The Ravens have been busy the first couple days of free agency. They haven’t been busy the way the Jaguars, Raiders and Giants have been, spending boatloads of cash and making splashy moves, but then again they never are.
Instead they’ve been clearing cap space at a ferocious pace. In the last three days, they have restructured deals with Marshal Yanda and Jimmy Smith freeing up $8.5 million dollars. Also after be used sparingly in 2015 Kyle Arrington agreed to a pay cut which freed up roughly $1.1 million. According to cap guru Brian McFarland the Ravens are now $11.147 million under the cap.
So here’s the big question: what is Ozzie up to?
The Ravens have to be clearing cap space for a reason right? Restructuring deals is not ideal. Newsome himself is on record saying that he hates doing it. “The only time we considering restructuring guys deals is if there’s a player that comes available that we think has great value and is worth us restructuring a deal to get it done,” Newsome said in 2013 according the Ravens official site. So now that he’s restructured not one deal, but two, and pushed cap dollars into future years, it’s fair to wonder what that money is being designated for.
Maybe it’s Mike Wallace. The Ravens were reportedly interested in the former Vikings receiver earlier this week after he was released. Wallace would be an intriguing fit in Baltimore. He’s struggled to recapture his Pro Bowl form since leaving the Steelers following the 2011 season. It’s hard to say, though, whether he’s lost a step or his dip in production was a result of poor quarterback play. He would certainly provide some much needed speed.
Baltimore has also been linked to Kelvin Beachum. Beachum may have been a top 20 free agent had it not been for a season-ending ACL tear in October. The Ravens would clearly like to move on from Eugene Monroe, but would it be smart to replace a player who can’t stay on the field with one coming off a torn ACL?
Could it be a corner? The Ravens did just re-sign Shareece Wright to a three year deal, but can the Ravens trust him starting opposite Jimmy Smith? Out of all position groups the cornerback position still has the most options left on the market. Casey Hayward, Prince Amukamara and Brent Grimes are all quality options. Grimes was released so he wouldn’t count against the Ravens future compensatory picks. He’s probably the most talented of the bunch and has been to three straight Pro Bowls, but he does come with some baggage. There were rumors he was cut because of his wife’s off field distractions which included criticizing Grimes’ then teammate Ryan Tannehill in a Twitter rant.
The Ravens at one point had the second least cap space in the league but that is no longer an issue. Now that they’ve restructured deals and pushed money into the future the question is, what will they do with it?
