Ravens face tight spot this offseason
This season, the Baltimore Ravens were one tackle away from winning the AFC North. If Antonio Brown isn’t able to lunge over the goal line at Heinz Field on Christmas Day, the Ravens likely win the division and everybody views 2016 as a great success, regardless of the postseason outcome.
Alas, that is not the case. Baltimore ended up 8-8 and watched as a pair of critically important pieces retired. On offense, the Ravens lost Steve Smith Sr., by far the best weapon on an already lackluster unit. Defensively, the team suffered a shocking blow with second-year inside linebacker Zach Orr hanging up the cleats after being on the second-team All-Pro squad. With Orr and Smith leaving for the next phases in their lives, Baltimore general manager Ozzie Newsome has some major holes to fill and not many ways to do it.
The Ravens are in one of the worst cap situations in the National Football League, with just over an estimated $15 million in cap space. Once you factor in the draft class and some minimum contracts, Baltimore is looking at about $9-10 million to actually spend.
Most teams have some players who can easily be cut to save money against the cap, but there aren’t many options for that in Charm City. Lardarius Webb could be released and would net $5.5 million, making him a strong bet to be gone. Other than Webb, the cuts gets harder. Elvis Dumervil is aging and could be released to save $6 million, but he’s still productive and creates a serious void in the pass rush. Mike Wallace could be jettisoned to recoup $5.75 million, but then you lose the two best receivers on the team in one shot.
Newsome has very little wiggle room in free agency, making his draft class all the more important. The Ravens are one of the oldest teams in the league, with many of their key contributors such as Terrell Suggs, Eric Weddle, Dennis Pitta, Joe Flacco and Dumervil on the proverbial back nine of their careers. Newsome has to find some new blood across the board, specifically in skill positions and the secondary.
If Baltimore wants to catch the likes of the Steelers and stay ahead of the Cincinnati Bengals, something has to click with guys like Jimmy Smith and Breshad Perriman, two former first-round picks who have yet to make a huge impact. Should that maturation take place and the front office hits on some selections come April, Baltimore is back in business. Otherwise, it could be the beginning of the end for a team that has been a contender almost every year since Flacco was drafted back in 2008.
