If Ray Lewis is the free agent to watch this offseason, then Baltimore’s linebackers are the one unit to monitor.

Not only is Lewis a free agent, but so are Baltimore linebackers Terrell Suggs and Bart Scott.

As much as Baltimore wants to keep all three, it is going to be difficult to do.

Lewis and the Ravens have not come close to an agreement. Suggs was slapped with the franchise tag last offseason and it would cost the Ravens $10.3 million to do the same this offseason. Scott typically has been one of the most underrated players in the league.

As it stands, the Ravens are $27 million under the 2009 salary cap. While sitting $27 million under the cap, they also have only 38 players under contract — well short of the 53 they field on their roster, or the 80 they will take to training camp.

Baltimore is going to have to find a way to use its funds wisely — and try to keep as many of its linebackers as possible.