Hard Cuts That Need to be Made by The Ravens
The new league year is drawing near and the Ravens by now have undoubtedly made some tough roster decisions, most of which have yet to be disclosed. Bottom line…the Ravens need cap space and although no one asked me, I’ve dissected the team’s roster and here are some of the cuts I’d make along with the associated cap impact of each move.
Scalpel please…
Kyle Arrington: It was a good story on the surface, Arrington returning to his native Maryland to finish his career. We all hoped he might be the kind of free agent acquisition for the defensive backfield that Corey Graham once was. But Arrington was horrible in 2015 and his playing time diminished rapidly as the season continued in torturous fashion. If you can’t make it in the Ravens secondary, you can’t make it anywhere. (sung to the tune of New York, New York) Cap Savings: $1.43M
Chris Canty: He brings veteran leadership but doesn’t bring it enough. Why? Because he has missed 13 games during 3 seasons as a Raven. Let’s make it 16 games…as in the 2016 season. Parting ways allows some of the younger guys (Carl Davis, Brent Urban) to develop. Cap Savings: $2M
Matt Elam: Isn’t it time for the Ravens front office to just cut their losses and admit to making a big mistake with their first round pick, 32nd overall in 2013? I know, the Ravens rarely blow it on a first-rounder that plays defense but there’s a first time for everything. Look, the Ravens let Duane Starks go after 4 seasons and he actually did some things to help the team. But Elam is a different story; he can’t cover he can’t tackle and the only thing he helps is the other team. So Ozzie, don’t feel so bad letting him go and if it makes you feel better, try to remember that in 2001 the 32nd pick in the draft was a second-rounder. Cap Savings: $1.33M
Justin Forsett: Admittedly the thought of cutting a locker room leader and class act evokes a few croc tears. But as the players remind us often, the NFL is a business and tough choices have to be made. Forsett has already had his best season and in the big leagues and these days running backs are a dime a dozen. With these cap savings, you can get a lot of dimes. Cap Savings: $2.3M
Kendrick Lewis: He can’t cover and he drops more balls than Times Square. The Ravens had a streak going with former Texans. The streak has ended and so too should their association with Lewis. Cap Savings: $933K
Eugene Monroe: Talk about a “me” guy, Monroe was asked to restructure the deal he signed in 2014 to help create cap space for the Ravens in 2015. It wasn’t a pay cut! The Ravens were offering to turn his salary into a bonus and give it to him up front. He said no. Guess what? There’s another way to change Monroe’s deal to create cap savings – tear it up. Cap Savings: $2.1M
Dennis Pitta: Another tough choice but I’m more concerned about Pitta the man than Pitta the player. It would be tough to put him at risk again by allowing this fan favorite to take the field. And it’s unconscionable to think the team would honor a contract that for the moment is scheduled to pay Pitta $5M. Cap Savings: $600K
Lardarius Webb: Unlike Monroe, Webb helped the Ravens last season by taking a pay cut. It’s tough to ask a player to do that again but that is exactly what Ozzie Newsome should do. Webb isn’t worthy of being a top-10 paid safety. He has little safety experience at the NFL level and given his size and history of injuries, does anyone expect him to play 16 games in 2016 when he’ll be asked to tackle bigger players inside the numbers than the smaller ones he once tackled outside the numbers? Of course not! Cap Savings: $3.5M
Total Cap Savings: $14.2M
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Total Cap Savings With Projected Joe Flacco Restructure: $22.2M (chart below)
Chart courtesy of Brian McFarland @RavensSalaryCap
Now that the Ravens have a fatter checkbook thanks to the surgical precision above, they can re-sign Kelechi Osemele assuming they believe he can be a full-time left tackle, lure an edge-rusher (Olivier Vernon), acquire an experienced and accomplished safety who can provide leadership (Eric Weddle just 10 months older than Webb) and bring on a competent veteran wide receiver with some upside (Marvin Jones).
The Ravens need cap space. I found it.
The surgery was a success.
The 2016 season can’t start soon enough.
Note: These moves will push $24.46M in dead money into 2017 unless the Ravens would take one or more of the bigger hits post June 1. This would lessen the blow of the dead money in 2017 but push more into 2018. The dead $24.46M in this plan is accounted for as follows:
- Kyle Arrington $1.33M
- Chris Canty $0.77M
- Matt Elam $0.83M
- Justin Forsett $1.40M
- Kendrick Lewis $0.93M
- Eugene Monroe $6.60M
- Dennis Pitta $6.60M
- Lardarius Webb $6.00M
The Ravens carried $24,647,844 in dead cap money in 2015.
Follow me on Twitter @RSRLombardi
