent who would project as a plug-and-play starter if Bradley Bozeman leaves in free agency. But at 6 feet 3 and 290 pounds, Linderbaum is considered a better fit for zone-running schemes than the gap schemes the Ravens have favored under offensive coordinator Greg Roman. If you’re going to take a center that high, you’d better be sure he can do everything you want in Year One.

Doon: Walker. The Georgia defensive lineman has the versatility the Ravens covet, lining up with his hand in the dirt or as a stand-up edge rusher and even dropping into coverage on occasion. Scouts are somewhat split on the 6-5, 275-pound Walker, with The Athletic, NFL Network and ESPN ranking him among their top-15 prospects, while Bleacher Report and NFL.com have him outside their top 40. If he showcases the speed and explosiveness that made him a standout player for the national champion Bulldogs, he might rise out of the Ravens’ range.

Considering all the talent they could lose this offseason, what is the Ravens’ most important roster need?

Walker: They have more work to do on defense, but the offensive line has to be their top priority. If they cannot protect Jackson, they undermine everything else they’re trying to build. The Ravens need at least one young tackle to compete with Patrick Mekari for snaps and to hedge against the uncertainty around left tackle Ronnie Stanley’s surgically repaired ankle. They need to identify a long-term starter at left guard. They might need a starting center if Bozeman signs elsewhere. Yes, they have internal candidates, but we saw how the existing group stumbled without Stanley as an anchor in 2021. The Ravens need more talent up front, plain and simple.

Shaffer: If the Ravens expect a bounce-back year from Stanley — and that’s a big if, especially this early in the offseason — defensive line should be their top priority. Considering the number of young pieces returning along the offensive line, and DeCosta’s regular investment in the position through the draft, 2022 should be a smoother year up front.

On defense, there’s a lot to potentially replace. Calais Campbell, Brandon Williams and Justin Ellis are pending free agents. Derek Wolfe’s injury history will loom large as the team sorts out its depth chart. Justin Madubuike and Broderick Washington have been better run stoppers than pass rushers. The Ravens can modernize their line this offseason to better handle opposing offenses, but that takes serious investment.

Doon: This is a tough one. Stanley’s injury concerns, Mekari’s relative inexperience at tackle and Bozeman’s pending free agency put the offensive line in a perilous spot without further reinforcements. At time same time, the possible departure of both Campbell and Williams up front is massive. The Bengals might have reached the Super Bowl with one of the worst offensive lines in the league, but the Ravens can’t go into the 2022 season with the same group up front after allowing the second-most sacks in the NFL (57). Adding multiple linemen either through the draft or free agency has to be the top priority.

At which positions should the Ravens avoid investing significant free-agent or draft capital this offseason?

Walker: Quarterback, wide receiver, tight end, running back. This is an offseason for rebuilding the chassis of a team that did not protect its quarterback or defend opposing quarterbacks nearly well enough in 2021. The Ravens should reserve their largest investments for both lines and perhaps a big-play threat in the secondary.

That’s not to say they have no work to do at the skill positions. They could use a dependable wide receiver to complement Marquise Brown and Rashod Bateman, a versatile running back to offer some peace of mind behind J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards and a pass-catching tight end to help out Mark Andrews. But these would be nice highlights around the edges of the painting.

Shaffer: Quarterback, running back and tight end, but let’s not get crazy here. Does that mean the Ravens should drop $15 million a year on Allen Robinson II in free agency? Of course not. But if a can’t-miss receiver prospect — USC’s Drake London, anyone? — falls to No. 14, or wherever the Ravens pick first, it would be hard to blame DeCosta for taking what might be the best player available.

Same goes for a position like inside linebacker. There’s a lot to like about Patrick Queen’s potential, but the Ravens could find him a running mate (and perhaps more) in the first round.

Doon: What they said. I’ll add that I don’t think it’s worthwhile for the Ravens to target a high-priced wide receiver or cornerback in free agency. Ravens fans can dream about how Chris Godwin or Allen Robinson would fit with Jackson or how former Terp J.C. Jackson would look next to Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey, but there’s a reason the Ravens have always avoided being big spenders in free agency. If you want to add more star power at those positions, do it in the draft.

Aside from Mike Macdonald’s hiring at defensive coordinator, which Ravens coaching change is the offseason’s most interesting?

Walker: The decision not to make many coaching changes on offense is probably more interesting than any of the hires the Ravens made to fill out Macdonald’s staff. Will we see different wrinkles from Greg Roman this season or immediately re-enter the cycle of frustration between griping fans and the much-scrutinized offensive coordinator?

That wasn’t the question, though. Perhaps the most interesting addition was not a coach but new head athletic trainer Adrian Dixon. At his season-ending news conference, Harbaugh made it clear the Ravens are looking at every possible avenue to reduce their injury rate in 2022. It would be unfair to blame previous head trainer Ron Medlin for their terrible luck last season; no medical staffer is a miracle worker in this brutal sport. But Harbaugh put a spotlight on the team’s health going into next season, so Dixon will come in with plenty of eyes on him.

Shaffer: Zach Orr’s homecoming is the Ravens’ most feel-good hire, but Ryan Osborn’s arrival can’t be overlooked. Maybe no one knows what Macdonald expects from his staff better than the team’s new defensive assistant.

Osborn spent last season as a Michigan “analyst,” helping turn the Wolverines’ star edge rushers, Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo, into projected first-round picks. As a graduate assistant at Mississippi State and Florida, Osborn also worked under defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, who as the defensive coordinator at Georgia worked with a young Macdonald. Considering the Ravens’ needs on defense — an improved pass rush and staff cohesion chief among them — Osborn could have a pivotal role.

Doon: Tight ends coach Bobby Engram had been with the Ravens since 2014 before becoming Wisconsin’s offensive coordinator last month. While he worked with the tight ends for only three seasons after previously coaching their wide receivers, his loss will certainly be felt by Andrews and Co. The addition of George Godsey is an intriguing one, as he helped Dolphins tight ends record an NFL-high 122 catches last year. But it’s fair to wonder how much Andrews will miss his old position coach after blossoming into one of the best tight ends in the league in 2021.